100 days as Derbyshire MPs - they give their verdict on Westminster life

Derbyshire Live went to London to speak with some of the 11 Labour MPs to see if they have heeded their leader's instruction to 'hit the ground running'

It's been just over 100 days since the momentous July General Election which saw Labour MPs elected to every one of the 11 constituencies in Derbyshire - a feat not achieved by one single Parliamentary party in the county from results going back to 1885. The nearest previously was in 1945, when Labour won all but High Peak and in 1885 when Liberals won all but High Peak also - which remained staunchly Conservative on both occasions but succumbed in 2024.

It means that with the exception of Toby Perkins, representing Chesterfield, who retained his Labour seat, it was a whole load of new MPs who excitedly made their way to Parliament for just a few weeks in July, ahead of the summer recess, and who returned after conference season earlier this month with much vigour and ready to get on with their new jobs.

Derbyshire Live popped down to London just ahead of the 100 days anniversary to find that they all seem to have adopted their leader Sir Keir Starmer's mantra that they should "hit the ground running".

It's difficult to pin all 11 MPs down in one place at the same time and the most that could make a meeting with Derbyshire Live was seven on this occasion - the others were at various meetings, inquiries and debates - and even among the seven there was always someone popping in and out to catch up on a memo or phone call.

Having been down to Portcullis House and the House of Commons in May, two days after the July 4 General Election was called, to find most people had already vacated the buildings and were packing away their offices, the atmosphere then was very quiet and lack-lustre - in complete contrast to last week when everywhere was buzzing.

Acting as host to Derbyshire Live was Derby South MP Baggy Shanker and through whose efforts, he managed to round up the others for a photocall in Westminster Hall and time for a chat about how it was all going. It soon becomes apparent that they are all very close and are working together with Derby and Derbyshire at the heart of all they do.

Clearly, having all the MPs from one party has given them a very tight working network, which involves getting and giving advice to each other, sharing experiences and in some cases sharing support staff. They are all agreed that the most important people they rely on are the staff who act as assistants, researchers and secretaries in the broadest sense making sure diaries work and House of Commons business is carefully logged and attended to.

Each of them has very individual interests that they are pursuing in Parliament - often borne out of their own career paths or experiences to date. For example, Mid Derbyshire MP Jonathan Davies is a former music teacher and this has led him to want to spend time looking at the creative industries and he is ambitious for children to have an holistic arts education. While Erewash MP Adam Thompson sees his career as a scientist will mean him focusing his Parliamentary work in that direction.

They are also all caught up in looking for places to live during the week while in London, setting up offices and staff and making their home-work life balance operate well, when home is more than 100 miles away. They all agree it takes understanding families and for most of them, becoming an MP is something they have set their sights on for years, while for others it was almost an unexpected surprise.

Finding their way around the vast maze of passages, rooms and facilities such as cafes and restaurants has been a massive task in itself but making sure that they all had the right security passes and permissions was a given almost from day one.

Here are some of the MPs' experiences so far:

Derby South MP Baggy Shanker

"As an engineer, I see skills, science, engineering and apprenticeships as important to growth in Derby, especially in further and higher education. The most important thing is that I am representing Derby and that will always come first.

"With our different skillsets, we MPs are proving to be a very productive team and have a very united front. I think I have been most surprised since I arrived in Parliament at the scale of opportunity there is to meet with senior civil servants who make the time to speak with MPs during the induction process.

"To be honest, being here in Parliament and being an MP, representing people, is the biggest honour of my life. It's a massive responsibility but hearing the stories from constituents of people struggling on a day-to-day basis keeps you grounded . This is a really serious job and there is plenty ahead to do."

Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins

This is someone who is having to get used to having other Derbyshire MPs around him and he was one of five Labour MPs in the county when he was first elected in 2010 but in the last Parliament, he was just one of two - the other being the grand dame of politics, Dame Margaret Beckett, who did not sit again for Derby South in July but has since become a member of the House of Lords.

Mr Perkins, whose experience in the House of Commons is now rapidly being disseminated to the new county MPs, says its "overwhelming" to have 10 other Labour MPs alongside him. He is a member of the All Party Parliamentary groups on apprenticeships and tennis.

He said: "It's a real team that's working well together on shared agendas such as the proposed closure of care homes and day care centres which affects constituencies across the county. I have been able to offer advice that as been accepted."

