Another busy week, most of which I have spent in London. I am looking forward to the delayed recess in August and being back in Cornwall.

Back in Cornwall there have been more problems with water. Planned works led to a day without water then brown water which took at least an hour to run through taps. South West Water have said a run-off fee is available and if you are still having issues with your water after running it for an hour, let them know. I also know that sewage has been overflowing onto beaches in Cornwall again. The new government has taken immediate measures to cut sewage dumping and encourage investment to upgrade infrastructure. Plus, a new Water Bill was announced in the King’s Speech to strengthen regulation and give the water regulator new powers to ban bonuses if environmental standards are not met and increase accountability for water bosses.

Water is just one of the crises that this Labour government has inherited after 14 years of Conservative economic mayhem. The breakdown in special educational needs with many children simply dropping out of education due to lack of provision and an adversarial system pitting parents and schools against local authorities has reached breaking point and has been in the news this week. This is another embedded issue that has been ignored for years and will take years to solve. However, solve it we must, because we are letting our most vulnerable children down.

I attended my first Prime Minister’s Questions session this week. This hasn’t always been the best advert for politics or politicians as many people don’t like the performative two-sword-lengths-apart sparring that it often becomes. However, my first Prime Minister’s Questions in the Chamber was quieter, more purposeful and more constructive. Serious government, at last. Let’s hope it lasts.

The two big bills that began their journey through Parliament towards becoming law this week were to nationalise the railways and to create our new publicly owned energy company, Great British Energy. Both will impact on Cornwall. Our trains need a simpler fare structure and improved reliability. And GB Energy will help us get offshore wind in the Celtic Sea up and running and benefitting Cornwall with investment in training and decent high-paid jobs in renewables, as well as cheaper, cleaner electricity. GB Energy will also bring back investment and support for local energy generation projects that councils and communities can set up and use.

It has been a busy start to the new job. It’s strange to be split into two and away from home, but I want to be part of the change that people voted for. I’m proud to be part of this government and determined to make it work to improve lives in Cornwall.

Jayne Kirkham, Labour MP for Truro & Falmouth