Teenagers who have dedicated their time to improve their oratory skills have had their abilities judged by Lord Nazir Ahmed.

The first Muslim life peer was invited to a debating contest in Bradford City Hall, organised by Carlton Bolling College, Undercliffe.

Pupils swamped the grand surroundings of the Council chamber to trade structured arguments on topical issues including Islamic fundamentalism and changing the voting age to 16.

Special workshops saw them develop their skills with help from law student Richard Robinson, organised through charitable organisation the English-Speaking Union.

The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Bradford, Councillor Peter Hill and Mrs Hill, joined yesterday’s event to present a trophy to the winning team. The victorious all-girls team comprised pupils Nasira Sultana, Nabila Hussain and Aroosa Naseem.

Paul Mulligan, assistant head teacher at Carlton Bolling, said: “We had 21 pupils taking part split into seven teams of three with support from other pupils.”

He said the Lord Mayor offered to provide a cup for the inter-school debating competition, while Lord Nazir Ahmed invited pupils and staff to visit him at the House of Lords and attend question time in the chamber.