He talked vividly about his time as an 8 year old sitting on a pavement, wondering how he was going to make his way in the world so he could take care of his family. He decided that he would have to work hard at school in order to gain a better life. He went on to study for a degree in Agricultural Economics at Imperial College and then decided to go into business, as he believed that business was the engine of everything. Following a successful business career he become more and more passionate about wanting to make a difference which led him to pursue a career in politics. After several attempts, he was fortunate to be selected to stand for election in the Windsor constituency and was elected MP for Windsor in 2005. In this year’s election he was returned with a majority of over 25,000 votes. He has served on numerous Select Committees and Standing Committees and is particularly interested in Science and Technology, so he was very interested to hear about Heathfield’s latest project – the STEM building.
The girls were engrossed in his talk and asked many perceptive and wide-ranging questions including: What did he think about 16 year olds getting the vote? What was his opinion on the possibility of Britain leaving the EU? Why did he vote against the The Pay (Transparency) Bill? Does the royal family have powers to make laws? What is your view on Labour’s proposal for a mansion tax? One of the most interesting questions was asked by a Form II student, Charlotte: If you could pass a law, what would it be? His answer: he would pass a law to ensure better protection for those with mental health challenges, giving them parity with those with physical challenges in areas such as job security.
Adam Afriyie concluded his talk by outlining the varied role of an MP. From Monday to Thursday his time is spent in the Westminster Parliament and Friday and Saturday he is in his constituency, as well as meeting journalists and media representatives. Therefore, for those who aspire to go into politics, his advice is that one has to be both physically and emotionally tough, persistent and, most of all, passionate. Finally, his message was that we should all endeavour to do our best in whatever we choose to do.