Luciana Berger is a ferocious, seriously authoritative figure - not someone pleasant to interview without much preparation - but perhaps exactly the right person to press the government on the need for better provision for mental health. 

Berger does not fit into the old-boys’ club of modern politics. As a 34 year old female MP, she demands a more representative parliament: “What I care most about is that, should someone stumble across BBC Parliament, they see a chamber that reflects British society, that includes 50 per cent women”. At the time of winning her Liverpool Wavertree seat (a nomination she secured on an all-female shortlist), she reportedly admitted that "I would like to have won in an open contest. People have already said I didn't deserve to win." Asked now, however, her opinion on women-only shortlists, she is adamant that “I was proud to be elected in 2010... No one else has come up with an alternative [to women-only shortlists]. Bring me an alternative and I will look at it.” 

I ask the minister if she would be in favour of the implementation of mental health education in schools. “More needs to be done in schools,” says Berger instantly, citing the importance of “equipping young people with the language to talk about mental health.” She also recognised that although some schools were offering great mental health provision, others were offering no resources for students. This imbalance, she tells me, needs to be addressed. 

The Shadow Minister goes on to highlight the double-edged sword of social media - a great means of communication with constituents and the public, but also a potential trigger for those lacking sufficient personal support. “I’m concerned about that school student who doesn’t have a voice, who doesn’t have a support structure”. Such statements are both exciting and disheartening, as Berger clearly outlines the scope of the problem but neglects to specify a clear solution. 

Look to her comments in the press, however, and it becomes clear her aims are focused. In a recent Guardian article, she is quoted stressing the need for early intervention in mental health, arguing cogently that the mental health crisis is perpetuated by the fact that the system is geared towards mental health issues only once they reach an ‘emergency’ stage. And she is unequivocal that the stigma which still accompanies mental illness must be dissolved. 

She is predictably but coherently scathing of the Tories.  Their actions, she tells me, “tear apart the social fabric of our great nation... Libraries have been shut, 700 children’s centres have been closed, and the educational psychologists aren’t provided.” Berger is unapologetic in her determination to challenge the government on their mental health policy.“That’s what I do on a daily basis - all the questions I ask. I was stopped by the Health Minister himself last week and he said,  ‘goodness, all your questions!’ I do my best to use every parliamentary tool at my disposal to hold them to account.”

Luciana Berger’s message can be summed up in five words: “we need to do more”.  I can only hope that real commitment to change materialises on the back of that oft-repeated statement, and that her fearsome arguments are not empty rhetoric. Perhaps this passionate young MP can ruffle the parliamentary feathers on an issue that has been stagnant for so long and push for the real change she promises.