I am so proud to have been elected as the first MP for Newport West and Islwyn.

I joined the Labour Party in 1999 when I was a physiotherapist working for the NHS and saw the difference a Labour government could make.

Since 2019, my team has helped thousands of people in Newport West with issues relating to housing and a cost-of-living crisis which the Tories let spiral out of control.

It has been an honour to represent the communities that raised me, including Duffryn, where I went to school, and the Gaer, the site of my childhood home.

Labour changed my life for the better and that is what politics is all about – changing lives. The best way to do that is in government and now we have the chance to do just that, repay the communities that elected us and get our future back on track.

July 4 was a marvellous night for our party, with new MPs elected in England, Scotland and Wales – including my good friend Catherine Fookes who achieved a historic victory in Monmouthshire.

If I spoke to you during the campaign, I would like to thank you for being honest and kind, welcoming me as your new Labour candidate and coming to terms with the new constituency which spans all the way from Hollybush to Marshfield.

I am eternally grateful to all the volunteers without whom our campaign would not have been possible. By knocking on doors and delivering leaflets, you spread our positive message far and wide.

I was humbled to receive more than 17,000 votes and will do my utmost to repay this trust over the next five years.

If you did not vote for me this time, I promise to serve you during our project of national renewal all the same. As your MP, I will always be accessible and present in the communities I serve.

This is a time for coming together, and in Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves, we have a public-spirited partnership that will put the country first - not themselves.

Keir Starmer has a proud record of public service, a former director of public prosecutions who brought down terrorists and stood up for victims of crime.

This Labour government will not promise the world only to let you down as the Tories did so many times over 14 difficult years.

Instead, we offer real, honest hope, with a plan to deliver the change our country needs.

When we say we can grow the economy and get Britain building again, we mean it. We will cut NHS waiting times, launch a new Border Security Command and set up GB Energy to slash your bills.

With two Labour governments working together at either end of the M4, we have all the ambition and willpower to remind people politics can be a force for good.