Westminster 'whirlwind' for county's new MPs

This week is a “whirlwind” for hundreds of first-time MPs as they get set up at Westminster after the general election, one of the new cohort said.

Labour’s Julia Buckley, who won in Shrewsbury last week, will be one of 335 first-timers in the new parliament’s first session on Tuesday – accounting for over half of MPs.

Ms Buckley said she had felt particularly proud to cross a famous lobby in the House of Commons that features ornate tiles made in Shropshire.

“It was the first thing that struck me,” she said, adding: “I’m so proud that that’s where we’re from.”

Ms Buckley will become Shrewsbury’s first female MP when she is sworn in this week, after winning a seat that had been in Tory hands for 19 years.

Her win reflected a pattern across much of the West Midlands, where several seats switched from blue to red and helped Labour secure its landslide national victory.

“I’ve been to Westminster before, but nothing prepares you for when you come down with those two letters after your name," said Labour’s Shaun Davies, another first-time MP-elect from Shropshire who won in Telford last week.

Mr Davies, who will stand down as Telford and Wrekin Council's leader to take on his new role, said he had felt "nervous" but it was "a huge privilege" to represent his town.

Craven Dunnill in Jackfield, a tile manufacturer in the Ironbridge Gorge, was chosen in 2008 to restore floors in Westminster's Central Lobby and other areas, both by making replicas and salvaging existing tiles.

On Monday, Mr Davies posted a photo of himself at the House of Commons on Facebook with the caption: "Guess where these tiles are made?"

Shaun Davies, another first-time MP-elect from Shropshire, won in Telford last week

Ms Buckley added that, amidst all the Westminster training and rehearsals for the new cohort, she was already focused on getting results for her town.

“Straight away, it’s about thinking: how can I get the most out of this for Shrewsbury and how can I deliver for the people who put me here?” she said.

She said she had requested a meeting with Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s team to discuss Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and “get a plan, going forward”.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust apologised last month after an undercover documentary exposed shortcomings in the hospital’s A&E department.