Children from Coningsby enjoy tour of the Houses of Parliament

A group of 17 children enjoyed a tour of the House of Commons followed by a question and answer session.

The children were encouraged to ask Ms Atkins questions about her working life as Minister in the Home Office and as Minister for Women.

Ms Atkins said: “I have always considered welcoming children from the constituency to Parliament to be one of the highlights of my job.

“I had a wonderful discussion with the children, taking in everything from my day-to-day working life as an MP, my role in the Home Office and the policy ideas they would like to see introduced.

“I have to say that some of the policies the children would like to see implemented, such as no homework and fast food lunches, did have to be hotly debated!

“I hope I managed to persuade them of the negatives!

“It was so great to see so many young people, especially young girls, interested in policy and public life.

“I was so impressed by the maturity the children showed in recognising the importance of teaching politics and democracy in our schools.”

• If your school is interested in a visit to Parliament, contact Ms Atkins’ office on 01507 527017.