News Release

10th March 2005

SCHOOLBOY VISIT TO NUMBER 10

Earlier today - amidst constitutional crises in the House of Commons and the House of Lords - 3 Staffordshire school children and their parents visited Cherie Blair at Number 10 Downing Street, took a tour of Downing Street (though the Cabinet Room was occupied for crisis meetings over the controversy of detention without a judge's authorisation), witnessed the debate in the House of Lords and toured parts of the House of Commons. They were accompanied by Michael Fabricant throughout their visit. The event started at 3.15pm in Parliament, followed by the walk to Downing Street at 4.15pm, and terminated back at the House of Commons from 5.30pm until 7pm.

"It was an exciting day for the visitors" says Michael Fabricant. "Cherie Blair met our group and chatted with us and we were given a tour of Number 10 by the friendly staff. And with constitutional ping pong with legislation flying backwards and forwards between the Commons and the Lords, they couldn't have visited on a more dramatic day politically. The only unfortunate thing was that we couldn't visit the Cabinet Room as the PM was occupying it at the time in crisis meetings with his Home Secretary".

The photograph taken in the Terracotta Room of Number 10 Downing Streetshows left to right: Matthew Hoccom (15) from Chase Terrace TechnologyCollege, Michael Fabricant, Alex Bastin (10) from St Michael's School inLichfield, Cherie Blair, and Mark Smith (12) from Lichfield Cathedral School.