Watch Mhairi Black's maiden speech in the House of Commons - video
Watch the 20-year-old's blistering attack on the Tories
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Mhairi Black, the youngest MP in the Commons for 250 years who only just completed her degree last month (she got a first, naturally), used her maiden speech in the chamber to launch a scathing attack on David Cameron's Conservative government whilst offering an olive branch to the Labour Party.
Her fellow SNP colleagues gave an enthusiastic round of applause as the new MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South ended her speech addressing issues including benefit sanctions, the budget, and Harriet Harman's call on Labour MPs to abstain on a vote on the Government's welfare and work bill.
On George Osborne's Budget, announced last week, she said, "In this budget the Chancellor also abolished any housing benefit for anyone below the age of 21. So we are now in the ridiculous situation whereby because I am an MP not only am I the youngest, but I am also the only 20-year-old in the whole of the UK that the Chancellor is prepared to help with housing.
"We now have one of the most uncaring, uncompromising and out of touch governments that the UK has seen since Thatcher."
On Labour she said, "Like so many SNP members I come from a traditional socialist, Labour family. Like so many, I feel that it is the Labour party that left me, not the other way about,” she said.
“The SNP did not triumph on a wave of nationalism – it triumphed on a wave of hope – hope that we could have an alternative to the wave of Thatcherite neoliberal policies from this chamber, hope that representatives could genuinely give a voice to those that don’t have them."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments