Interns are the real un-sung heroes of our parliamentary system; it is estimated that around 18,000 hours of unpaid work is undertaken by interns in parliament every single week.

MPs need to recognise this invaluable contribution, and strive to improve conditions for all of those that work in our offices in whatever capacity.

I am campaigning with the Parliamentary Branch of Unite for fair, paid, parliamentary internships. The issue of unpaid internships is only going to become more pressing as 40,000 recent grads are expected to be unemployed this autumn.

Parliament of all places should be able to set the example, and be accessible to all, regardless of financial background.

An internship can be a valuable insight into front-line politics, and leads many interns to a job as a political researcher, or even an MP. If we want a truly representative house, we need to campaign for it to be representative on every level - not just in those areas most visible.

Unite have created an 'Interns Agreement'; a contract between MPs and their interns which I am encouraging all of my parliamentary colleagues to sign. I have tabled an EDM in support of this agreement, EDM 1692, found here: http://is.gd/3MhIG If your MP has not yet signed up, you might like to contact them and suggest that they take a look at it.

I will also be co-hosting an ‘Interns Summit’ with Unite in October to recognise some of the hard work done by interns, and to discuss how we can improve both the quality of, and access to, internships in parliament.

Speakers at the event will include:

The Speaker, John Bercow MP,

The Rt. Hon. Charles Clarke MP,

David Willets MP,

Wes Streeting, President of NUS.

You can follow our campaign through this group, on my website at www.philwillis.org.uk, or on twitter, www.twitter.com/philwillismp. (read less)

Interns are the real un-sung heroes of our parliamentary system; it is estimated that around 18,000 hours of unpaid work is undertaken by interns in parliament every single week.

MPs need to recognise this invaluable contribution, and strive to improve conditions for all of those that work in our offices in whatever capacity.

I am campaigning with the Parliamentary Branch of Unite for fair, paid, parliamentary internships. The issue of unpaid internships is only going to become more... (read more)