MUSSELBURGH Festival week is now in full swing. It has been great to see the houses and High Street adorned with bunting, with so many events taking place over the course of the week.

I was honoured to join the Honest Lad and Honest Lass, Billy Innes and Eilidh Bonthron, at the Kirkin’ and Sashing event on Sunday.

As the new Member of Parliament for Musselburgh, it was an honour to take part. I look forward to attending many more community events in the next few years, and seeing the town go from strength to strength.

Musselburgh is a thriving community with an impressive history. Traditions like choosing the Honest Lad and Honest Lass every year not only celebrate the town’s long-standing traditions, they also serve to remind us of the importance of public service and ties of community.

In another ceremony down the road, I was sworn in as your MP. During the election campaign, I promised to work hard for Musselburgh and listen to your concerns. So in my very first few weeks, I held several advice surgeries in The Brunton.

Another tradition is the maiden speech, which I made this week. The convention is for new MPs to describe their constituencies. It was a joy to sing Musselburgh’s praises in the House of Commons. I described the Honest Toun as perfectly situated between country, coast and Capital, and paid tribute to the town’s traditions like the Musselburgh Festival and the Honest Lad and Lass.

Last week also saw the tradition of the King’s Speech. Behind the pomp and ceremony, the new Government set out a powerful agenda of modern and progressive legislation. I was so pleased to see the New Deal For Working People and the creation of GB Energy. These policies would make such a difference to the people of Musselburgh.

As I took part in these traditional events over the last few weeks, I reflected how Musselburgh has had an impressive history. But I’m convinced the Honest Toun’s best days lie ahead, and it has been exciting to get started as your MP in the new Government over the last few weeks to make that happen.