On Friday morning, pupils from local schools across Hornchurch & Upminster took part in the inaugural debating competition hosted by local Member of Parliament Julia Lopez in collaboration with Impart UK.

The competition was a chance for pupils from secondary schools across the constituency to debate in Parliament and hone their vital public speaking and critical thinking skills in the Westminster Hall chamber. 

The debating competition was attended by Campion, Hall Mead, Sanders Drapers and Gaynes School, with pupils from across a range of ages debating issues such as the banning of phones for under 16-year-olds, and whether the London Mayor should make crime his main focus.

Commenting following the competition, Julia said:

“I wanted to organise this competition because debating clubs and societies weren’t something which I had access to at school as a kid. When I went to University, I’d had very little public speaking experience and I wish I’d had the chance to do more of it.

“Today’s event has been amazing and I’ve been blown away by the standard of the debate and discussion on show. The kids were really well prepared and spoke incredibly well. I hope that they’ve taken a lot of confidence from today’s debate. I can’t wait to host more events like this in the future.”

Pupils from Hall Mead and Sanders Draper School both came away with debating wins under their belts.