I was born, grew up and live in London. My father came to Britain in the 1950s to work on the railways and as a bus driver. My parents taught me that if you work hard and believe in yourself, there is no limit to what you can achieve.
After several attempts at being elected, I picked myself up, dusted myself off each time, and ran for office again until I became a Member of the European Parliament representing London in 2005.
In 2013, I was elected the leader of the Conservative MEPs and in 2014 I was honoured to be elected as the Chairman the European Conservatives and Reformists Group, the political group to which the British Conservatives belong in the European Parliament.
At the same time, the European Conservatives and Reformists Group became the third largest in the European Parliament.
However, I have many more goals to achieve in my career. One of those is to inspire young people from all, but especially poorer, backgrounds to make the best of themselves. I speak at schools, colleges and youth clubs trying to instil the spirit of ambition into young people and explaining to them that whatever their race, religion or family background they can achieve their goals.
People who work hard to better themselves should be able to reap the rewards of that effort.