NEW Banbury MP Victoria Prentis has spoken candidly about her first two weeks representing the constituency in the House of Commons.

Ms Prentis, who grew up on her family’s farm in Aynho near Banbury and until recently worked as head of the government’s Justice and Security team, was formally sworn in as an MP on Wednesday, May 20.

The mother of two succeeded Sir Tony Baldry, who served as Banbury MP for 32 years.

Ms Prentis, who has been a friend of Sir Tony’s since she was a child, swept to victory in Banbury on May 7, taking 53 per cent of the votes.

She said of her election victory: “I’m so proud of our results; we increased the Conservative majority and successfully defended all of our council seats. We came very close in some wards, building strong foundations to work from in the future.”

Ms Prentis had to report to the House of Commons on Monday, May 11, so there was little chance to get over what had been a gruelling election campaign.

She said: “I had to be in Westminster at 8.30am, so I caught my usual train from Bicester North.

“Thankfully Parliamentary staff were very patient with us, as we received passes and passwords in abundance.

“Induction sessions were run by the House, but more useful were those run by the Conservative party.

“These were dominated by the whips, who like to portray a caring and helpful image these days.”

Ms Prentis found she had no desk and no telephone in the first days in the job so had to adapt quickly to deal with an influx of enquiries.

She said: “The first couple of weeks are difficult, in that offices and computers are not in place to deal with the enormous postbag, so meetings took place on a bench in the Central Lobby or a cafe.”

The qualified barrister has always insisted she will spend as much time in Oxfordshire as possible and wants to base herself in Banbury – but her first week in Parliament suggested this may prove difficult.

She said: “The whips made it quite clear that our presence would be required in Westminster a great deal.

“When I get settled I am hoping to commute home most nights, but for the first week I spent three nights in London. When I got home I was delighted to find that my husband and children had learnt how to use the washing machine, and even cooked beef stew.”

She continued: “I took my seat on the benches for the first time the following Monday, May 18, when we elected the Speaker.

“As we weren’t sitting, I was able to squeeze in a constituency day on the Tuesday, which including an outing to watch Fritwell School perform David and Goliath.

“On the Wednesday, after coffee at 10 Downing Street, I went to stand in line to take the oath.”