The annual Parliamentary Press Gallery Writing Competition invites young people to write their own manifesto. The winners spend a night in a Westminster hotel and are invited to tea at 10 Downing Street.

"It was pretty amazing," said James, who also met the PM's wife, Sarah Brown, the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, and his own MP, David Curry.

James, 17, spoke with Prime Minister Gordon Brown about his competition entry, which included policies on the environment, sourcing food locally, subsidising sport and reducing the voting age to 16.

Said James: "He was quite cool. We talked about rugby and the voting age; it was really good. It changed my impression of him - he's much more charismatic in real life than he comes across on TV."

James, who is studying for AS levels in economics, history and geography, says the experience has made him consider a career in political journalism: "It would be fascinating to become a member of the parliamentary press gallery myself some day."