Local Green councillor Alex Phillips visited Brighton & Hove’s Cardinal Newman Sixth Form today to take part in a Question Time event organised by young politics students at the college. The event saw students put a range of political questions to a cross-party panel of elected representatives from the local area.
Students were particularly keen to hear from elected representatives whether they felt 16-year-olds should have a vote, legalisation of recreational drugs, and opinions on the new Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Councillor Alex Phillips, the Greens’ spokesperson on Children, Young People and Skills, said:
“I’m delighted to have been invited to take part in this event, and to be able to share the Green Party’s commitment to young people as outlined in our youth manifesto back in May. I’m pleased to see such enthusiasm from these students for engaging in the major issues we are facing both locally and nationally.
“We’ve had a fantastic debate today with a wide range of views aired from across the political spectrum. I really hope that students will continue this engagement and consider getting involved with their local political party based on what they’ve heard today. Who knows, maybe we have the next Caroline Lucas or Jeremy Corbyn here already?
“As a democratic society, we have a duty to ensure everyone’s voice is heard, and as such I’m a passionate supporter of lowering the voting age to 16. It’s so important that young people are engaged as early as possible in the political system, and the quality of political debate today demonstrates the proven ability of young people to make critical, responsible decisions”.