CHILDREN enjoyed a tour around Westminster Palace when they visited their MP on a fact-finding visit to Parliament.

Members of Queensway Primary's school council had a meeting and a question and answer session with Leeds North West MP Greg Mulholland. They had the chance to ask questions about his role as an MP as well as broader questions on democracy and politics in general. The young school councillors were also able to watch the Commons in action from the public gallery as part of their trip to learn about representative democracy.

Mr Mulholland regularly invites school pupils to Parliament as well as hosting mini-parliaments around his constituency.

He said: "It was a huge pleasure welcoming the Queensway School Council to Parliament. It was inspiring to meet a group of young councillors who were so keen to learn and to use what they had learnt in their own roles representing fellow pupils at Queensway.

"We had an excellent discussion. They were very keen to learn about Parliament and how it operates, and we discussed democracy and representing people. I hope that they have learnt a lot from the visit and that it has inspired them to carry on doing their best to represent their peers and to change things for the better. It is great to see how seriously they take their role as school councillors and I hope that it has inspired them to carry on in that role and perhaps one day to stand for Parliament too."

Queensway headteacher Alun Davies said: "It was both an exciting and inspiring day which will raise the children's aspirations. They were able to gain experiences which they will never encounter in the classroom and create memories which will last a lifetime. We are very grateful to Greg for organising the tour of The Palace of Westminster and for being generous with his time to help the children have an amazing day. They are now being challenged to use their experience to inspire other children in school."