Jo Churchill, MP for Bury St Edmunds, attends the House of Commons for the first time.
Jo stated:
"I am incredibly proud to be the new MP for the Bury St Edmunds constituency.
It has been an amazing six-month journey, a steep learning curve full of emotions.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little apprehensive as the late night turned into the early morning and then the actual morning at last week’s general election count.
As the exit polls proved accurate and the Conservatives enjoyed a great night, both regionally and nationally, the result of the Bury St Edmunds was one of the last in East Anglia. This didn’t help the nerves! But I was delighted when my name was read out as the new MP for this wonderful constituency.
I know there has been a lot of talk about this being a safe seat. But from the moment I was nominated as the Conservative candidate, and then moved to the Bury area just a few weeks later, I never took any notice of such claims. After running businesses for more than 20 years, I know complacency can be your biggest downfall. Plus I wanted to learn about everything that makes this constituency great - from our cherished West Suffolk Hospital to all the amazing work going on in our schools and West Suffolk College. I wanted to speak to business leaders about their successes and hopes for the future and I wanted to hear about both local concerns from across the constituency and local pride from within our villages and towns.
Quite simply, I wanted to make sure that I knew as much as possible about the Bury St Edmunds constituency ahead of polling day.
Now I have been elected, the hard work really starts. I want to do everything in my power to ensure our constituency has a voice in Westminster while making myself accessible and available to all.
If you would like to get in touch, please contact me at 10 Hatter Street, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP33 1LZ 01284 488345.
May I take this opportunity to thank every single person who supported me and voted for me in last week’s general election. It is a privilege to be your MP.
I would also like to congratulate my fellow Conservative colleagues who stood for election in the borough and town council elections last week. I know hard they work for their electorate. I must congratulate them on their election success - I am proud to be able to stand with them - and for you all."