Victoria Collins sat down with this newspaper to tell our reporter Liam Fitzpatrick all about her first month as the MP for the new Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
For Victoria Collins, the road to Westminster began in her mum's gift shop, where she learned about small businesses and the importance of community.
This fuelled an interest in politics that led her to a masters degree in political economy and a job working in the European Parliament.
However, she soon became disillusioned with parliamentary politics and took a role working in the private sector.
That said, her passion for politics was reignited by the Brexit campaign and the political tumult that followed.
After getting involved with campaigning for the Liberal Democrats, it was Boris Johnson's divisive spell in Downing Street that led her to "put my head above the parapet" and stand to become a candidate.
After becoming the party's candidate for the new Harpenden and Berkhamsted seat, her ambitions were realised at last month's General Election, where she was comfortably elected to a represent an area that had previously been a true blue Tory heartland.
Ms Collins alongside neighbouring MP and Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper on the night of the General Election (Image: Liberal Democrats)
Reflecting on her first month as an MP, Ms Collins said: "It's been surreal and a lot of hard work but I'm really excited about the impact we can have, here locally as well as with 72 Liberal Democrat MPs in Parliament.
"I've been going to a lot of events, meeting businesses and people, getting out on the doorstep. I want to show that we can do politics differently."
She succeeds former Treasury Minister Bim Afolami, who served the Hitchin and Harpenden constituency for seven years.
Bim Afolami represented Harpenden between 2017 and July 2024 (Image: Bim Afolami)
On her predecessor, she says: "Bim did a lot of good work but a lot of constituents felt he wasn't as present in the area as he could have been. For me it's really important to be a constituency MP and find the balance between being a local MP and my work in Westminster."
That work began with writing to water firm Thames Water over the sewage crisis in the River Ver, a rare chalk stream that runs through St Albans and Harpenden.
She said: "I think looking after our environment is so important not just because it's the right thing, but it is good for us and our community.
"The sewage crisis is a real visceral example of just how much the Conservatives neglected our environment.
"They privatised our water companies that went and dumped sewage into our chalk streams. It's one of the first things we need to tackle and show people that we care."
Earlier this week, Thames Water were hit with a £104m fine for failing to look after the water supply.
Ms Collins says this should be "just the start" of a long process.
The River Ver was one of the issues she highlighted in her first speech in the House of Commons.
Ms Collins focussed on chalk streams and the rich tapestry of her constituency in her maiden speech on the green benches of the House of Commons. (Image: House of Commons)
She spent four hours on the green benches, trying to 'catch the eye' of Speaker Lindsay Hoyle in order to give her maiden speech.
On the experience of entering the House of Commons for the first time, she explains: It's smaller than it looks on TV, which probably helped a bit when making my maiden speech! It's almost cosy."
While the glamour of Parliament can be dizzying for new MPs, it has served as a reminder to Ms Collins of the importance of her constituents.
She said: "Sitting in the House of Lords for the Kings Speech was amazing but in the back of my mind was all of the constituents who are losing their homes, facing domestic abuse or having difficulty with their visas.
"It really highlighted the importance of focussing on the issues away from all the pomp and circumstance of Parliament."
The issue that matters most to her is health and social care.
"You cannot find an NHS dentist in our constituency and you also can't get a GP appointment," she said.
"There are thousands of unpaid carers and that's why I asked my first question in Parliament on healthcare, directed at the Health Secretary (Wes Streeting)."
She adds: "I want to be a voice in Parliament to push social care higher up the agenda.".
An issue that is already at the top of the political agenda is housebuilding, with Labour making an aggressive push to increase housing targets in the wake of the General Election.
Harpenden's new MP is not a fan of what she describes as a "top-down approach", saying: "We've got a council which is working hard to put in place a Local Plan which is right for local people. Let them get on with it rather than be open to developments that will not solve the problems that we need to and will not protect the spaces that we love.
"I've spoken to lots of people who say we do need new houses and we know that nationally, there is a housing crisis, there's no denying that."
Away from the theatre of Westminster, a row is brewing over St Albans City and District Council's plans to introduce parking charges across the district - including on Harpenden's High Street.
Ms Collins would not be drawn into taking a side on the issue, saying: "I am very much listening to people on that issue and feeding back to the council.
"I know it hasn't been easy for the council. Nationally, councils have been underfunded and have had to make tough decisions to balance budgets.
"I'm meeting with businesses to find out their thoughts.
"I want to make sure that we support businesses as much as we can. It's very important to support the High Street and I'm looking at how we can help."
She also reiterated calls for the government to drop it's planned expansion of Luton Airport, promising to hold them to account when the time comes for a decision to be made.
Quick fire questions
Q) Favourite thing to do outside of politics?
A) "I've been a rambler my whole life." (For the uninitiated, rambling is the pastime of enjoying long walks in the countryside).
Q) Favourite TV programme?
A) Dr Who
Q) Favourite film?
A) Shawshank Redemption
Q) Favourite sport?
A) "I'm terrible at it but I love tennis."
Q) Favourite meal?-
A) "It's quite basic but Sweet N Sour chicken."
Q) Three favourite songs?
A) Bohemian Rhapsody, Dancing Queen, and Changes (that would be my victory song)
A) Biggest inspiration?
A) "My Mum. She came to this country 50 years ago from Malaysia and set up her own business. I learnt so much from her."
Q) Political hero?
A) "Paddy Ashdown."
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