Henry Smith MP has welcomed eight year old Louis Colburn from Crawley to the final of the Voice Box joke-telling competition, which was held in the Palace of Westminster.

Henry said;

“I was delighted to welcome Louis and his mother to Parliament for the final of the Voice Box joke-telling competition.

“The importance of good communication can’t be underestimated, and I’m grateful to the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists, and the Communication Trust, for organising the Voice Box competition.”

The competition aims to remind people that there are children in every classroom who need support to help them speak and understand what is being said to them. Almost 20 per cent of the population may experience communication difficulties at some point in their lives.

Rt Hon John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons, commented;

“I am delighted to be able to host this wonderful event for the second year running. It is extremely important that children with speech, language and communication needs receive the support they require to reach their potential.”

Louis’ joke was;

“What do you call a sheep that’s been hit by lightning?  An electric blanket.”