Local MP Interviews

On Friday 6 November, I had the opportunity to interview the MP for East Surrey, Claire Coutinho, as part of my work experience with the Caterham and Local Independent. It was a fantastic experience and below are some of the questions I asked her:

1. What did you want to be growing up?

As a child I wasn’t interested in anything political, I studied maths at university before working in investment banking for five years. After that I worked in the Social Justice department which dealt a lot with education and family issues.

2. Given the uncertainty of next year’s public exams, would you say it’s possible for them to be pushed back further or even cancelled?

I hope that they aren’t cancelled and the young people get a chance to prove themselves and show off what they’ve learnt. I’m very proud of the Catch-Up Tutoring Fund which has £1.5 billion invested in it with the aim of helping children catch up what they missed during the first lockdown.

3. As the environment is a particularly important topic for you, what would you suggest people can do to protect our area?

Earlier this year I took part in Green-tember where I did some litter picking and answered people’s questions via Zoom meetings. I’d suggest that people focus on heat, eat and travel. The government has green home grants and wants as many people as possible to have greener homes. Food waste is one of the biggest contributors to our rubbish so trying to reduce that and disposing of it in the right way is key. Also, walking or cycling when possible and after Coronavirus taking public transport will help lower our carbon footprint.

Meghan D (Lower Sixth Form)