Former student Carmen Smith becomes House of Lords’ youngest member
Baroness Smith of Llanfaes studied at Coleg Menai between 2013 and 2015, and was Students Union President at the college
Former Coleg Menai student Carmen Smith has been appointed to the House of Lords, becoming the youngest ever life peer.
Plaid Cymru’s Carmen, 28, studied Level 3 Business Studies at Coleg Menai between 2013 and 2015, and was Students Union President at the college.
She was introduced to the House of Lords as Baroness Smith of Llanfaes, having chosen her title in order to “shine a light on the experiences of people in areas like mine”.
Carmen was introduced to the Lords by former Plaid Cymru leader Dafydd Wigley and former Green Party leader Natalie Bennett, taking the oath in Welsh.
Ahead of her introduction to the House of Lords, she said: "As I am introduced to the House of Lords as its youngest member today, I will be acutely aware of the unique responsibility I hold to be a voice for my generation.
“As a young carer to my late father, I experienced the kind of struggles that so many people face every day – the same barriers, the same prejudices. As someone who grew up in a rural, underprivileged area, I experienced the lack of connectedness, lack of infrastructure, that so many of our communities still face.
"I chose ‘Llanfaes’ as my title as I wanted to send a message. I wanted to shine a light on the experiences of people in areas like mine.”
Plaid Cymru Westminster leader, Liz Saville Roberts MP, said: “I am excited for Carmen Smith to join Plaid Cymru’s small but hard-working team in Westminster. I know she will be tenacious in standing up for Wales, for young people, and for women.
“We need people with a whole range of experiences to make our politics more representative of society. I can’t wait to see Carmen shake things up and bring a breath of fresh air into Westminster’s second chamber.”