Mid Derbyshire MP Jonathan Davies

Mr Davies' varied constituency involves him dealing with four local authorities as it crosses the boundaries of Derby North (Derby City Council), Amber Valley, Erewash and Derbyshire County Council. He said: "I am finding that public services are high on the agenda for many constituents, including the issue of special needs education, the NHS and crime.

"For my local constituents, public transport, cuts to the police and the Derwent Valley Mills are particularly important. I have been particularly surprised, and pleased, to have easy access to ministers since I arrived here."

Mr Davies knows Mr Perkins well because in 2011, he took up a job with him in his constituency office. Mr Davies said: "I learned a lot from Toby and the time I spent in his office. It also meant that I occasionally visited Parliament and of course I was very involved in fielding emails, letters and made sure we wrote back to everyone who contacted the office, something I am continuing.

Erewash MP Adam Thompson

Mr Thompson is more of a stranger to the House of Commons than some, only having been there about three or four times before being elected as MP for Erewash. He said: "You certainly need to adapt quickly when you arrive at the House of Commons. Obviously, its long hours and there are many challenges, not least acquiring and interviewing staff and obtaining office space within Parliament along with 649 other MPs - although it is the newcomers who find it more challenging.

"In a way, it is like setting up a small business - not something I have done before - employing staff, funding an office and so on which is interesting. But I have been impressed by our accessibility to front bench members, which inspires a lot of confidence in new MPs. I am chair of the council of the All Party Parliamentary University Group, which incudes vice-chancellors from universities across the country, including Derby."

Derbyshire Dales MP John Whitby

Mr Whitby had not been expecting to be taking a seat in the House of Commons after July 4. His constituency had been Conservative for many years, so when he won by 350 votes, no-one was more surprised than him. He said: "It's been a mind-blowing experience from the start - just getting to grips with how everything works is amazing.

"The workload is massive - I am now receiving around 300 emails a day and having staff to help with that alone is really necessary. I still have my duties as a Derby city councillor and I am also visiting my constituency when I can where one of the burning issues is to establish a banking hub, after the last bank in the Peak Park, based in Bakewell, closed in February.

"Now that Hilton and Hatton are in my constituency, I find that it is quite a diverse area with different sets of issues - one more rural and the other more town/city-orientated. One of the areas I am particularly keen on pursuing is the climate-related idea of carbon storage and am on the All Party Parliamentary Group looking at this issue.

"I am enjoying this experience - there are clearly tough budget choices ahead - but we want to make things right again which in it itself carries so much responsibility."

Amber Valley MP Linsey Farnsworth

Ms Farnsworth has "hit the ground running" by being one of 20 MPs to have been selected to pursue a private member's bill through Parliament based on the issue of supporting unpaid carers with training and practical backing. She is due to lay it down this week and was still mulling over the exact title and content when she talked to Derbyshire Live. She has family experience that have have influenced her interest in the issue caring for her father.

She said: "I realise that help and training for carers has not been available and this would be of immense value to many people. As a former Crown prosecutor, I was proud as an Ilkeston girl from a working class background to become initially a solicitor and now being MP is very special. I love helping people - getting justice has been a big part of that - and naturally crime and anti-social behaviour are also high on my agenda, along with improving NHS dentistry provision, which I have already spoken to Health Secretary Wes Streeting about. Public transport and GP appointments are also local issues. I am there for anything that benefits Amber Valley."

Derby North MP Catherine Atkinson

As an unsuccessful former Parliamentary candidate in Erewash, Ms Atkinson has been ready to become an MP for several years and got her House of Commons career off to a good start with a maiden speech on the rail and the impending Public Ownership Bill, as she sees rail as a huge part of planned UK growth. She is vice-chair on the All-Party Parliamentary Group on rail.

She said: "I am very concerned about skills and apprenticeships and bridging the gaps in these that currently exist. Places like Derby's Nuclear Skills Academy can offer apprenticeships with real focus and lead to good careers. I particularly want to see young people inspired by issues such as saving the planet and sustainable energy.

"I am enjoying the collegiate feel of being here at Westminster and my Derbyshire colleagues are very much on the same page and pace as me and I am pleasantly surprised how quickly things have happened and have been turned into action around here in the first 100 days."

The other Derbyshire MPs are Natalie Fleet (Bolsover); Jon Pearce (High Peak); Louise Jones (North East Derbyshire) and Samantha Niblett ( South Derbyshire).