Cost of living: Hampshire youth MP says cost of living crisis affects young people as well as adults

Dev Sharma, a member of the Youth Parliament, was joined by fellow MYPs from Hampshire and all over the UK for a lively day of passionate debate on issues affecting young people.

The annual Youth Parliament debate was chaired by the speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, and focused on health-related issues as diverse as the cost of living crisis and the ongoing effects of climate change.

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Dev said: ‘The rising cost of living remains at the top of young people’s minds, and it’s clear that this will continue to have an impact on their mental health and wellbeing.

‘Along with my fellow members of Youth Parliament, I raised these issues to the home of our democracy, parliament, and it is now for government decision makers to ensure action is taken to address these pressing concerns. We will seek to ensure young people are not forgotten in this conversation.’

Hampshire County Council’s deputy leader, Councillor Roz Chadd, praised Dev for his passionate approach to politics.

She said: ‘Dev is a very driven and eloquent politician in the making, so I was pleased to see his speech, which was broadcast on the BBC Parliamentary channel, having such a high profile.

‘As with all our MYPs, Dev is a credit to Hampshire, and these opportunities provide them with a platform to bring to national attention issues that are important to young people, as well as practise their public speaking and debating skills and meet with other youth representatives.’