Jim Greenhalf begins a series looking at the new MPs in Bradford seats

ALL three of Bradford's new Labour MPs - Naz Shah (Bradford West), Imran Hussain (Bradford East) and Judith Cummins (Bradford South) - will have their first major experience tomorrow of life in the bubble of Westminster politics.

The Queen will deliver the Government's proposed legislative programme for the next Parliament to a packed House of Lords, to where MPs of all parties will be summoned. Nothing like being one among 650 - or however many turn up for this piece of political theatre - for putting your ambitions into perspective.

Judith Cummins, when the T&A spoke to her last week, probably would have settled for knowing where her office will be. As Michael Cockerell's BBC 2 documentary about the Palace of Westminster, screened in February, showed, the building by the Thames is a warren of corridors and rooms.

Just as the House of Commons only has seating for 427 MPs, new members like Judith may find they have been allocated office space in a more modern building, Portcullis House, across the road from Parliament.

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While she waits to be allocated a place in London she has a constituency office at Malik House, 29 Manor Row, in Bradford.

Gerry Sutcliffe, Bradford South Labour MP for 21 years who retired before the General Election, said: "After the Queen's Speech the first vote will take place on June 1. Nothing else will happen in Westminster this side of the summer recess. By October the Labour Party will have a new leader."

Judith, 47, knows about elections. A Labour Party member since the age of 19 and a former elected civil service trades union officer, she has held seats in Bradford and Leeds as a councillor and persuaded the members of Bradford South Constituency Labour Party to choose her as their prospective parliamentary candidate.

"It was a close election in Bradford South between her and Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe. Judith was seen as more of a street fighter," Gerry Sutcliffe added.

"I have known her for about 15 years. I got to know her when she was working for George Moody (the former Labour leader of Leeds City Council and then an MP) as his parliamentary assistant. She went on to work for the regional party. She has always been an activist. She married another activist, Max Cummins.

"She's robust, she's not a shrinking violet. She's ruthless. Susan was the favourite to win the candidacy, but Judith set out to win and she got it.

"She would be left of centre. She will be the most cautious but probably the most effective. I think she will be an MP for everybody in the constituency and will be good for Bradford."

As Bradford South MP for the next five years her aim is to be a constituency representative, not a political delegate for particular interests which carries the obvious risk of being depicted as sectarian.

Judith said: "I won't chase headlines. I prefer to get things done. I want to be Bradford South champion. I don't want to lose sight of what I am in Parliament for: to serve the people of Bradford South.

"People have different views of the role of MP. My role is to serve the people of Bradford South. I said when I stood for election that the NHS, jobs and education would be my three priorities, especially education.

"We've got two kids in school here. Bradford is a young city but we need it to be a city of young people who are better qualified. That is the challenge."

She was on placement in Parliament from Ruskin College in 1996/97 when the first Blair Government came to power. Seeing Labour come in out of the cold of prolonged opposition was exciting but that alone wasn't responsible for her making the life-changing decision to be an MP.

She said her work for the Low Pay Unit in the campaign to bring in the National Minimum Wage affirmed the idea that politics could make a real difference to the lives of ordinary people.

She said: "MPs can make a difference by changing the law and making sure that big organisations take notice of ordinary people's concerns," she said and signified that this applied to the law-making directives from the European Union about which Prime Minister David Cameron is currently exercised.

"British law needs to be made by the British Parliament. In terms of the EU we need to achieve a different kind of balance so that the EU works for the people of this country rather than big financial institutions."

Seeing people struggling to make ends meet with nowhere to turn has made her determined to make her voice heard in Parliament not for self-glorification but to help to make a difference.