Education is something very dear to my heart.

It is the one tool that equalises all: giving an opportunity to anyone who is willing to put in the work to make themselves better.

My grandparents and great-grandparents were very big on education.

Even though they worked as farmers and cattlemen, they made sure every member of the family had a college degree.

Education was, quite simply, non-negotiable.

Unfortunately, we currently face dark times when it comes to education in London.

According to a recent poll by the Prince's Trust, urgent action is needed now to prevent our 16-25-year-olds from becoming a "lost generation", with 41% of young people believing that their future goals now seem "impossible to achieve."

This is unacceptable.

We must put Education First to ensure that our younger generation gets the world-class education they deserve.

One glaring barrier to that is that four out of five schools currently have children isolating because they can't get a test! Headteachers say that schools are being forced to close because so few tests are available and the system is chaotic and has ground to a halt.