Political Labour heavyweight David Miliband urged for more politics to be taught in schools as he visited students in Norwich.

The former foreign secretary took questions from sixth form students at Sewell Park College on St Clements Hill yesterday before being questioned by former Norwich South MP and cabinet minister Charles Clarke at the University of East Anglia.

Mr Miliband currently teaches politics for an hour a week at his old school in north London, and said he thought this should be more widely applied.

He said: 'Let's teach about politics and the Labour Party and talk to people about big ideas.

'It's teaching young people so they can make their own minds up.'

One student, Laura Battigan, 18, from Shipstone Road, Norwich, said she felt she would have benefited from politics lessons at high school.

She said: 'It should be a compulsory part of the education.'

But she added: 'A lot of people who feel they are not destined for university don't even think about A-Levels, they see them as pointless.'

Later Mr Miliband took questions from Mr Clarke on international issues in the Middle East and Europe as well as Labour's position in Norfolk.

He said the low number of Labour seats in the south-east of England was 'very dangerous', and said that the party needed to rebuild in this area.

Norfolk's nine MPs are currently made up of seven Conservatives, and two Liberal Democrats.

Mr Miliband was joined by Jessica Asato, Labour's candidate who will take on Chloe Smith in Norwich North at the next general election.