New MP Charlotte Cane says "fixing local health services" must be at the heart of the government's agenda.

Ms Cane, the Liberal Democrat MP for Ely and East Cambridgeshire, was responding to the King’s Speech which took place on Wednesday (July 17).

The speech sets out what the government hopes to prioritise over the next year and included more than 40 new Bills.

The speech covered proposals, from building new homes and infrastructure, to bringing train services under government ownership, creating an independent football regulator, and banning the sale of cigarettes to anyone born after 2009.

Reacting to the government's legislative agenda, Ms Cane said: “Laws to start tackling the crisis in our mental health services and stop filthy sewage entering our rivers are welcome.

“However, we need to see more action to tackle the immense challenges facing our community after years of Conservative chaos, especially on health, social care and child poverty.

“The Conservative Party completely neglected local health services in Ely & East Cambridgeshire for years, leaving people with long waits to see a GP, have hospital tests and operations, or get the social care they need. There aren’t even any dentists in Ely & East Cambridgeshire taking on NHS patients."

She added: “This crisis has to be addressed and I will be pressing ministers every step of the way to put our NHS and care at the heart of their agenda. 

“We must see action to bring NHS dentists back to Ely & East Cambridgeshire following the King’s Speech. People in Ely and East Cambridgeshire simply cannot wait any longer.

“One glaring omission from the King’s Speech was action to end the two-child benefit cap. I welcome the setting up of a child poverty task force, but children in poverty cannot wait for their conclusions. We know that ending the two-child benefit cap will instantly lift at least 300,000 children out of poverty. Labour should lift that cruel cap immediately.”