IT’S barely been three weeks since the General Election but, as I have got down to work, it’s proved to be a busy few days.

I met with local businesses here in East Lothian before heading to Parliament for the King’s Speech last Wednesday.

Alongside my fellow Scottish MPs, I was present for the King’s Speech, which included 24 Bills relevant to Scotland, a bold and ambitious legislative programme to deliver on Labour’s mandate for change.

And delivering change means working with all the nations and regions, not least here in Scotland. As the Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray said: “We have been clear that we want to reset our relationship with the Scottish Government and to work together to deliver better outcomes for people.”

In that spirit, the King’s Speech outlined bills to establish GB Energy, a publicly owned energy generation company which will create Scottish jobs and cut bills for good, and the establishment of a National Wealth Fund to invest in the industries and jobs of the future. This will bring opportunities to the many diverse industries here in East Lothian, not least to the people who work in those industries.

The King’s Speech also delivers the biggest transfer of powers towards working people in a generation, with new rights on sick pay and redundancy, a ban on exploitative zero-hour contracts, and to increase the minimum wage to a real living wage. This is just a first step towards reducing poverty in Scotland. And Labour’s rail ownership bill will ensure ScotRail is kept in public hands.

So the King’s Speech was the beginning of a mission-driven Labour Government, focused on ambitious goals to bring out the best of our communities, a path of national renewal to rebuild our country.

In the coming weeks, I will be working hard to play my part, both in my role as Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security, and as your MP in East Lothian.