Through embarking on work experience with Dr Kieran Mullan, I was able to experience first-hand the varying roles and duties of an MP, as well as contribute to the team and develop an understanding of local and national politics.
The week was split into working in the constituency office as well as in Westminster itself. The constituency office team, led by Frances McKenna, made me feel very welcome from the offset. Frances and I went on a constituency visit to Great Dixter House, where I learnt the history of the house and the impact on our constituency that it has for students and visitors. I also had the opportunity to research statistics for Kieran’s upcoming Parliamentary speech on seaside town deprivation and isolation; an engaging task that resonated deeply with me, having lived in Bexhill my whole life.
At Parliament, I had the chance to go on a tour, as well as sitting in on Kier Starmer’s final PMQ’s – a unique and fascinating experience! With the hard-working Westminster team, Tom and Alex, I worked on drafting policy response to local constituents, researched the bill-of-the-day that Kieran was involved in as Shadow Justice Minister (Public Office Accountability Bill), and helped to draft a post detailing Kieran’s experience with an Organ Donor group. Overall, it was a great experience seeing politics in motion first-hand and experiencing London on my own for the first time!
A project that I took particular interest in was writing a report on youth engagement and how Kieran can better strengthen his engagement with young people. An area of great importance to me, I believe that it is vital that all MP’s and Parliament engage more with the youth, encouraging young people to engage in politics. Writing up this report allowed me to research and strengthen my ideas around this subject, as well as provide my thoughts directly to Kieran.
The week of work experience was a fantastic opportunity to develop an understanding of what a career in politics entails. The work was engaging and relevant and the team were supportive and genuine, which I am grateful for.
