I am Gareth Johnson, the newly elected MP for Dartford and I will be writing a regular monthly column on my work both in the House of Commons and in the constituency.

I am someone who has always had strong links with Dartford. I live in the constituency with my wife and two young children, I am a former Dartford Grammar School boy and I worked in Dartford as a solicitor.

The first few weeks have been a steep learning curve. All new MPs have to find systems of dealing with the many pieces of correspondence from constituents, the new workings of the coalition government and having to learn the historic rules and customs of the greatest Parliament in the world.

The Palace of Westminster is an awe-inspiring building that is full of history. Westminster Hall is nearly a thousand years old and was the location for the trials of Charles I, Guy Fawkes and William Wallace.

It is also where successive monarchs have laid in state whilst funeral preparations took place.

There are many customs and traditions that you need to get used to as well. One of the first things to be awarded to a new MP is the ribbon on which to hang your sword. Of course, there are no swords and, in reality, there were never swords brought into the House.

But we all have our own unique coat hanger, in our own cloakroom, each with its own pink ribbon on which to hang our swords.

MPs are, by custom, not permitted to shake hands with each other, something I and many others got wrong on our first day!

A special prayer service takes place at the beginning of each sitting with MPs praying with their backs to the chamber. Another custom that I was unaware of.

Many scoff at these traditions but I believe that it forms part of our heritage and should be something we can actually be proud of.

Parliament has had its difficulties over the past couple of years. It is essential that lost faith is restored by myself and my colleagues. We have now a record number of new MPs that have helped to refresh Parliament and endeavour to keep what has worked well over time and lose what hasn’t.

I can be contacted as follows:

House of Commons

London

SW1A 0AA

T: 020 7219 7047

E: gareth.johnson.mp@parliament.uk

W: www.garethjohnsonmp.co.uk