LAST Friday morning at about 3am, the Lothian East constituency result was announced and I was thrilled to discover I had been elected as our new Member of Parliament.

So first, I want to thank everyone who voted for me – whether choosing to vote Scottish Labour for the first time, or after a lifetime of supporting us. Whether you voted for me or not, I am looking forward to getting down to work for all of the people of our constituency.

During the many months I spent out and about on the doorsteps from Musselburgh to Dunbar and across the communities of our constituency, I listened to your concerns and hopes for change. Last Thursday, this community chose hope over despair, and dared to believe that, as a country, we can be better and do better, and to begin the task of rebuilding our common life.

Being elected as your MP is a great honour, and a genuine privilege, and a responsibility that I do not take lightly. As I said in my acceptance speech in the early hours of last Friday morning, it is a responsibility I intend to discharge with hard work, humility and a sustaining sense of hope. The task now is to repay that trust and meet these ambitions for a better future.

Arriving at Parliament this week, I will be aiming to be a strong voice for Lothian East and the issues that matter to us.

On Saturday, I was contacted by the Prime Minister – just after the England football game – and asked to join his Government as a Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade. I was delighted to accept this role, not least because economic growth really matters to East Lothian’s prospects and its people.

Whether strengthening our national and local economy, working for new investment in our NHS and schools, my task as our MP, working with local MSPs like Martin Whitfield, councillors, and our brilliant and diverse community organisations, will now be to deliver the change so many local people voted for last week.