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Charlotte Owen joins the House of Lords

Credit: Parliament TV

While golden oldies battle for the presidency, the age of those in Westminster seems to be getting younger and younger. Last week, we had a new ‘Baby of the House’ when 25-year-old Keir Mather was elected as MP for Selby and Ainsty. And today, 29-year-old Charlotte Owen is being sworn in as the youngest life peer in British history. Who says the Tories have nothing to offer millenials?

The onetime No. 10 aide is to become Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge, having been awarded the gong in Boris Johnson’s honours list for her work as a parliamentary assistant and 18 months as a spad. Her appointment has been lauded by her former colleagues as, er, ‘staggering’ and ‘egregious’ while she herself was ‘just incredibly junior’ and ‘extraordinarily junior’. But Owen is not the only one being singled out for criticism.

Veterans’ Affairs Minister Johnny Mercer seemed particularly disgruntled by Mather’s election last week, saying that parliament ‘must not become a repeat of the Inbetweeners’.

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Steerpike
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Steerpike

Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

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