“Being 23 and being an MP shouldn't be that unusual,” says Nadia Whittome, who was exactly that age when she was elected to represent Nottingham East during the UK’s last general election in 2019. “We need a Parliament that is representative of the country and that includes a diversity of ages.” In the four years since, the now 27-year-old has made a name for herself as one of the most fearless advocates LGBTQIA+ people have in both the Labour Party and government more generally. She connects with the community in a way many MPs fail to, utilising social media to communicate with her audience about key issues that often do not gain a notable amount of media coverage or attention from other politicians. This has included fighting for refugees to be treated with the dignity they deserve, the need for an all-inclusive ‘conversion therapy’ ban and achieving equality for trans people, among an array of other things. In the process, Whittome has become a symbol of hope for many feeling disillusioned with the country’s political climate – something she never expected.
“When I came into Parliament, there were a lot of things I wasn't clear about that were just completely new to me and it
