Young Entrepreneurs visit 10 Downing Street

Students from Bishopshalt School taking part in the Young Enterprise Company Programme enjoyed a memorable visit to 10 Downing Street after winning the organisation’s Pitch to Parliament competition earlier this year.

The group of 16- and 17-year-old students were invited to meet Varun Chandra, chief business adviser to the Prime Minister Keir Starmer after a visit was arranged by Blair McDougall, Minister for Small Business at the Department for Business and Trade, and his team.

During the visit, the students were given a tour of 10 Downing Street by staff, with the opportunity to see several historic rooms including the Cabinet Room, Winston Churchill’s reading chair, Margaret Thatcher’s “White Room”, and the dining room where Boris Johnson held his COVID-19 press briefings.

The highlight of the day was an hour-long discussion with Varun, himself a former Young Enterprise participant. He answered a wide range of thoughtful questions from the students, covering topics such as leadership, career inspiration, and the potential impact of artificial intelligence on the future economy.

The visit offered students a rare opportunity to engage directly with a senior government adviser and gain insight into how government and business can work together to support entrepreneurship.

Young Enterprise said the experience demonstrated the growing recognition of youth entrepreneurship and the important role young people will play in shaping the UK’s future economy.