British teens make history in England’s parliament

Hundreds of British teens made history when they became the first non-MPs ever to debate inside England’s House of Commons. The teens are all young politicians, aged between 11 and 18, called Members of Young Parliament (MYPs). Every year more than half a million teens in the UK elect MYPS to represent them. Late last month more than 300 of these MYPs spent a day debating in the House of Commons, which is in the Parliament of England in the city of Westminister. They talked about university fees, free public transport for teens, youth crime, the economy and lowering the voting age to 16. One of the teens, 16-year-old Charity Mhende says, “Debating about things like lowering the voting age shows that anyone who thinks young people aren't interested in politics is really misinformed."