WESTMORLAND and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron was put under the political spotlight by students during a question and answer session at Kendal College.

Mr Farron fielded questions from Level 3 BTec students on the uniformed public service course about his views on such topics as the Trident nuclear deterrent, higher education funding and the impact of public sector cuts on local services.

The MP, who has vowed to oppose the Liberal Democrat party line and vote against any increase in student tuition fees, also revealed how he made his journey from a 16-year-old volunteer for the Liberals to the House of Commons.

Afterwards, he said: ‘Coming from a single-parent family, I wanted to highlight that my journey to becoming an MP wasn’t an easy one.

“I was inspired by the students’ knowledge of the subject and their awareness of both local and national political issues. Their questions were intelligent and, as always, it was insightful to listen to, and engage with, younger people who live in my constituency.”

Course tutor Guy Pocock said: “Tim Farron’s visit to Kendal College gave the students a great opportunity to question at first hand an MP about a host of issues including how the cutbacks in public sector spending would affect the students’ chances of joining the uniformed services when they leave college.

"The visit was much appreciated and added greatly to the quality of the students’ learning experience.”