Sam Carling
British politician (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Samuel Carling (born 2002) is a British Labour politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for North West Cambridgeshire since 2024. He is the first British parliamentarian to be born in the 21st century.[1] By convention, as the youngest member of Parliament, he is accorded the honorary style of Baby of the House.[2][3] Carling represented the ward of West Chesterton on Cambridge City Council from 2022 until 2025.[4][5]
Sam Carling | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament for North West Cambridgeshire | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Shailesh Vara |
| Majority | 39 (0.1%) |
| Member of Cambridge City Council for West Chesterton | |
| In office 9 May 2022 – 1 May 2025 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Samuel Carling 2002 (age 23–24) County Durham, England |
| Party | Labour |
| Alma mater | Christ's College, Cambridge (BA) |
| Website | samcarling |
Early life and education
Samuel Carling was born in 2002[6] and raised in Crook, County Durham.[7] He described his background as being from "a totally apolitical family, in quite a deprived part of the north east of England".[2] Carling was raised as a Jehovah's Witness; a faith who are famous for non-participation in politics and not associating with anyone outside their religion.[8]
Originally from Bishop Auckland, Carling completed his GCSEs at Wolsingham School before attending sixth form at Barnard Castle School, an independent boarding school in County Durham, with an academic scholarship.[9] He achieved five A* A-level grades and an Extended Project Qualification.[10] The cancellation of some A-level exams during the COVID-19 pandemic sparked Carling's interest in politics,[11] which developed at university and inspired him to run for elected office.[12]
While at Barnard Castle School, Carling received the Salters–Nuffield Prize[13] for "exceptional performance in biology" from the Worshipful Company of Salters with an essay entitled "Could carbon quantum dots have applications in bioimaging?"[9]
Aged 18, Carling then went to read natural sciences at Christ's College, Cambridge,[2] where he became actively involved in Cambridge University politics. A staff writer for Varsity,[14] Carling served as president of Christ's College JCR and co-chairman of the Cambridge University Labour Club, before being elected debates officer of the Cambridge Union.[15] In March 2022, he was elected as a member of the Cambridge University Council.[16][failed verification][4][a] In 2023, he graduated with first-class honours and became an undergraduate tutor.[18]
While studying for a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) postgraduate degree at Cambridge,[19] Carling was elected to Parliament in 2024,[4] the academic year having only just ended.
Political career
In 2022, while still a second-year undergraduate, Carling ran on the Labour slate for election to Cambridge City Council to represent the ward of West Chesterton.[4] At the local elections held on 5 May 2022, Carling narrowly defeated incumbent Liberal Democrat councillor Jamie Dalzell,[20] increasing Labour's majority on Cambridge City Council with the Liberal Democrats losing three seats and the Greens gaining one. Carling became the first Cambridge student in memory to successfully contest a City Council seat.[21] He was re-elected at the 2024 Cambridge City Council election. During his tenure, Carling held the office of Executive Councillor for Open Spaces and City Services,[22] and was a member of the Skills Committee of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority for two years. He was an advocate of improvements to adult education and transport throughout Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.[23]
Carling announced his intention to step down as a Cambridge city councillor as soon as a by-election could reasonably be held and, in the following week on 18 July, he resigned from the council's cabinet.[24] Carling has ceased to take councillor allowances since then.[25]
House of Commons
At the 2024 general election,[26] Carling successfully contested the constituency of North West Cambridgeshire for the Labour Party. Campaigning for better public services,[26] he defeated incumbent Conservative MP Shailesh Vara being returned to Parliament by a narrow margin of 39 votes, verified by a recount.[27][28] The seat had been held by the Conservatives since its creation in 1997.[29] At the age of 22, he was the youngest MP elected at the 2024 election and became Baby of the House.[6][29] Carling is the first British MP to be born in the 21st century.[1] He is the Labour Party's joint-youngest MP, tied with Malcolm Macmillan, who was elected at the same age in 1935.[2] On 24 July 2024, Carling made his maiden speech in a debate on education and opportunity.[30]
In November 2024, Carling voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which proposes to legalise assisted suicide.[31]
In his first six months, Carling has contributed to various debates including on Renters' Rights and SEND provision.[32]
Personal life
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Sam Carling | 14,785 | 33.3 | +9.6 | |
| Conservative | Shailesh Vara | 14,746 | 33.2 | −26.8 | |
| Reform | James Sidlow | 8,741 | 19.7 | +19.6 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Bridget Smith | 3,192 | 7.2 | −3.8 | |
| Green | Elliot Tong | 2,960 | 6.7 | +1.5 | |
| Majority | 39 | 0.1 | |||
| Turnout | 44,424 | 58.5 | −5.4 | ||
| Registered electors | 75,915 | ||||
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +18.2 | |||
