Part of Parliament: Mems Ayinla – Assistant Clerk
4 min read
After setting up an organisation to engage young people with what’s going on in Parliament, Mems Ayinla now finds herself bedding in on the Commons Graduate scheme
Working in politics has always interested me. My interest stemmed from a range of activities with groups such as the British Youth Council, National Citizenship Service and Bite the Ballot. But it was hard to find mentors or others who have shared similar experiences when applying and working in politics. I didn’t see anyone in the Chamber at the table in front of the Speaker that looked like me.
That’s what inspired me to set up Get In Westminster while studying at Warwick University. I realised that there is so much more that we could be doing to engage young people and marginalised groups with what’s going on at Parliament. Get In Westminster aims to educate young people of colour about career opportunities across Whitehall and provide a space for wider discussions relating to politics. It was through these experiences I felt confident enough to apply to the House of Commons Graduate Development programme.
I am now working with the Chamber and Committees Team (CCT) and am currently on my first placement in the Journal Office, based on the Clerk of the House floor which is directly above the Chamber. Tasks in the office include carrying out division duty. We ask members while they’re coming through the lobbies for their name and tick it off.
Members tend to be quite excited in the division lobbies, they want to come in and come out. Once, a member walked past without me noticing, and as I turned around they were gone. I literally had to run out and tap them and say I don’t know your name. A queue started accumulating. Jeremy Corbyn was to the side and I asked what his name was! One thing that makes me feel so much better about making mistakes is that everyone does and they’re always rectifiable.
My central role is to support the work of Members of Parliament in the Chamber by providing procedural advice which enables them to fulfill their duties. They could come to us to find out what a Humble Address is, or how to pray against a statutory instrument, for example.
Everything is on the job training. I remember on my first day they said, ‘you’re now the new clerk of petitions’. I was like, what! I don’t know what that means. It was very much a baptism of fire for the first three or four weeks. But because there’s so much knowledge in CCT, it’s very easy to ask someone across the room. That provides a safety net and a good supportive system.
I am excited to be starting my next placement in the Committee Office at the end of the year. I will be working for the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee and will be drafting reports and developing my inquiry management skills. The graduate programme is two to four years, so I am eager to experience a department outside of CCT to build my understanding of the wider ways the Houses of Parliament operates.
I thought Parliament would be very rigid and strict. That was my main misconception about working here. It’s been way more relaxed and not as intense and stuffy as I thought it would be. It is also extremely flexible regarding work-life balance. It has allowed me to do other projects I’m interested in, such as continuing with Get In Westminster. I can also work from home when I don’t need to come in.
I really appreciate the fact that there have been practices that have gone on for centuries, but they always do ask your opinion about how we can improve it. Every institution is very slow to change. The House of Commons, I think, is much more radical in the way it’s thinking about the future.
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