What a week. First I win a seat, now I'm Solicitor General

I’M drafting this, laptop on my knees, perching on a green leather bench in a Victorian Gothic corridor — a day in the life of a brand-new MP is chaotic, romantic and utterly surreal.

- Sarah Sackman

They say a week is a long time in politics and for me this has been quite a week.

Only last Friday at 4.30am I was elected the new Member of Parliament for Finchley and Golders Green. I feel like I’ve compressed the experiences of a lifetime into a week. From stocking up on tights to answering constituent emails, my feet have hardly touched the ground. But every day I am reminded of the privilege of being sent here to serve my constituents and country.

Thursday — Election Day

Six weeks after Rishi Sunak called the election in the pouring rain, the sun is out as voters go to the polls. My stomach is in knots. All the canvassing, hustings and leafleting is over. It’s the day people decide. I start the morning at Golders Green Tube station with my shiny rosette. Some people tell me they have just voted for me, others avoid eye contact on their way to work (it seems that not everyone is as obsessed about the election). I spend the day campaigning in every part of the seat until my feet are sore! At 10pm, I watch the exit poll with friends and family — a Labour landslide. It feels like winning the cup final. We hug, we kiss, and I head to bed to wait for my result.

Friday