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26-year-old Jacob Young thought he'd be spending Christmas as a chemical worker.

That was until Boris Johnson called a General Election, the first to be held in winter in our lifetime.

The Prime Minister said Parliament wasn't working after a dramatic few months in Westminster which saw him lose his majority after sacking 21 of his own MPs, as the Brexit debate came to a head.

And Jacob is used to upsetting the apple cart.

He helped lead the Vote Leave campaign in Teesside when the EU Referendum was called in 2016. At that point, politics still largely behaved itself.

Nobody would have truthfully forecast the UK voting to Leave the European Union at the start of that campaign.

(Image: Teesside Live/Katie Lunn)

Jacob might not have imagined he'd win a Middlesbrough Council seat as a Tory in Coulby Newham either - it'd never been done before, and the whispers were that the shock by-election win was a factor in Theresa May's ill-fated decision to hold a General Election in the summer of 2017.

It would have also been difficult at the start of that EU Referendum campaign to imagine a Conservative becoming the Tees Valley Mayor, for Labour to lose control of four out of five Teesside councils, and for Teesside Tories to outnumber Labour MPs in Parliament.

But at the Redcar Heart in the early hours of December 13, we had another in what's becoming a long line of 'political earthquakes'.

All the bookies said he couldn't do it - and the polls did too (although a Teesside Live survey showed big support for Jacob).

Jacob, who works at Wilton and ran his campaign on the simple message of 'Getting Brexit Done', had been swept to power - beating Labour's Anna Turley with a huge vote swing.

Now, Redcar's new Tory MP has spoken about his first seven days in Westminster after he turned Redcar into 'Bluecar'.

Other than the Liberal Democrat shaped bump that was the 2010 general election, the seat of Redcar has been solidly held by Labour since it was created in 1974.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Jacob Young MP told of his joy at being elected and being able to "finally" represent the people of Redcar in voting for a withdrawal agreement to take the UK out of the EU.

But he'll still be working as a chemical process operator on Christmas Day - as he says he can't let down his employer.

How did you feel on election night?

"I was always optimistic but never confident," said Mr Young.

"All the polls, including the exit poll, said it would stay Labour but we were feeling a breakthrough on the ground.

"However it wasn't until I got to the count and started to see the first stage of the process that I realised we were so close.

"It was a very humbling feeling, watching the results come in, and I was getting flashbacks to four years ago - the first time I stood in Redcar where I had came fourth.

"I've lived in Teesside my whole life and I didn't think change would come so quickly in our area but I'm so pleased has."

(Image: Teesside Live/Katie Lunn)

So what has your first week in Westminster been like?

"I've been really busy - I'm already getting piles of casework and loads of correspondence to respond to.

"The best part of the week for me was Friday morning when I was able to be the first MP for Redcar to vote to get Brexit done.

"It's something Anna never did, vote for the Brexit deal.

"But I did as part of a massive majority in Parliament - now it's passed its second reading and, all going to plan we'll be out by the end of January.

"It's been a great first week, but the highlight has to have been voting to get Brexit done."

Redcar voted by two to one to leave, what difference will voting for the withdrawal agreement make for the people of Redcar?

"We've always wanted to leave with a deal and now we're on course to leave by the end of January," said Mr Young.

"The uncertainty of what was going to happen has been holding up investment.

"Nationally we're now seeing record levels of foreign market investment 'despite Brexit' - as the BBC likes to say and despite what we were told by those who wanted to remain.

"The key is that the longer we delay, the more uncertainty that creates.

"Finally we've passed the second reading of the bill which will now progress to the Lords - this is the first rung of the ladder."

You were pictured with the European Research Group which advocates a "harder" Brexit. Have you joined the ERG?

"I haven't joined the ERG yet," he said.

"I went along to their first meeting to see what they're about.

"The key thing for me is the ERG is the reason we're here today.

"They fought for a better deal and we now have a better deal because of the work they did in the last Parliament.

"Under this deal we'll be able to take back control of our laws, our money and our fisheries."

Is it true you're still working Christmas Day as a chemical process operator?

"I should have been working a three month notice but my employer has been really generous and said I can leave any time," said Mr Young.

"But if I didn't do Christmas Day it I'd be dropping the lads at work in it.

"My last shift is on January 1 - New Year, new me."