Join us for our annual Sixth Form Question Time, an opportunity for students to debate with distinguished speakers and have their voices heard in the heart of Parliament Square.
Students will be able to pose questions to a panel of politicians, activists and faith leaders, bringing their concerns and interests to the forefront of discussion.
The event will take place in St Margaret's Church, commonly called "the parish church of the House of Commons", a place which has witnessed many important events in the life of this country. We hope that the discussions that will take place in this historic setting will inspire and empower the next generation of changemakers.
Panellists
We will ask participating school to submit questions in advance of the event, so that the students can carefully consider what they would like to hear from our specific panellists.
Becky Barrow (Chair)
Becky Barrow has been the news editor of The Sunday Times since 2017. Before joining The Sunday Times, she worked at both the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph doing a variety of jobs, mostly working as a reporter in the newsroom.
She is a fellow of the Westminster Abbey Institute and a Women in Journalism mentee. She graduated from the University of Edinburgh with an MA in English Literature and is married with three teenage children and lives in London.
Wes Streeting, MP
Wes Streeting is the Labour Member of Parliament for Ilford North and Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. He has previously held the positions of Shadow Child Poverty Secretary, Shadow Minister for Schools and Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury. He has also sat on the House of Commons Treasury committee.
Wes won his parliamentary seat at the 2015 election with the largest swing from the Conservatives to Labour in the country. Wes has previously served in the voluntary sector, working for national charities focused on tackling inequality and educational disadvantage.
Wes grew up on a council estate in the East End of London and was the first person in his family to graduate from university. Wes read history at Selwyn College, Cambridge.
Imam Sabah Ahmedi
Sabah is a London-based Muslim faith leader.
Recognised on broadcast TV and social media as ‘The Young Imam’, Sabah uses his knowledge and experience of faith, to help younger generations understand and tackle current affairs problems, including mental health, financial planning, relationships, and diversity and inclusion in personal and professional capacities.
It is through this latter point that Sabah is now also campaigning for better representation on TV and film of minority narratives, voices and faces.
Mariam Bafo
Mariam Bafo is the Policy and Public Affairs Lead at We Belong, a migrant youth-led charity dedicated to advocating for equal and fair treatment of young migrants across the UK. Leading the chasing status program, her mission is to hold those in power accountable and eliminate barriers that hinder full integration for young migrants.
In addition to her role, Mariam actively organises local awareness initiatives for migrant communities, striving to provide support and empower them in the face of the hostile environment.
Committed to involving young people in decision-making and policy development, Mariam ensures their voices play a pivotal role in shaping more inclusive policies. Her strong passion for human rights law and community empowerment drives her dedication to creating positive change.
Detective Superintendent Will Lexton-Jones
Detective Superintendent Will Lexton-Jones joined the London Metropolitan Police in 2005. Will has risen through the ranks working on a range of commands including leading the Gangs Unit in Islington, being a Senior Investigating Officer in London Counter Terrorism, chief of staff to the head of UK Counter Terrorism and heading up operations for the Technical Surveillance Unit in the Covert Policing Command. In 2023 he was promoted to Detective Superintendent, leading on the Neighbourhood Policing teams in Brent.
DSU Lexton-Jones is trained as a Hostage Negotiator and Post Incident Manager, as well as having participated in a three-month training programme run by the FBI Academy. He is visiting lecturer at the UCL institute of crime science, contributing undergraduate and post graduate seminars on Criminal Investigations and Counter Terrorism.
Bishop Rosemarie Mallet
The Right Revd Dr Rosemarie Mallett was born in Barbados but has lived much of her life in the UK. She has worked in West and East Africa as well as back in the Caribbean as an academic and researcher. She returned to the UK to study for her PhD. After working as an academic sociologist for twelve years, she trained for ordained ministry. Since 2004, Bishop Rosemarie has served in various roles in the Diocese of Southwark, based in south London and East Surrey, as parish priest, as a diocesan director of Justice, as Archdeacon of Croydon, and now serves as the bishop of Croydon. Bishop Rosemarie is a Fellow of the Westminster Abbey Institute and a Visiting Fellow of Jesus College Cambridge.
Key information
Date: Tuesday 6th February 2024, 13:30 – 15:00
Location: St Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey
Price: £6 per student
Maximum number of students per school: 15
