New MPs at Westminster 'can't wait to get started'

Catherine Atkinson (left), Baggy Shanker (centre) and Linsey Farnsworth outside the House of Commons on their first day

Three newly-elected MPs said their journey to Westminster was like the "first day of school".

Derbyshire went completely red on election night after Labour gained nine seats from the Conservatives and held two others.

The BBC followed Labour MPs Catherine Atkinson, Linsey Farnsworth and Baggy Shanker as they began their parliamentary careers in the House of Commons on Monday.

Ms Atkinson, new MP for Derby North, said: "I can't wait to get started."

Mr Shanker did not have the smoothest of election campaigns. He was removed as Derby City Council leader following a vote of no confidence over a row with Derbyshire County Council regarding the Sinfin waste plant just weeks before election day.

He was always going to stand down if he won the seat but at the time, he said the move was a “desperate act of political opportunism” by his opponents.

He got over the line to win the seat with a majority of 6,000 to become the new MP for Derby South.

Mr Shanker is the new Labour MP for Derby South

"It is like [the first day of school] - that's a good way of describing it," he told the BBC on the train down to London.

"It’s really exciting but it’s a real honour to be heading down to Westminster to represent my home city where I was born and grew up.

“I’ve been there before on visits and I see new bits of it each time I go down – I just need to get my head around a lot of it. We’ve got to recruit staff, get our offices set up so we can crack on and get working really.”

He said the weekend was “busier than he had hoped” with “bits of sleep in between” and he had been moved by the flurry of messages from family, friends, constituents and political colleagues.

But Mr Shanker added he still found time to cut the grass and wash the car.

Ms Farnsworth was elected as the Labour MP for Amber Valley

Linsey Farnsworth in Amber Valley had arguably the biggest task in Derbyshire during the general election. She had to overturn an 18.5% swing to book her seat on the train to Westminster.

The seat, which includes the towns of Ripley, Alfreton and Heanor, has always elected an MP from the national governing party since the seat's creation in 1983.

The former Crown prosecutor was told to arrive at her count after 03:00 BST on Friday and was kept informed by activists at her count on how it was going.

But a phone call from a family member informed her to get to the count as they looked like they were close to declaring.

“My brother rang my step-mum and asked where I was. He said he couldn’t believe I would be late for my own count as he’d seen on the BBC live blog that it could be close to declaring,” she said.

“But I wasn’t late, it was planned, I was turning up at that time.”

On the win itself, she said it was still “surreal” that people were calling her an MP.

“This is an incredible honour, not many people get the opportunity to do this. It’s exciting but a little bit daunting – there’s a lot of work to do,” she said.

“The first week is all about the admin side of things, things people might not think about, like some IT equipment, an email address so I can start on the casework and begin to help people."

What new MPs can expect

Each new MP is paired up with a member of parliamentary staff in a "buddy system", partly to ensure they don't get lost.

The Westminster estate stretches over eight acres, with 100 staircases, more than 1,000 rooms and three miles of passages.

Inside MPs are given security passes and offered a key for a locker, since it will be a few days before they are given offices.

The parliamentary security department also set up a mock front door to demonstrate the security measures MPs can install at their homes and constituency offices. These include spy holes, alarms, video intercoms and CCTV cameras.

Ms Atkinson is the MP for Derby North

Catherine Atkinson previously stood as a parliamentary candidate in 2017 and 2019, losing both times.

But the qualified barrister was first over the line at Derby Arena on Friday morning, gaining Derby North from the Conservatives with a majority of nearly 9,000.

“I can’t wait to get started, I’ll get an office and some staff because people assume when you’re a candidate that’s all in place, but we rely on a great team of volunteers," she said.

“There’s so many basic starting points, a pass to get into the building and how to actually get around the place. But this is such a good opportunity to meet other MPs and to work with them.”

Ms Atkinson said she had been grateful for the advice and support of those that came before her, especially Dame Margaret Beckett, the former Labour MP for Derby South, who is heading to the House of Lords.

“We’re so lucky to have someone we can lean on with such incredible experience and just her insight is really valuable for us," she said.

Looking out to the House of Commons from Westminster Bridge, she added: "It's an incredible feeling, it's where I get to be a voice for my city."

Mr Shanker, Ms Atkinson and Ms Farnsworth head over Westminster Bridge on the way to the House of Commons