The new 'baby of the house' - Labour's Sam Carling is Parliament's youngest MP

The 22-year-old is Britain's first MP to be born in the 21st Century. Credit: Sam Carling

A recently elected Labour MP is most likely going to be the new "baby of the house" - a term used to call the youngest member of Parliament.

Sam Carling, 22, will be representing the North West Cambridgeshire constituency after securing his seat in the 2024 General Election.

The Cambridge University science graduate student narrowly won his seat, beating veteran Conservative MP Shailesh Vara by just 39 votes.

Mr Carling was only a toddler when his 63-year-old opponent was first elected for North West Cambridgeshire in 2005.

The 22-year-old grew up in a rural town in the North East of England, where he said he noticed things were "getting worse" around him.

"The funding cuts that caused my school’s sixth form to close, leaving students with 3-hour round trips to the next nearest one due to inadequate public transport, were inflicted by the Conservatives’ choices.

"The same was true of the crippling business rates that destroyed local high streets and continue to do so."

According to his campaign website, it was at this time that he saw that "Labour was different."

"Things didn’t have to be in decline like they were, and I wanted to be part of delivering that alternative. So I joined the Labour Party and a few years later I stood to be a councillor."

During an interview on BBC Radio 4, Mr Carling said he didn't want his age to be the only thing people focus on.

"There is a sort of 'othering' with young people, and it is something that I want to tackle, because there has been this obsession with my age and how young I am.

"I want to be in a position when no one bats an eyelid on that. I want to be in a position that young people can run for any office, local councils, parliament, what ever it might be, and for that to be normal because young people need to be represented too."

The previous "baby of the House" was fellow Labour MP Keir Mather, who won the Selby and Ainsty by-election in 2023.

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