Student joins Question Time panel

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An 18-year-old student has taken her place alongside political heavyweights on the BBC's Question Time panel.

In a special schools edition of the TV show, Suzanne Burlton, from north London, waded into a number of debates.

She challenged Health Secretary Andy Burnham on whether the government had allowed too many people to apply for university places.

Host David Dimbleby was told off by the panel for asking her if she drank alcohol, but she said she was teetotal.

The student received a round of applause for her retort to Mr Burnham about the government's target of getting 50% of young people into higher education.

"But Andy, there's no point in someone going to university if they see it as a default option," she told him.

"If you're going to university you have to go because you want to go and make the most of it.

"The government markets university as an automatic passport to an amazing job and an amazing lifestyle, and that isn't the case."

'Richly deserved'

On the issue of alcohol-related deaths and binge drinking, she said: "I don't really think that young people would see the government coming in with more ad campaigns as really stopping them wanting to drink.

"I think it has to come from parents and maybe teachers in schools and older children, older teenagers as well, the people that young people look up to as role models."

The special edition was produced by young people and everyone in the audience was aged 16 to 25.

Miss Burlton won her place on the panel after sending in a mobile video clip of herself and auditioning with Mr Dimbleby.

The programme, filmed in Salford, was shown live at 2000 on BBC Three for the first time, ahead of the BBC One broadcast at 2235.

The rest of the panel consisted of the director of Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti, Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Teather and shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt.

Miss Burlton, who is planning to go to Cambridge University in the autumn, wants to pursue a career in politics or television, and said appearing on the show was "a great opportunity".

At the end of the show Mr Dimbleby thanked her for her contribution and said her place on the panel was "richly deserved".