Head boy interviews former transport minister Lord McLoughlin

Head boy Matthew Jackson interviewed the former transport minister on topics from HS2 to House of Lords reform, as well as finding out more about his journey into politics from being a miner.

Matthew said: “Lord McLoughlin discussed what young people need to draw from politics and he wholeheartedly recommends a career in it, encouraging young people to show ambition and push themselves to achieve their goals. “His personal experiences and unconventional background into politics were fascinating and certainly inspiring. I particularly liked his words that however an MP makes it to Parliament, and whatever their background, they are committing themselves to public service and that merits the highest respect.” During the interview, Lord McLoughlin also shared his views on the recent decision to scrap the northern leg of HS2.

Matthew said: “He was adamant that HS2 will be built to Euston and regretted the cancellation of the northern leg by his government. He explained the challenges and high costs of major infrastructure projects but believes they are necessary because of aging infrastructure and the urgent need for more capacity.”

Lord McLoughlin gave the interview following his talk, Miner to Cabinet Minister, a journey from the coalfield to the cabinet room, at the school.

The talk was hosted jointly by The Old Derbeian Society, alumni of the school, and Derby Grammar School as part of the prestigious David Walker Memorial Lecture Series.

During the talk, students, school dignitaries and the Lord Mayor of Derby, Councillor Alan Graves, learnt more about Lord McLoughlin’s 30-year career in politics. He left school at 16 without any qualifications, following his father and grandfather into mining.

A career in politics soon beckoned, and after becoming a councillor, Lord McLoughlin then went on to become Member of Parliament for West Derbyshire.

During his illustrious career, Lord McLoughlin held a number of roles in central Government, including Government Chief Whip, Secretary of State for Transport and Chairman of the Conservative Party. He was also Chancellor to the Duchy of Lancaster.

Paul Logan, head at Derby Grammar School, said: “It was a fascinating talk and we are also grateful to Lord McLoughlin for giving up his time to speak with our head boy, helping to teach our students about politics and giving them a fantastic experience in interviewing.”