A DEAF teenager from Marlborough met Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn as part of her campaign to introduce British Sign Language onto the GCSE syllabus.

Erin McKay, 17, visited the Labour Party conference on September 25 and met with MPs to discuss her experiences as a young deaf person.

The teenager, from St Margaret's, in Marlborough, wants British Sign Language (BSL) to become a GCSE option for young people as part of her ‘right to sign’ campaign, encouraging people learn the language from an early age.

Erin said: “BSL is one of the languages of the UK so I think everyone in the country, deaf or hearing, should get the chance to learn it.

"Sadly, most people miss out because it’s not taught at school and private lessons are expensive.

"It was great to talk to so many MPs and help them understand this issue, because they have the power to make a difference.”

Labour MP Dawn Butler has already backed the campaign, and Erin met with other Labour MPs at the party conference held in Brighton to ask for more support, meeting leader Jeremy Corbyn during the event.

The passionate campaigner is also backing the National Deaf Children’s Society’s ‘Listen Up’ initiative to improve the quality of children’s audiology services after mandatory inspections were scrapped in 2012.

Jess Reeves, campaigns manager for the charity, said: “There are more than 40,000 deaf children in England, and a good audiology service is a vital lifeline for them.

"The Government and NHS England need to introduce mandatory inspections, to ensure deaf children get the support they need.”