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You could do a lot worse than Sizewell beach on a sunny May morning.

It's a significant seaside, for those of you who don't know, as it's the site of a nuclear power station and we were there to discuss the prospect of a new generation of reactors.

New Conservative Suffolk Coastal MP Therese Coffey now represents the area.

She is following in famous footsteps, as the seat had previously been held by the Right Honourable John Gummer, an MP since 1970; a longevity I expect she would like to emulate.

She hails from Liverpool, still supports Liverpool Football Club and is a doctor, of chemistry, not of medicine, like the party's former leader Margaret Thatcher.

"There's only two of us with PHDs in chemistry in the House of Commons (the other being fellow East Anglian Dr Julian Huppert, the Lib Dem MP for Cambridge). I am hoping to push forward the science agenda," she told me.

"Research and development and agriculture are two areas I'm interested in. I also support water aid."

Dr Coffey had brought along her 12-year-old rescue dog Rizzo, a collie cross, who was so keen to be in shot, she had to be taken for a walk.

Bob Blizzard, who has always supported development at Sizewell, is now the former Labour MP for nearby Waveney.

"My priority is to find another job," he smiled but he was not amused by Conservative plans to review spending pledges made by Labour.

"These scorched earth allegations that we had a huge spending splurge before we left power are just nonsense. It was vital that we resuscitated industry - that's down to government."

I wonder what he has made of George Osborne's plans announced this week, in this new political era.

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