Owen Glass youngest person ever to speak in Commons
Report and photos from Tristan Government UK Representative Chris Carnegy
Owen Glass delivering his speech at the famous Despatch Box on the floor of the House of Commons
and making history as the youngest person ever to speak in the House of Commons.
Sir Keir Starmer’s opening message to the UK Youth Parliament
The opening moments of the Youth Parliament featured a message from the Prime Minister. Sir Keir Starmer’s words, read out in the Commons Chamber, included special congratulations to Owen on becoming the youngest person ever to deliver a speech there.
Owen at the famous Despatch Box on the floor of the House of Commons
delivering his speech and making history as the youngest person ever to speak in the House of Commons.
Owen’s Speech:
Video of Owen speaking, courtesy of Michael Betts, Deputy Representative, Falkland Islands Government Office
“Thank you, Mister Speaker.
I think I might be the youngest person who’s ever delivered a speech in this amazing chamber. Well, I might be young, but – like everyone here – I’ve got dreams. And I know that education and training is how I’ll make them come true.
I come from the remotest community on the planet. On Tristan da Cunha, we are fifteen hundred miles from the nearest neighbours, and a week at sea from the nearest airport.
I wake up every day and hear the sounds of crashing waves and singing birds. My island is beautiful – but living there, and getting educated there, does come with challenges.
We have only one school, and just a handful of trained teachers. They each have to teach lots of subjects, and if one of them leaves it’s hard to find a replacement.
Our resources for learning are limited. We only have a small library, and not enough equipment for things like science experiments. But we are creative, and we always make the most of what we have.
Our internet connection has just got much faster. The school is already making good use of it, linking us with specialist teachers. We’re now learning, playing and connecting online in ways we never thought possible.
My dream is to pass my iGCSEs and then get trained to be a mechanic. Those skills could take me anywhere in the world. And they’re precious back home on Tristan, where we repair our own machinery.
I’ll have to leave the island to get my training. That’s expensive and going so far from home is tough for young people. But I hope the island, and the UK, will support me.
Living on a remote island means we all know each other’s business! But it also means great friendships and a strong community. We face challenges, but we find ways to overcome them – whether it’s helping each other study, sharing resources, or just dreaming big about the future.”
Introduction from Mr Speaker
On 24th February 2025 Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP announced he would be welcoming a 10-year-old schoolboy from the remotest community in the world, who would make history as the youngest person to speak in the House of Commons Chamber.
Owen Glass will be the first person from Tristan da Cunha – a tiny island in the South Atlantic, 1,750 miles from Cape Town in South Africa – to give a speech during the annual sitting of the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) on 28 February.
Owen’s journey to the UK took over a week by sea and air, said he was ‘very excited’ to be speaking about life on the British Overseas Territory, which has a population of 230 people, one school, one pub, and no restaurants.
‘The biggest audience I have ever spoken to before was as a wise man in the school nativity, which was watched by half the island,’ he said.
‘I am very excited to be given this opportunity to speak in the House of Commons, and to see famous landmarks like the clock tower of Big Ben.’
Owen, who has ambitions to be a car mechanic, will be among 10 representatives of the British Overseas Territories and three from the Crown Dependencies invited to participate in the annual gathering of young people from across the UK by Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.
Sir Lindsay said he was ‘very proud that this sitting of the UK Youth Parliament will hear from such a broad range of young voices.
‘I cannot wait to hear the thoughts and views of young people from across the UK, the British Overseas Territories (OTs), and the Crown Dependencies (CDs), on the issues that matter to them,’ he added.
A full set of photographs as well as this article are available on the Tristan da Cunha Website.
© 2025, Tristan da Cunha Government & Tristan da Cunha Association (webmaster@tristandc.com). Reviewed: 2025-02-28
