Two young would-be parliamentarians from Bermuda have travelled to London to get a taste of British politics.

Bermuda College student Christopher Douglas and Jeelise Allen, who attends the Berkeley Institute, visited the UK last month for the annual Commonwealth Day celebrations at the invitation of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

The pair's whistle-stop two-day tour took in the Palace of Westminster, a meeting with two British MPs, a tour of historic sites in the English capital and a reception attended by the Queen.

Christopher, 18, and 16-year-old Jeelise, are both Opposition members in the Island's Youth Parliament and were chosen thanks to the hours they have put in attending weekly debates in the House of Assembly.

To see footage of the Youth Parliament — which has about 25 members aged 14 to 18 and meets every Wednesday — and interviews with the two students visit www.theroyalgazette.com.

Jeelise, from Devonshire, told The Royal Gazette: "It was a great experience and we were the youngest people there. I really enjoyed meeting students from other countries."

She said the House of Commons reminded her a lot of the House of Assembly and that she would love to visit again.

Christopher, of Paget, said the trip had encouraged him to pursue an ambition to eventually become an MP. "It actually made it more enticing to want to be a parliamentarian," he said. "It was great. It was both of our first times to London. We saw a lot of historical buildings and the Commonwealth Day was basically really exciting.

"Just going to the Houses of Parliament was a very good experience."