Copeland's new MP Trudy Harrison says she would be “horrified” if plans to downgrade maternity services at the West Cumberland Hospital are given the go-ahead.

Mrs Harrison added that she will “actively campaign” against the removal of 24-hour consultant-led maternity services at the hospital if – as many fear – maternity is one of a number of services revealed to be downgraded at a crunch meeting of the NHS Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group next Wednesday.

On her full first day in Parliament, Mrs Harrison said her “first priority” as MP was to take part in a conference call with health chiefs to be briefed on the controversial hospital plans, which also include the potential downgrading of the children’s ward and stroke unit.

Mrs Harrison, whose four daughters were born at the West Cumberland, said: “I would be horrified if the outcome is to remove 24-hour consultant-led maternity services from the hospital.

“I’m treating this as an urgent matter and my immediate response would be to actively campaign against it, to express my view that consultant-led maternity needs to be retained.

“There is a wealth of evidence to support this. The community has spoken loud and clear.

“Staff say it would be dangerous, and I’m not sure it would save any money. I hope that common-sense prevails. Thousands have put their faith in me and I owe it to them to protect the services that mean most to them.”

Conservative Mrs Harrison, 40, made history in the early hours of Friday when she ended Labour’s 80-year-plus hold on Copeland’s Parliamentary seat, with a 2,147 majority victory over Gillian Troughton in the high-profile by-election.

Liberal Democrat Rebecca Hanson polled third – almost doubling her party’s vote from the 2015 General Election.

Ukip’s Fiona Mills was fourth, polling less than a third than the party’s total from two years ago.

On her arrival at the House of Commons on Monday afternoon, Mrs Harrison was introduced to the Conservatives’ chief whip Gavin Williamson and other Parliamentary officials, before taking a tour of its historic halls.

“It’s going to take some time to learn my way around,” she said. “My new office is on the fifth floor of the Norman Shaw north building, which is quite a bit away from the voting chambers.

“So when the division bell goes and I have eight minutes to get into the chambers to vote. I’ll have to run like the clappers!

“I’ve decided to stay in a hotel in Westminster at the moment.

“I’ll have enough work to do without the extra worry of maintaining a flat.”

Mrs Harrison said she plans to hold local drop-in surgeries, in different towns on a rolling basis, every Friday.

“I want to hit the ground running straight away and come home this Friday – and every Friday – with early results.”