A 22-year-old elected as an MP with a razor-thin majority has said he does not want his age to be the focus as he heads to Westminster.
Labour’s Sam Carling is likely to be the “baby of the House” – the unofficial title given to the youngest member of the House of Commons – after narrowly winning North West Cambridgeshire.
The Cambridge University science graduate student beat veteran Conservative MP Shailesh Vara by 39 votes to take the seat.
Mr Carling called his victory a “political earthquake”, and said he hoped more young people would stand for public office.
“Then they will see themselves represented, both in Parliament and local councils. It will help tackle apathy,” he said.
The previous “baby of the House” was Oxford University graduate and fellow Labour MP Keir Mather, who won the Selby and Ainsty by-election in 2023.
Mr Carling, who has been a councillor in Cambridge, said many voters were surprised to discover he was running for office, but that “people on the doorstep were very positive”.
“They said ‘That’s good, we need more young people’.
“There is a lot of abuse aimed at younger people online, but face-to-face, people are generally thrilled to find out.”
