Labour's Damien Egan says West Country accent helped Kingswood win

The country's newest MP has taken his seat in Parliament - and said his West Country accent helped him get there.

Damien Egan was elected MP for Kingswood near Bristol on 15 February, overturning a Conservative majority of more than 11,000.

He has now been sworn in, alongside Labour's other by-election victor, Gen Kitchen from Wellingborough.

Born in Ireland, Damien Egan came to the West of England as a youngster, and his family still live in the area.

He was briefly a parish councillor, before moving to London where he rose to become Mayor of Lewisham.

In July 2023 he was selected as Labour's candidate for Bristol North East, a new seat being created for the next general election.

So it was a shock when, on holiday at the start of January, he was told Kingswood's Conservative MP was standing down - and his party wanted him to stand in the resulting by-election.

"The last seven weeks it feels like so much has happened, and it feels like such a long time ago," he said. "It's amazing."

Mr Egan said the campaign got personal, with the Conservatives targeting the way he had had seemingly changed his accent since his time as Mayor of Lewisham.

He said: "It made me for about an hour really, like, paranoid about talking, because you're like, oh my God, how am I speaking?"

"It didn't actually come up that much. If anything I think it backfired on the Conservatives."

Mr Egan believes highlighting his local roots went down well with some voters.

On his first day in Parliament the two by-election victors were met by party leader Sir Keir Starmer, and cheered by scores of other Labour MPs.

Damien Egan admits to a sense of wonder: "I've been in that chamber once, on a guided tour, so it's going to be really interesting.

"I can't imagine what it feels like to sit there and listen to PMQs, hear debates, I'm going to learn a lot."

But he will not have long to enjoy it.

The Kingswood seat will be abolished at the next general election - and within months he will again be fighting for a place in Parliament.

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