First day at ‘Hogwarts’ for newly-elected MP

Sarah Champion, the new MP for Rotherham, was met outside the Palace of Westminster by Labour leader Ed Miliband along with Labour’s other two new MPs who also won by-elections on Thursday.

Ms Champion secured a comfortable 5,218 majority in last week’s poll, which was triggered by the resignation of Denis MacShane after he was found to have fiddled his expenses.

The 43-year-old charity worker said she had only visited Parliament once before, and was thrilled to be getting down to work in her new role.

“I came here once for a visit - just as a tourist,” she said. “So it’s very overwhelming to come here and think this is going to be my office, my place of work.

“I come from a comprehensive school – I didn’t think people like me got to be MPs. It will take a bit of getting used to.

“It’s mind-blowing. I was warned it was like Hogwarts – and it kind of is.”

Ms Champion stressed her real-world experience would help prevent her becoming institutionalised by life in the Westminster village.

“For all of my career I’ve worked in charities and the voluntary sector,” she said. “I think I’m as grounded as you can get.

“I’m also very clear I’m the MP for Rotherham – that’s my priority. When I come here I’m fighting for Rotherham.

“I’m very definitely not a career politicians. I haven’t since the age of six wanted to be a politician. What I wanted to do was serve my community, and this I think is the best way I can do that.”

Ms Champion was clear about her top priority – doing what she can to battle the unemployment crisis gripping her constituency.

“The main thing for me is jobs for Rotherham,” she said. “We’re seeing lots of cuts. Tata Steel is cutting 130; there’s a threat of 750 going at NHS Rotherham.

“I want to be talking to the steelworks, I want to be talking to the hospital staff to see how I can help.

“On the back of that I’ve been talking to the local college about getting more apprenticeships, because I think that’s got to be the way forward.

“If we can get more businesses to take apprentices, we can work our way out of this economic downturn.”