CLARETS’ star Clarke Carlisle has followed up his Question Time appearance by visiting Parliament to provide advice to an MP.

The brainy centre-half, who won a host of new fans after holding his own on the BBC’s political panel show last month, is giving advice on ways to increase access to education.

He has been in discussions with Lib Dem MP Simon Hughes on education since they met while filming the programme in Burnley.

And subsequently the 31-year-old visited Mr Hughes and Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle in Parliament.

Mr Birtwistle said: “It’s great to see Clarke getting involved in the dialogue for widening access to education.

“It was great to have him come to Parliament to give us his views and I hope he will be a regular visitor whilst we are working on the issue of higher education.

“It is essential that youngsters have support in later years as well and have a variety of options for when they leave school.”

The defender said: “It was a thoroughly enjoyable day, I was completely and utterly overwhelmed by the place.

“I got to see Prime Ministers Questions and the debating going on, it was very impressive and reaffirmed to me that it is an industry I definitely don’t want to go in to. I’ll leave it to the experts.

“It is always nice to be asked my opinion though and I’m thankful for the chance.”

Mr Hughes, deputy leader for the Lib Dems, said: “I will work to ensure that we have the best system of educational advice, information and support in place, designed to benefit all potential students and to ensure that disadvantaged young people increasingly gain access to further and higher education.”