Labour Party Conference 2022: A young person's experience


Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this post are my personal opinions, and have no link to the work that I do in representing the young people of Liverpool. All youth advisory work is solely based on my experiences as a young person, and not a member of any political party.

On Sunday, I attended the Labour Party’s Annual Conference in Liverpool as a member of Young Labour. As this was the first party conference I’ve ever attended, I really didn’t know what to expect, but I certainly didn’t expect to see some of the country’s most influential people wandering around and interacting with us “ordinary folk”, shall I say. It was absolutely mind-blowing!

For example, passing through a hallway to then be greeted by a crowd of people watching Mick Lynch being interviewed by ITV (and then waiting in a queue to have a photo with him)!

Many thanks to everybody else I was able to get a photo with - Angela Rayner MP, Anneliese Dodds MP, Dawn Butler MP and especially to Luke Pollard MP who spent time talking to us, answering questions and being so supportive of the fact that young people were wanting to get involved with the party!




As a young person I felt extremely welcome at conference! The Youth Zone was a great space to do some networking and put on some great events, two of which I attended. Additionally the Youth Bus, put on by Vibe and Walton Youth and Community Project was an excellent addition to conference and made it extremely less intimidating!

The exhibition hall was such an interesting place, from trade unions to transport operators and everything in between, it was a great place to learn and discover (and, of course, pick up the odd freebie!). Many thanks to all the exhibitors I got to talk to whilst there.

I attended two fringe events whilst at conference, the first being the Votes at 16 panel, chaired by Osaro Otobo (BYC), and attended by Vicky Foxcroft MP (Shadow Disabled Minister & MP for Lewisham) and Sir George Howarth MP (MP for Knowsley). As somebody who has supported and campaigned for Votes at 16 it really means a lot to see that the decision makers are on our side! The Labour Party are keen to give 16 year olds the vote, and will implement this policy if elected in the next GE.

The second event I attended was the interview, or should I say grilling, of Lisa Nandy MP (Shadow Minster for Levelling Up), which she handled excellently with some brilliant answers to questions and a genuine knowledge of young peoples' issues. The interview was excellently chaired by a young representative from the British Youth Council.

The final proper event I attended was the Youth Zone drinks reception in the evening - there were some brilliant speakers including Leigh Middleton (CEO, National Youth Agency), Kate Green MP (Former Shadow Education Minister) and Stephen Morgan MP (Shadow Schools Minister).

In conclusion, the conference experience was incredible. I really enjoyed my time there (I wish I could've taken the week off school, to be honest!), and I hope to return again next year. 

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