First year was a baptism of fire, says youngest MP

The youngest MP in the House of Commons has described his first year in Parliament as a "baptism of fire".

Sam Carling was 22 years old when he was elected as Labour MP for North West Cambridgeshire on 5 July 2024.

He secured the seat with a majority of 39 votes over Conservative incumbent Shailesh Vara, following a recount.

After catching up on some sleep after the overnight count, Carling said he woke up to discover the news of his election had gone viral on TikTok and he was being written about in the national press.

"I woke up to messages from friends telling me I was all over social media," he said.

As someone who does not have TikTok account he said he found the attention - which has continued throughout the year - surreal.

He added that while walking in Westminster some children on a school trip told him, "I've seen you on TikTok!".

He recalled also being recognised on the train and that someone had came up to him to talk about tax policy while he was shopping for clothes.

"I'm never really off duty am I?," he said.

The MP said the past year in the role had been "incredibly fulfilling" and he enjoyed the "variety of the job", despite it being a "steep learning curve".

Carling said he had also enjoyed building relationships with his colleagues in Parliament.

"Everyone is just normal," he said. "It may sound like a surprising thing to say but there is a lot of collaborative work on select committees. I wish the public could see that more.

"It's not all about shouting and blaming each other."

As his constituency is close to London he said he frequently travels between the two places during the week.

The MP said that over the next four years he wanted to see the promised investment come to Peterborough, as the southern part of the city falls within his constituency.

Carling and Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes, who is also a newly elected Labour member, have welcomed announcements of government funding for the station quarter and a sports quarter, which includes a new swimming pool.

Protecting rural bus services has also been something he has been campaigning on, along with better healthcare provision in the city, particularly improving access to GP appointments and dental care.

"There's a lot of goodwill around the city," he said.

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