Pupils from four South East Cambridgeshire secondary schools battled it out in the Houses of Parliament in the final of a debating competition.

The competition, between pupils from King’s Ely, Bottisham Village College, Impington Village College and Linton Village College, was organised by Lucy Frazer, the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for SE Cambs.

The motion debated was: ‘Reality TV should be banned’.

Following a closely fought contest, a joint team, Thea Fennel, from Impington Village College, and Alice Keeling, from King’s Ely, were declared winners.

Each received a signed book from Sir Jim.

Mrs Frazer said: “It has been such a fantastic experience organising the competition and seeing all the students shine. The standard in both rounds was really impressive. “All the students were a real credit to their teachers and schools. I hope that they enjoyed the experience and that I have the opportunity to run the competition again next year.”

Sir Jim said, “The ability to make a speech, and to construct a good argument, are vital skills in life. These eight finalists were fantastic; it was a privilege to listen to them.”