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Sam Carling
Samuel Carling (born April 2002) is a British politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for North West Cambridgeshire since 2024. He is the first British parliamentarian to be born in the 21st century.[1] By convention, as the youngest member of Parliament, he is accorded the honorary style of Baby of the House.[2][3] Carling has represented the ward of West Chesterton on Cambridge City Council since 2022.[4] Early life and educationSamuel Carling was born in 2002[5] and raised in Crook, County Durham.[6] He described his background as being from "a totally apolitical family, in quite a deprived part of the north east of England".[2] Originally from Bishop Auckland, Carling completed his GCSEs at Wolsingham School before attending sixth form at Barnard Castle School, an independent boarding school in County Durham, with an academic scholarship.[7] He achieved five A* A-level grades and an Extended Project Qualification.[8] The cancellation of some A-level exams during the COVID-19 pandemic sparked Carling's interest in politics,[9] which developed at university and inspired him to run for elected office.[10] While at Barnard Castle School, Carling received the Salters–Nuffield Prize[11] for "exceptional performance in biology" from the Worshipful Company of Salters with an essay entitled "Could carbon quantum dots have applications in bioimaging?"[7] Aged 18, Carling then went to read natural sciences at Christ's College, Cambridge,[2] where he became actively involved in Cambridge University politics. A staff writer for Varsity,[12] Carling served as president of Christ's College JCR and co-chairman of the Cambridge University Labour Club, before being elected an Officer of the Cambridge Union[13] and then as a member of the Cambridge University Council.[14][4][a] In 2023, he graduated with first-class honours and became an undergraduate tutor.[16] While studying for a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) postgraduate degree at Cambridge,[17] Carling was elected to Parliament in 2024,[4] the academic year having only just ended. Political careerIn 2022, while still a second-year undergraduate, Carling ran on the Labour slate for election to Cambridge City Council to represent the ward of West Chesterton.[4] At the local elections held on 5 May 2022, Carling narrowly defeated incumbent Liberal Democrat councillor Jamie Dalzell,[18] increasing Labour's majority on Cambridge City Council with the Liberal Democrats losing three seats and the Greens gaining one. Carling became the first Cambridge student in memory to successfully contest a City Council seat.[19] He was re-elected at the 2024 Cambridge City Council election. During his tenure, Carling held the office of Executive Councillor for Open Spaces and City Services,[20] and was a member of the Skills Committee of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority for two years. He was an advocate of improvements to adult education and transport throughout Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.[21] Carling announced his intention to step down as a Cambridge city councillor as soon as a by-election could reasonably be held and, in the following week on 18 July, he resigned from the council's cabinet.[22] Carling has ceased to take councillor allowances since then.[23] House of CommonsAt the 2024 general election,[24] Carling successfully contested the constituency of North West Cambridgeshire for the Labour Party. Campaigning for better public services,[24] he defeated incumbent Conservative MP Shailesh Vara being returned to Parliament by a narrow margin of 39 votes, verified by a recount.[25][26] The seat had been held by the Conservatives since its creation in 1997.[27] At the age of 22, he was the youngest MP elected at the 2024 election and became Baby of the House.[5][27] Carling is the first British MP to be born in the 21st century.[1] He is the Labour Party's joint-youngest MP, tied with Malcolm Macmillan, who was elected at the same age in 1935.[2] On 24 July 2024, Carling made his maiden speech in a debate on education and opportunity.[28] In November 2024, Carling voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which proposes to legalise assisted dying.[29] In his first six months, Carling has contributed to various debates including on Renters' Rights and SEND provision. [30] Personal lifeCarling is an apprentice member of the Salters' Company.[31] In an interview with The Times, Carling described himself as a member of the LGBT community.[6] He further stated: "I don't see any reason why I won't re-stand. But I'm 22, and I don't intend to be in the House of Commons for 40 years. I will come out and do something else eventually."[6] References
NotesExternal links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sam Carling.
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