James Duddridge, Member of Parliament for Rochford and Southend East, supports a cross-party initiative which will give people from poorer backgrounds and different parts of the country the opportunity and support to gain work experience in Parliament.
The Prime Minister has given his support to the programme and emphasised the importance of the Speaker’s scheme.
The programme is running in association with the Social Mobility Foundation, who currently run programmes of a similar nature for other professions such as law and journalism.
The recruitment process for placements will take place over the summer and will be advertised extensively across the country. The first interns will then begin their placements in autumn after conference season.
James said
""This is a really exciting opportunity to help reconnect with the British people by opening up Parliament and politics to a wider audience.
""This scheme is a very exciting intitiaitve and I am looking forward to seeing the scheme develop over the coming months""
ENDS