'Changes were never going to happen in 12 months - we've got a lot to do' - Labour MP reflects on year in power

We’re talking at the National Coal Mining Museum, a few metres away from one of the only accessible pits left in the country.

Ms Botterill was one of 335 new MPs elected in July 2024, forming part of Labour’s huge majority of 174. She was swiftly promoted to principal private secretary to Yvette Cooper, as the Home Secretary’s eyes and ears in Parliament.

This means she has extra responsibilities in SW1, but readily admits that she would rather be back in West Yorkshire.

“That has been the steepest and most challenging thing because look at the constituency, it’s beautiful and it is my home - it’s where I want to be,” the 34-year-old says. But a year on, the positivity of the summer of 2024 has been replaced by a sense of nervousness amongst Labour MPs as the polls tick in the wrong direction.

We’re speaking on the eve of Sir Keir Starmer’s biggest rebellion yet over welfare reforms, having already committed a substantial U-turn on winter fuel. When will people feel the change they were promised, I ask. “I think for a long time, a lot of people were promised things,” Ms Botterill says.

“This is the problem we have in today’s society - you can order a package on Amazon and it comes the next day. You order a taxi - you can order it straight on an app.

“Unfortunately, legislation takes months to go through, and then you’ve got to implement it. The changes that a lot of people are wanting were never going to happen in the first 12 months, and we’ve got a lot to do. But until people start to feel that difference, what I can do is make sure I’m open, I’m accessible and people can challenge me on decisions.

“The only thing we can do is take people on that journey with us and keep them updated with every single step.”

But being accountable and accessible can cause issues, particularly in the polarised world of social media.

“To me, negativity is just water off a duck’s back and I don’t really mind seeing it,” she says. “But I have a big brother who looks at and gets quite upset by it.”

This shows the importance of “humanising politicians”, she explains.

But, Ms Botterill says she has found people very receptive in person, when explaining something like the Crime and Policing Bill - which sits in her department.

“When I say to someone, that’s going to give seven-day cover in Ossett town centre and scrap the £200 [shoplifting] cap - people do give you leeway,” she claims.

The MP explains that she believes improved NHS waiting lists are starting to filter through as well. “I’ve spoken to so many people saying I finally got my hip operation,” Ms Botterill says.

“I do think things are heightened online, but when you actually have those real life conversations, people are grateful about what’s happening with the NHS, and they’re grateful for things to come.

“I think all we can do as a party is try and take people on that journey and just offer that hope and aspiration.

“If after four years, people don’t feel better off and they don’t feel like things are working, I’m sure we’ll feel that at the ballot box.”

Ms Botterill’s West Yorkshire constituency is one of many across the region that YouGov has predicted will swing to Reform, based on the current opinion polls.In particular, Nigel Farage seems to be achieving success in the smaller cities and towns outside the major hubs of Leeds and Sheffield.

Last year, research from Onward found that people living in Yorkshire towns were far more likely to feel left behind and negative about their areas compared with their city neighbours. This is something Ms Botterill says she is determined to tackle as the Ossett and Denby Dale MP.

“This is something I’ve always felt because I am a small town girl, I managed nine months in London but I wanted to go home,” she says.

“So I’ve been focusing on the economic disparity between towns and cities. I used to think it was very much a North-South divide, but actually you go to Basildon and they’ve got the same problems. It’s actually more of a town v city issue.

“You see Leeds thriving, but we can’t get a bus around here. So for me we need to be focusing on these towns again, providing them with some hope - thinking about what we want our towns’ identity to be.”

Ms Botterill says she is very keen for her constituency to be one of the pilot areas for Mayor Tracy Brabin’s bus franchising, after a number of routes have been cut by Arriva West Yorkshire in recent months.

“I just think this constituency is beautiful, it’s got so much potential,” she adds.

“How can I get that investment here? How can I make sure that the transport infrastructure works for people around here?”

That will be the challenge for all Labour MPs across Yorkshire over the next four years, with Mr Farage’s Reform UK snapping at their heels.