5 youngest candidates in UK elections

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Meet five of the youngest election candidates​

Before we turn to the campaign trail for the day, the BBC News has spoken to five of the youngest candidates standing for election next month, giving them a chance to explain why they're running.

The average age of MPs has remained around 50 for the past 45 years, but journalist Michael Crick (who tracks candidate selection for future MPs) has said it is possible more young candidates would be elected.

The combination of experienced sitting MPs standing down and quite a few Labour MPs under 30 means it is possible more younger MPs will be present at the next Parliament, he told the BBC.

Among those we spoke to are:

• an 18-year-old independent candidate in west London running on a pro-immigration platform
• a Labour candidate in Wales who believes young people have a unique perspective they can bring to politics
• a 21-year-old Conservative who says challenges in his education and issues with local infrastructure motivated his standing
• a recent graduate standing for the Lib Dems who wants to bring maintenance grants for students back
• an SNP councillor and candidate calling for young people to be more involved in the decision making process in politics

For the full profiles of these fresh-faced candidates, click here.