Year 9s reveal what they’d do to make UK higher in the event that they have been Prime Minister

They are ‘Austerity’s Children’, born in 2010. A modern-day equivalent of ‘Thatcher’s Children’ – born into cuts, cost-of-living crisis, Covid and Brexit, and the tearing of the social safety net.

After months of chatting to 13 and 14 year-olds across the country for a special Daily Mirror project it’s clear these young people have been starkly affected by the last 14 years of Conservative government. But what if today’s Year 9s had the keys to No 10?

Our project, ‘Year 9 in No 10’ asked this question of Year 9s across Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland – and heard a range of answers with the same recurring themes. After 14 years of seeing public services run down, communities neglected and climate pledges abandoned, these young people want change.

When we asked them to finish the sentence ‘If I were in Number 10…’, they said they would cut NHS waiting lists, reopen youth clubs, prioritise the climate, give teenagers free public transport, pay people in the public sector fairly, guarantee free sport, introduce Votes at 16, get justice for the Covid Bereaved families and sort out the housing crisis.

It was Prime Minister Gordon Brown who first compared this cohort of young people with ‘Thatcher’s Children’ – those who grew up among the mass unemployment, upheaval and welfare cuts of 1980s Britain. Our project has found that even those who don’t live in or directly with poverty are still deeply affected by 14 years of Tory government. These young people still need to use A&E or have seen the effects of cuts in teacher shortages.

This generation have not just battled Austerity, but Covid too, and face the growing effects of the climate emergency and of out-of-control tech companies. They have seen the country ripped apart by Brexit and the surrounding debate, and the cost-of-living crisis attack their household budgets.

For many, the war in Ukraine has felt dangerously close to their shores, while others feel connected to the devastating loss of life in Gaza or the events of October 7 in Israel. Meanwhile, back home, the cuts have been mounting. “In almost every single year of the past decade,” Gordon Brown says, “even as their need has been mounting, the government’s support for children has been spiralling downwards, each year more difficult than the year before as, with almost surgical precision, the government has made the already poor even poorer and propelled the number of poor children up by 100,000 a year.”

Yet this generation are also acutely aware of the solutions to the problems the country faces. Between them and individually, these nine young people from a wide range of different backgrounds, communities, faiths and nations, have vital ideas for how we can rebuild our country and make it fair for all.

It’s time we started listening to them.

Yayha Suleman, 14, Cardiff

“If I were in No 10, I would make sure all young people have access to sports in their community.”

Yahya Ali loves the time he spends at Grange ABC Boxing Club in the diverse Grangetown area of East Cardiff. “I think young people should have access to free sport because it helps them with their mental health and their self-confidence,” the 14-year-old from Cardiff says.

“A lot of things cost money and it’s hard for people who are struggling. You can’t really have a good mental health if you’re just sitting on the sofa playing video games or playing Playstation or going on your phone. It’s not good for your brain, it’s not good for your soul, it’s not good for your mind. Sport keeps you fit, keeps you active, keeps you outside. Some people they are not really there – they are too consumed with their phones and video games. They don’t understand what it’s like to go outside and play any more, or kick a ball.”

Yahya says he enjoys sparring with his coaches Caz and Dave. “It’s a bit of therapy for some people, hitting the bag or the pads. Some people find it hard to speak to someone, so it helps them release anger, release stress, makes them feel happy.”

Leon Toombs, 14, East Belfast, Northern Ireland

“If I were in No 10, I would cut the waiting lists so people like my granddad don’t have to wait five years for an operation.”

Leon Toombs’ granddad Aubrey has been waiting seven agonising years for a vital knee operation. The family lives in Northern Ireland, which has the worst NHS waiting lists in the UK – one in four people are now on the list for an op. “I was told in March 2019 that doctors would get the operation done by Christmas,” Aubrey, 75, says wryly. “I didn’t know they meant Christmas 2024.”

