Sam Carling | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament forNorth West Cambridgeshire | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Shailesh Vara |
| Majority | 39 (0.1%) |
| Member ofCambridge City Council for West Chesterton | |
| In office 9 May 2022 – 9 March 2025 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Samuel Carling April 2002 (age 22) County Durham, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | Christ's College, Cambridge (BA) |
| Website | samcarling |
Samuel Carling (born April 2002) is a British politician who has served asMember of Parliament (MP) forNorth 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 honorarystyle ofBaby of the House.[2][3] Carling represented the ward ofWest Chesterton onCambridge City Council from 2022 until 2025.[4]
Samuel Carling was born in 2002[5] and raised inCrook, County Durham.[6] He described his background as being from "a totally apolitical family, in quite a deprived part of the north east of England".[2]
Originally fromBishop Auckland, Carling completed hisGCSEs atWolsingham School before attendingsixth form atBarnard Castle School, anindependent boarding school inCounty Durham, with an academic scholarship.[7] He achieved five A* A-level grades and anExtended Project Qualification.[8] The cancellation of some A-level exams during theCOVID-19 pandemic sparked Carling's interest in politics,[9] which developed at university and inspired him to run for elected office.[10]
While at Barnard Castle School, Carling received theSalters–Nuffield Prize[11] for "exceptional performance in biology" from theWorshipful Company of Salters with an essay entitled "Could carbon quantum dots have applications in bioimaging?"[7]
Aged 18, Carling then went to readnatural sciences atChrist's College, Cambridge,[2] where he became actively involved inCambridge University politics. A staff writer forVarsity,[12] Carling served as president ofChrist's College JCR andco-chairman of theCambridge University Labour Club, before being elected anOfficer of the Cambridge Union[13] and then as a member of theCambridge University Council.[14][4][a] In 2023, he graduated withfirst-class honours and became an undergraduate tutor.[16]
While studying for aMaster of Philosophy (MPhil)postgraduate degree at Cambridge,[17] Carling was elected toParliament in 2024,[4] the academic year having only just ended.
In 2022, while still a second-year undergraduate, Carling ran on theLabour slate for election toCambridge City Council to represent the ward ofWest Chesterton.[4] At thelocal elections held on 5 May 2022, Carling narrowly defeated incumbentLiberal Democrat councillor Jamie Dalzell,[18] increasing Labour's majority on Cambridge City Council with the Liberal Democrats losing three seats and theGreens gaining one. Carling became the first Cambridge student in memory to successfully contest a City Council seat.[19] He was re-elected at the2024 Cambridge City Council election. During his tenure, Carling held the office of Executive Councillor for Open Spaces and City Services,[20] and was a member of the Skills Committee of theCambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority for two years. He was an advocate of improvements to adult education and transport throughout Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.[21]
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.[22] Carling has ceased to take councillor allowances since then.[23]
At the2024 general election,[24] Carling successfully contested theconstituency ofNorth West Cambridgeshire for the Labour Party. Campaigning for better public services,[24] he defeated incumbentConservative MPShailesh Vara being returned to Parliament by a narrow margin of 39 votes, verified by a recount.[25][26] Theseat had been held by the Conservatives since its creation in 1997.[27] At the age of 22, he was the youngestMP elected at the 2024 election and becameBaby of the House.[5][27] Carling is the first British MP to be born in the 21st century.[1] He is theLabour Party's joint-youngest MP, tied withMalcolm Macmillan, who was elected at the same age in 1935.[2] On 24 July 2024, Carling made hismaiden speech in a debate on education and opportunity.[28]
In November 2024, Carling voted in favour of theTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which proposes to legaliseassisted dying.[29]
In his first six months, Carling has contributed to various debates including on Renters' Rights and SEND provision.[30] In January 2025, he replacedJohn Grady on thePublic Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee.[31]
Carling is anapprentice member of theSalters' Company.[32] In an interview withThe Times, Carling described himself as a member of theLGBT community.[6] He further stated: "I don't see any reason why I won't re-stand. But I'm 22, and I don't intend to be in the House of Commons for 40 years. I will come out and do something else eventually."[6]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forNorth West Cambridgeshire 2024–present | Incumbent |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Baby of the House 2024–present | Incumbent |
