New Sunderland Central MP Lewis Atkinson on his first week in Parliament.
Mr Atkinson was chosen to contest the seat for Labour after predecessor Julie Elliott decided to stand down at the General Election.
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00:00Lewis Atkinson is the new elected MP for Sunderland Central, congratulations, first week, how's it gone?
00:06Yeah it's gone well, it's been really busy but it's an honour doing the job and being able to get my head around
00:12exactly how I'm going to get a grip to things and deliver for the people of Sunderland Central.
00:16So what's your background, what's your hinterland?
00:19My background, well I grew up here or hereabouts in East Bolton and long family background in Sunderland.
00:28I think during the election campaign, actually one of the unseen things about campaigning is you hear from so many people knocking on doors
00:35it's a real reminder about what matters to local residents and what they want you to be working on if you do get elected.
00:41There's a sense that the Labour Party, the Labour government is very keen to hit the ground running, what do you think the priority is going to be?
00:46Well I think for the government overall, economic stability and growth is absolutely number one.
00:51I think we all were hit by a few years ago when Liz Trust crashed the economy.
00:55We can't have interest rates bouncing up and down all over the place anymore for household finances
01:01but also for the private sector investment that you can see starting to come into Sunderland.
01:05The way we can continue that and accelerate it is by keeping national economic conditions really positive.
01:12So that's what we're doing, I think making really rapid progress as far as we can on NHS access.
01:18I was delighted to see West Street in open negotiations with the British Dental Association about a new dental contract.
01:24People in Sunderland know that NHS dentistry is broken here.
01:29I've written to the local NHS this week to say just that and to seek a meeting to discuss what we can do to improve that as quickly as possible.
01:37So I think we have hit the ground running nationally and that's what I've done in my first week as a local MP as well.
01:43A lot of people I know you were saying on the doorstep have the attitude that all politicians are the same.
01:48What would you say to them?
01:50Well I'd say that we're rightly judged on delivery.
01:53Labour hasn't been in government for 14 years.
01:56I think people are realistic that they don't expect miracles to be worked overnight
02:00and that they know the country's being left in a mess by the Tories.
02:04But we need to deliver.
02:06In 2010 you could get an NHS dentist in Sunderland, now you can't.
02:11In 2010 it took you about 18 weeks if you needed an operation at the Royal.
02:16Now it's more like 18 months.
02:18In 2010 you'd be seen within A&E in about four hours and now it's longer.
02:23So governments do change things but they haven't got a magic wand.
02:29But it's that hard work and I suppose just dedication and teamwork.
02:32I think one of the things I've really been struck with this week by the amount of new Labour MPs, big new intake,
02:39is what that sense of teamwork and working together is,
02:42not just constantly fighting internally against each other.
02:45I think that will allow us to do a lot more than maybe the previous government was able to.