The family are all active and sporty. Leon, 14, plays hockey several times a week for school, his local club and for the Ulster development team. He recently achieved Grade 5 in ballet and takes part in a weekly park run. Former building control officer Aubrey was also a keen hockey player – taking part until he was 52 and once even playing for Newry Olympic Hockey Club.

Now, he is forced to rely on a cocktail of painkillers to keep him moving. Watching his once active granddad struggle is upsetting and frustrating for Leon. “People like my granddad shouldn’t have to wait in pain for an operation,” Leon says, “it’s not right.”

Aaron Connell, 14 – Glasgow

If I were in No 10, I would make sure public sector workers like my mum got fair pay.

Aaron Connell is a passionate young man who loves his pals, his family and football. At 14 he’s already got his own popular podcast talking about his beloved, Celtic FC – Celtic Time 88. And he has a strong sense of social justice too.

Mum Elaine, 41, is a former midwife, who now teaches healthcare workers at college. She’s been on strike on and off since February, protesting with colleagues because of several years of underfunding of the college sector and a pay freeze since 2021. Aaron, who also lives with dad

Martin, 46, an ironmonger and brother Bradley, 10, in Glasgow, would like the government to recognise their efforts. As he says: “My mum works very hard, five days a week, I think she deserves fair pay because she works so hard. I think it is a bit of an insult if she doesn’t get fair pay, because she deserves more. My role model is my dad, he works really hard to provide for us. And so does my mum, and it is sad she doesn’t get paid well. All public sector workers need to be paid fairly.”

Mum Elaine adds: “It is hard, after this month I don’t know what my next paycheck will be.”

Erin Twigge, 14 – Leigh, Lancashire

If I were in No 10, I would I would get justice for Covid bereaved families.

Family is clearly everything to Erin Twigge. The 14-year-old comes from a tight-knit brood – a happy blended family living in the Higher Folds estate in Leigh, near Wigan, Lancs. But like so many, the Twigges were hit hard by Covid.

Erin’s Nan, Julie, 57, was killed suddenly by the virus and her then 14-year-old step-brother, Malakai (CORR), was left fighting for his life after Covid left him suffering heart problems and sepsis. While the Tories partied in Downing Street, Erin was forced to live apart from her dad, Kris (CORR), 41, as he isolated.

She shows us a necklace bearing her Nan’s fingerprint as she tells how much she misses her. “Losing her was really hard,” she says. “It was hard to understand it. I really wanted to go and see my Dad but I couldn’t so it just really sucked. We couldn’t have a wake. Now I wear this necklace – it’s got her fingerprint on it – so I feel like she is still with me.

“The government were stupid. If you’re gonna put rules in place and you’re not going to follow them yourself, what do you expect people to do?”

Skye Neville, 13, West Wales

If I were in No 10, I would prioritise the Climate emergency above everything else so that communities like mine are kept safe.

Skye Neville laughs off the fact she’s been dubbed Wales’ answer to Greta Thunberg. But despite being still only 13, this passionate environmental campaigner is leading the way on demanding action on the climate emergency and fighting plastic and sewage on the beautiful beaches of West Wales.

Skye is acutely aware of climate change because she comes from the foot of Eryri (Snowdonia National Park) just above the village of Fairbourne – which has been predicted to become one of the first villages in Europe to be lost to the rising seas. “We might become some of the Western World’s first climate refugees,” she says, standing outside her home, with forest and wildlife all around her. A pair of buzzards are circling over the house she shares with her dad, a postman and her mum a community carer.

“A lot of other coastal communities are going to flood, but it just so happens that Fairbourne is unique as it may affect the entire village.” As a ten-year-old, Skye was horrified to find 16 separate pieces of plastic on her Horrible Histories magazine – so set about doing something about it. She started writing to publishers and supermarket bosses, making her case so forcefully that Waitrose quickly agreed and stopped selling the magazines.

