Youngest MP Goes Viral With Maiden Speech

The debut speech in the House of Commons by Britain's youngest MP, the SNP's Mhairi Black, has gone viral with tens of thousands of people sharing the video on social media.

The new MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South got a laugh as she laid into the Budget announced by Chancellor George Osborne last week: "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 now also the only 20 year old in the whole of the UK that the Chancellor is prepared to help with housing.''

She received rousing applause from her own party in the chamber as she sat down after telling members that "I feel it is the Labour Party that left me, not the other way about''.

Ms Black, 20, said speeches from Labour MPs she had witnessed so far demonstrated "how deep the lack of understanding about Scotland is within the Labour Party'', adding the SNP triumphed on a "wave of hope''.

She said her comments were intended to "hold a mirror to the face of a party that seems to have forgotten the very people they are supposed to represent''.

Britain, she said, now had "one of the most uncaring, uncompromising and out of touch governments that the UK has seen since Thatcher''.

Ms Black said she had "very deliberately stayed quiet'' and listened intently to Commons debate for the last ten weeks.

She said: "I have heard multiple speeches from Labour benches standing to talk about the worrying rise of nationalism in Scotland, when in actual fact all these speeches have served to do is to demonstrate how deep the lack of understanding about Scotland is within the Labour Party.

"I like so many SNP members come from a traditional socialist Labour family, and I have never been quiet in my assertion that I feel it is the Labour Party that left me, not the other way about.''

She added: "The SNP did not triumph on a wave of nationalism, in fact nationalism has nothing to do with what's happened in Scotland. We triumphed on a wave of hope, hope that there was something different, something better to the Thatcherite neo-liberal policies that are produced from this chamber.''

"Hope that representatives genuinely could give a voice to those who don't have one.''

She went on: "I don't mention this in order to pour salt into wounds which I am sure are very open and very sore for many members, on these benches both politically and personally, colleagues, possibly friends lost their seats. I mention it in order to hold a mirror to the face of a party that seems to have forgotten the very people they are supposed to represent, the very things they are supposed to fight for.''

Ms Black said that after hearing acting Labour leader Harriet Harman's intention to support the changes to tax credits, she wanted to make a plea, through the words of her "personal hero'' the late Labour politician Tony Benn, who she said was "right when he said the only people worth remembering in politics were signposts''.

She said: "No matter how much I may wish it the SNP is not the sole opposition to this Government, but nor is the Labour Party. It is together with all the parties on these benches that we must form an opposition and in order to be effective we must oppose not abstain.

"So I reach out a genuine hand of friendship which I can only hope will be taken. Let us come together, let us be that opposition, let us be that signpost of a better society. Ultimately people are needing a voice, people are needing help, let's give them it.''

Ms Black began her speech by paying tribute to her predecessor, Labour's former shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander, adding she was "only three when he was elected''.

She said: "I want to thank him for all he did for the constituency and especially want to take a moment to commend him for the dignified way that he handled himself on what must have been a very difficult election night. He did himself proud and he did his party proud and I wish him the best for the future.''

Ms Black observed that fellow SNP MPs had "quite often'' mentioned Rabbie (Robert) Burns during their speeches.

She said: "During my research I discovered the fact which trumps them all, William Wallace was born in my constituency.''

One in five children in her constituency, she said, went to bed hungry at night and Paisley job centre had the third highest number of sanctions in the whole of Scotland.

Ms Black recalled her time volunteering for a charitable organisation where she met a man who came to receive food from the charity and who feared going to the job centre.

When later asked how he got on, she said: "Without saying a word he burst into tears, that grown man, standing in front of a 20 year old crying his eyes out, because what had happened to him was the money that he would normally use to pay for his travel to come to the charity to get his food, he decided that in order to afford to get to the job centre, he would save that money, because of this he didn't eat for five days, he didn't drink.

"When we was on the bus on the way to the job centre he fainted due to exhaustion and dehydration, he was 15 minutes late for the job centre and he was sanctioned for 13 weeks.''

Ms Black turned her fire on Chancellor George Osborne.

Referring to his Budget last week, she said: "When the Chancellor spoke in his Budget about fixing the roof while the sun is shining, I would have to ask on who is the sun shining? When he spoke about benefits not supporting certain kind of lifestyles, is that the kind of lifestyle that he was talking about?''

Ms Black said foodbank use was going up and up, and foodbanks were not part of the welfare state, adding: "They are a symbol that the welfare state is failing.''