STUDENTS were urged to look forward to the most exciting election in a generation as their constituency became a central player in deciding the next government.
Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate Will Goodhand told students from The King’s Academy, Coulby Newham, that fewer than 2,000 votes had separated Labour and Conservative candidates at the last election.
Traditionally Labour heartland, Middlesbrough and East Cleveland could now swing in a number of directions as the political campaign enters its final phase.
Mr Goodhand told students how he had attended a state comprehensive school before studying law at Oxford University.
“But I started a business with some other people who didn’t want to be lawyers either, producing a website for the game Magic the Gathering,” he said.
“I learnt a lot about the importance of good marketing and not having fixed costs before the revenue starts coming in. I then went into the market research industry which helped me to develop key skills transferable to politics.”
“There is a concern about so called professional politicians who have done nothing else,” he added. “I feel I have benefited from doing something different outside politics.”
Mr Goodhand explained that he entered politics to enable everyone to reach their full potential, whether that was academic, vocational or creative. “That way they will succeed and the country will become stronger as a result,” he said.
“Our area has so much potential not yet fully tapped. We need to work together, to punch together and work hard for the region.”
Students have invited members of each political party into school as a precursor to staging mock elections.
They questioned Mr Goodhand on a range of issues including the biggest challenges facing the area, whether to leave Europe, the traditional Labour nature of the constituency, voting age and coalitions.
Politics teacher Jenni Yuill said: “It is always interesting to hear party political perspectives at a local level. Once again our students showed a keen awareness of the issues and were able to ask Mr Goodwill some insightful questions.”
