Ben Bradley on ending the obsession with exam success, getting kicked out of school and forgiving his digital past

In the latest episode of our podcast Acting Prime Minister, ITV News is sending Ben Bradley MP into Downing Street. A former vice chair of the Conservative Party, he is one of the youngest members of parliament. Elected in 2017 aged 27, the MP for Mansfield has managed to rack up a fair bit of controversy in that time, from his comments about sterilising those on benefits, to resigning over Brexit.

In this episode, Mr Bradley explains to ITV News Political Correspondent Paul Brand how he'd make education his priority as PM, drawing on his own personal struggles at school. He tells Paul how he was effectively kicked out of his primary school, before his parents sold their house and cars to make sure he had the chance to go to a fee-paying grammar school.

He also admits that being an MP has been a 'learning curve' after blog posts he wrote before standing for parliament were uncovered in which he suggested unemployed fathers should have vasectomies to limit the number of children they have. While he regrets the language, Ben stands by the point he was trying to make.

Mr Bradley argues that if he was prime minister, he'd encourage society to forgive people's 'digital histories', arguing that "nobody gets the benefit of the doubt anymore", particularly politicians, claiming, "everybody hates us."

As with all our Acting PMs, the MP faces a round of quick-fire questions. Ben revealed why he would put Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid in his fantasy cabinet and he would call Donald Trump before any other world leader. He also tells us why he would pick Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud as his party conference song.