Rocha Savage, 14, from Ardoyne, Belfast

If I were in No 10, I would reopen all the youth clubs so that young people can be safe

Rocha Savage is a typical 14-year-old – she loves hanging out with her mates, listening to Rhianna, going to the city centre and doing her make-up. But in the past two years, she’s been spending a lot of time at a local youth project in Ardoyne too and says it has made a massive impact on her life. Now she wants other teenagers to have the same opportunity.

As she says: “Young people need places to go, things to do, where we can be safe and learn. The government should be doing more to provide these chances for us. Young people get a bad reputation but most of us want to do good.”

Rocha, who lives with her parents and three of her four brothers, adds: “I love where I live, I don’t ever want to leave. It’s such a good community, I know everyone and I’ve got family all around me. But we need more for young people – here and in all cities. It feels like we get forgotten sometimes.”

Now her own group are making positive change in the community too – organising a sports day for young people with disabilities. Before we leave, Rocha takes us back outside to see a striking mural. “There was a high rate of suicide in the community,” she explains. “And we got a painting done up on the wall just so people know you’re not alone and always speak up and get help.”

Summer McGough, 14, North Lanarkshire

If I were in No 10, I would make sure there was free transport for young people like we have in Scotland.

Summer has got lots to share about how life feels for young people like her in Scotland – and how things could be better. The 14-year-old lives in a semi-rural part of North Lanarkshire and uses her ScotPass – a free bus card available to anyone aged between five and 21 in Scotland – to get around.

As she says: “I’d want all young people to have free travel just like I do.” Summer lives with jeweller parents, mum, Sarah, 36, and dad, Michael, 43, and they’re happy to give her lifts when they can to support her great passions – horse riding and acting. But as the teenager explains, not everyone is so lucky.

“My school is in what’s considered quite a rough area and a lot of people are really finding things tough,” she explains. “Before the bus passes we just had to pay money to get to school and that could be costing people quite a lot if they had to go to school by bus every day. These practical measures can make a big difference. It’s not just the big things, some of these little things can help.”

Inaaya Ijaz, 14, Ilford

“If I was in Number 10 I’d allow 16-year-olds to vote.”

Inaaya Ijaz may only be 14 but she’s already shaping the future of her community and the world. And she’s keen to see young people given the vote. She says: “We are the youth and we’re going to be in charge of the planet in future. We need to be the generation that makes the change before it’s too late. If I was in Number 10, I’d allow 16-year-olds to vote.”

As well as being the Deputy Leader of Redbridge Youth Parliament, Inaaya is Chief Voice Officer for Kids Against Plastic and presents a show on 24 Hours Radio. “I always wanted to get involved in things that will lead to people living better lives”, says Inaaya. “The youth are not well represented, there is a massive stereotype against kids, people don’t want to listen because they think we don’t know what we’re talking about. I want to use my voice to voice the youth.”

It was in lockdown when Inaaya developed an interest in plastic pollution after watching a David Attenborough documentary. She says: “I made it my mission to spread as much awareness as possible about it.”

Divine Mbaloula, 14 – Enfield, North London

If I were in No 10, I would tackle the housing crisis so that families like mine don’t ever have to be homeless.

Divine Mbaloula dreams of becoming an architect so she can sort out the housing crisis that is affecting her family so badly. The 14-year-old says: “If I could change one thing about the country, I would make housing more accessible for disabled people like my brother. I want to build better houses. The first issue the Government needs to sort out is housing and understand the impact this has on those with physical health issues.”

Divine lives in Ponders End, in Enfield, London with her mum Augustine, 52, sister, Marly, 18, and 16-year-old twin brothers Axel and Bradley. Axel has epilepsy and learning difficulties but the family’s social housing doesn’t meet his needs. Constant leaks mean he can’t use his chairlift – leaving the family to carry him upstairs – and everyone suffers from coughs caused by mould.

In 2022, the family were placed in hotels for six months while repairs were carried out, but on Christmas Day, they were made homeless after council staff forgot to extend their stay. Divine says: “They eventually fixed our house but it wasn’t quick enough. It began to flood again. “There are still damp and mould issues which flare up my asthma, it makes me really wheezy.”