THE UK Youth Parliament is at risk of being scrapped as its funding has not been confirmed beyond March 2027.

Formed in 1999, the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) sees more than 300 children aged 11 to 18 democratically elected by their peers to represent young people in their area, who then debate and campaign on a variety of issues.

Once a year, they hold a debate in the House of Commons chamber.

While UKYP has been funded up to March, it is understood that the government has not committed to continuing the programme in its current form.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has been working with young people to co-design a new youth democracy and empowerment offer, including workshops, a survey and a toolkit.

Young people and organisations can contribute until September 30.

Further announcements about this will be made later in the autumn.

A DCMS spokesperson said: “The UK Youth Parliament has built an important legacy since it was established in 1999, giving elected young people a national platform to represent their peers, engage with decision-makers and develop confidence, leadership and skills for life and work.

“This year, the government confirmed £453,000 of funding for the National Youth Agency to deliver the UK Youth Parliament throughout 2026-27, enabling the current cohort of approximately 300 MYPs to complete this year.”

This comes after a government review into the UKYP, published in October last year, found that while the Parliament was delivering on its intended goals, only a quarter of young people knew about it, and some schools felt “excluded from the process.”

It is understood that any new scheme will have a particular focus on under-represented groups.