BY JAKE PERKINS

I WAS delighted when I first heard about my invitation from Richard Drax MP to attend Prime Minister's Questions in October.

This was a truly amazing experience, in that this it is something a politically active teenager dreams of.

It is not every day that you waltz up to the Houses of Parliament, with an invitation from your MP.

Once cleared through the rigorous security, we entered with the many other guests into the main hall of the Houses of Parliament.

This grand and cavernous room left us truly in awe.

This was one of the oldest parts of the building, dating back to the time of the first Parliament, in 1265.

Once we reached the central lobby, we were greeted personally by Mr Drax.

We are given a whistle-stop tour of the immediate area by the man himself.

We were back in the central lobby just in time for the grand entrance of the House of Commons speaker, the Rt Hon John Bercow MP.

We took our seats looking straight at the Government, though we struggled to see that much of the opposition as we were seated directly above them.

It was a dreamlike affair as we saw so many faces from the TV as actual people, especially the Prime Minister, David Cameron.

The PM opened with honouring two RAF personnel in Kunduz, Afghanistan and the PC David Phillips who all died in the service of Her Majesty.

It served as a stark reminder of the dangers those who serve this country face - regularly putting their lives in jeopardy for our protection and safety.

The first question came from the new leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn.

To observe the political process in person offered a new found respect for our elected officials.

PMQs lasted just over 30 minutes, after which we went for lunch with Mr Drax.

This offered us all an opportunity to talk about pressing local and a few national issues.

We discussed topics including a proposed travellers site in Wyke Regis, the YOI on Portland and the idea of a Western Relief Road to de-clog Weymouth during peak times - especially with possible projects that would revitalise and stimulate the local economy, such as Jurassica.

Upon finishing our meal we thanked Mr Drax for this amazing opportunity.

This was really eye-opening to see the political process in action.

This experience offered me an insight into what a career in politics is like and confirmed that it is a career that I hope to enter in the future.