Ashfield’s member of the UK Youth Parliament has said he would resign his seat rather than be silenced after the parliament’s steering group launched an investigation into “transphobic content” in a social media post. The investigation was launched after 13 year old Charlie Simpson, who beat six other candidates to be the Ashfield representative earlier this year, used a post on X, formerly Twitter, to announce a “new plan to address concerns regarding the belief in the existence of more than two genders and the notion of gender transition at a young age.”
The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) is a government funded body designed to give young people a voice. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport has ploughed £750k into the British Youth Council to run the UKYP until 2025. Last month the BYC declared it was insolvent and the UKYP steering group is in discussions with DCMS over continued support for their work.
But the steering group told Simpson that he was being investigated because his post contained “transphobic content that goes against the principles of equality and respect upheld by the Youth Parliament.”
He denied that his post was transphobic, telling Ashfield Neighbour News: “I did put ‘I’m going to address the notion of gender transition at a young age’ as I believe gender transition at a young age has been massively pushed on by the lefty side or the woke that has come to England.
“That’s what I think. I believe children transitioning that young age isn’t their decision, it’s the culture that’s being pushed on to us every day.”
He said that the investigation left him feeling “back-stabbed”, adding: “They say when you’re elected: ‘you have your voice, use your voice.’”
Simpson insists he won’t be silenced by the UKYP. “I’m going to carry on the issue”, he said. “I’m not stopping for anyone, and if that means me having to basically resign from my seat, I will do it because I was not elected to be someone’s publicity thing. I was elected to represent people.”
He has the backing of his parents, Daniel and Charlotte. “I don’t think he’s been treated fairly”, his dad, Daniel Simpson, said. “They want him to have his voice and now he’s had a voice – and he hasn’t meant it in any disrespectful way to anybody else – but now it’s like, if you’ve not got the right opinion, you can’t succeed or go any further with it.”
He said that he was “proud of everything he does” adding: “I’ll stand by him 110 per cent. I think it’s an opinion and freedom of speech, but that’s being taken away again.”
Simpson also has the backing of Ashfield’s Reform UK MP, Lee Anderson, who described the teenager as “a brilliant young man who . . . wants to get involved in politics.”
He described the investigation as “truly shocking”, adding: “When I say I want my country back I mean it. I want to live in a country where a 13 year old child can say this and not be investigated.”
Charlie Simpson’s views about gender transition at a young age were in line with the findings of last week’s government-commissioned Cass Report, which said that “for most young people, a medical pathway will not be the best way to manage their gender-related distress.”
The UK Youth Parliament is a representative group of young people aged between 11 and 18, largely funded by the UK government. Elections take place every two years on constituencies based around local authorities.
Members of the UKYP steering group have held meetings with DCMS minister in recent weeks as they seek continued funding and support for the UKYP. “Our meeting went extremely well, with DCMS committing to work with the steering group on both a short-term and long-term basis”, Jamie Burrell, UKYP steering group representative for the southwest said in a statement on Friday.
“We are confident that DCMS are working at pace to ensure that the delivery of the UKYP programme resumes at the earliest possible opportunity. We are working together to ensure that we deliver an impactful programme over the coming year, alike to our own experiences as Members of Youth Parliament in previous years.” The UKYP steering group has been approached for comment.
