DAD-of-four, proud husband and elected Member of Parliament James Frith is having the best year of his life.

The newly-elected MP for Bury North is just seven months into his new job and still learning the quirks of life in and out of Parliament.

Mr Frith was elected on Thursday, June 8, 2017, ousting Conservative MP David Nuttall, who had held the seat since 2010.

Mr Frith said: "It was the biggest year of my life, I turned 40, got elected and became a dad for the fourth time."

In a short time, the new MP has had to sort out his life in Bury and his life in Westminster, all the while making sure he does not miss more than three bedtimes with his children, Jemima, aged eight, Henry, aged six, Lizzie, aged two and Bobby, four months.

Mr Frith said: "This wouldn’t be possible without my wife Nikki. We have gone from both running our own businesses to me being away three days a week. She’s been magnificent and the kids have been very resilient and quick to adjust.

"I think we’re doing pretty well with it, we’re really happy and Nikki wanted everything I wanted.

"The fact is I might be the MP but the entire family sign up to it."

He said: "Before my maiden speech Jemima asked me what an MP was and I said, ‘someone you might go to for help or to share an idea’ and she said, ‘well you’re my MP already daddy’.

"The kids know daddy works in Big Ben."

Seven months in he says the thing he is most proud of is how the issue of the walk-in centres was resolved. He said: "It did come back and forward and it happened quite quickly in the end. I had about 13 different meetings and there were different actions that contributed to a team effort. It’s important recognition goes to the people of Bury."

Looking to the future Mr Frith hopes to campaign for hospices, including Bury Hospice, to make them a real part of social care.

He also plans to lobby the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), to reconsider the way it commissions drugs.

He said: "I intend to run a campaign to ask NICE to add a secondary consideration for drugs they commission. Like Orkambi, which removes the symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis, it can return you to an average life expectancy. But it’s not available."

Even further in the future Mr Frith has goals. "I want to be in government, " he said.

Despite sitting in the Education Select Committee, Mr Frith is keen to keep local issues at the forefront of his mind.

He said: "I’d say my role is being available to everybody and to help with all issues.

"I have an undimmed view of politics being the best force for change and that’s been spoiled nationally and I hope I can help restore people’s confidence, at least here."

Since gaining office and having his 'early win' with the walk-ins, Mr Frith says he has experienced an enormous amount of goodwill from the public. And with success has come more work. He says he and his team receive around 100 emails a day.

He said he finds the work in Bury more enjoyable than the work in Parliament.

He said: "The learning curve in Parliament is significant. When and what to say, crafting a question. At a dinner table it’s a forgiving environment but this is forever on record in the same room as Winston Churchill and Clem Attlee. Where they stood and spoke. It sharpens the mind.

"The history does get to you.

"Once instance where I felt confident was paying homage to Steven Dyson, his family and the amazing response in Ramsbottom.

"That’s something you learn about, the responsibility, I have to be a spokesperson."

As well as the responsibility, the traditions, which can seem outdated also have to be learnt.

"If you are in for prayers when they are said you turn the other way and face the back wall of the benches.

"It’s from when MPs would have had swords and kneeling whilst wearing a sword is not possible but as a mark of respect that’s the tradition."

Other traditions, like filing through the lobby to vote can also seem unwieldy at first glance.

He said: "We had eight votes which took an hour and 45 minutes, whereas if you’re voting on The Voice it would take eight seconds. You go through the lobby and register your name and nod.

"Within 36 hours of Bobby being born I had to be there to vote.

"I was like ‘for goodness sake, why isn’t there a proxy vote?’I think there’s a case for that in extreme circumstances.

"But, a few weeks in you realise this is the best time to meet and get to know the people whose support you might need for a bill or question or on rare occasions where you’re in the lobby with the ministers.

"I’ve had conversations with the Brexit Secretary in the chamber while waiting for the votes to be counted. That’s three or four minutes of questioning and lobbying you’re getting in."

While the voting has its merits, Mr Frith feels debates could be improved and time allocated better. He explained that the longest served gets called first to speak, leading to newer voices being excluded.

Opening speeches in debates can drag on and be intervened multiple times. He said: "It might be an hour and a half before you get to the views of the other people who asked to speak."

It is clear Mr Frith is enjoying his new job and has big plans for the future. He said: "Part of my hope is that if you ask someone 'Is James best for Bury?' more people will say yes than no."