Use the official contact details below, or create a simple draft message to copy into your own email or contact form. Where an official email address is available, you can also open the finished draft in your own email application. Verified vote and constituency records can add factual context to the same private drafting tool.
Constituency office
One Trinity Green Eldon Street South Shields Tyne & Wear NE33 1SA
Private by design. This tool runs in your browser. Project Open Gov does not submit, store or send what you type here.
Using constituency context
Add your own name and any address or postcode information the MP's office asks for in your own email or contact service. Opening the draft in your email application uses a standard mailto link; Project Open Gov does not send or store the message.
Current rolesComing up · 10 Nov
Parliamentary Calendar
Coming up
Upcoming parliamentary business linked to this MP's current committees and, where available, Bills Parliament records them as proposing or sponsoring.
Committee
Defence Committee
Oral Evidence Session
Updated
Oral evidence · Tuesday 10 November 2026 · 14:00 GMT
Committee items show scheduled business for committees the MP currently serves on and do not confirm individual attendance. Bill items are shown only where Parliament's Bills data records this MP as proposer or sponsor and Calendar Core has an official future stage. A scheduled stage does not mean that stage has happened. Future parliamentary business can change.
Parliamentary career
This section uses the official Parliament Biography record to show current and previous parliamentary roles and memberships.
2current committee memberships
1 representation · 2 opposition posts · 10 committee membershipsprevious parliamentary career
Current
Representation
South Shields
Elected 1 time · 4 July 2024 – Present
Constituency boundaries changed in 2024. Parliament records the current constituency separately from the constituency that existed before the 2024 General Election, even where the constituency name remained the same.
Parliamentary party affiliation
Labour
2 May 2013 – Present
Current committee memberships
Defence Committee
House of Commons · (HC) Public Standing Orders - Departmental
Shadow Minister (Education) (Children and Families)
Department for Education · 9 October 2016 – 14 March 2019
Shadow Minister (Communities and Local Government)
Department for Communities and Local Government · 6 January 2016 – 29 June 2016
Previous committee memberships
Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Bill
17 April 2024 – 24 April 2024
Licensing Hours Extensions Bill
7 February 2024 – 30 May 2024
Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill
15 June 2022 – 20 October 2022
National Insurance Contributions Bill
16 June 2021 – 22 June 2021
Committees on Arms Export Controls
6 July 2020 – 16 January 2024
Defence Sub-Committee
5 March 2020 – 30 May 2024
Defence Committee
2 March 2020 – 30 May 2024
Work and Pensions Committee
8 July 2015 – 1 February 2016
Draft Protection of Charities Bill (Joint Committee)
6 November 2014 – 3 February 2015
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
10 June 2013 – 30 March 2015
Career data last collected 1 November 2026. Current committee details come from Parliament's Committees service; previous committee history comes from the Parliament Biography record. View the official Parliament career page ↗
Registered interests
This section reflects the interests currently published for this MP in the latest House of Commons Register of Members' Financial Interests. Project Open Gov does not apply its own date filter or remove entries that Parliament still publishes.
Latest register26 October 2026
Published parent interests8
Categories represented1
Published GBP values0
No explicit GBP monetary values appear in this MP's current published register.
Interests by category
Open a category to see the underlying records and any related payments or sub-entries published by Parliament.
Miscellaneous8
Member of the Advisory Council, Sea Power Laboratory at the Council on Geostrategy. This is an unpaid role
Registered 22 October 2024
Arose On
2024-10-22
Description
Member of the Advisory Council, Sea Power Laboratory at the Council on Geostrategy. This is an unpaid role
Miscellaneous Interest Type
Unpaid role
Patron of Forward Assist - a military veterans charity
Registered 22 October 2024
Arose On
2018-01-01
Description
Patron of Forward Assist - a military veterans charity
Miscellaneous Interest Type
Unpaid role
Chair of the Labour Friends of Kosovo group
Registered 2 August 2024
Arose On
2024-07-23
End Date
2026-09-02
Description
Chair of the Labour Friends of Kosovo group
Miscellaneous Interest Type
Unpaid role
Unpaid Board Member, Sea Change Cafe, South Shields (Sea Change Cafe is a Community Interest Company)
Registered 2 August 2024
Arose On
2023-03-23
Description
Unpaid Board Member, Sea Change Cafe, South Shields (Sea Change Cafe is a Community Interest Company)
Miscellaneous Interest Type
Unpaid role
Honorary member of the Catholic Union.
Registered 15 September 2015
Description
Honorary member of the Catholic Union.
Miscellaneous Interest Type
Other
A patron of the Every Child Leaving Care Matters organisation.
Registered 18 July 2016
Arose On
2016-01-01
Description
A patron of the Every Child Leaving Care Matters organisation.
Miscellaneous Interest Type
Unpaid role
Deputy Convenor of the Catholic Legislators Network.
Registered 19 July 2017
Arose On
2017-07-12
Description
Deputy Convenor of the Catholic Legislators Network.
Miscellaneous Interest Type
Unpaid role
A patron of the Social Care Worker of the Year Awards.
Registered 18 July 2016
Arose On
2016-07-01
Description
A patron of the Social Care Worker of the Year Awards.
Miscellaneous Interest Type
Unpaid role
How to read this section
The chart first groups explicit monetary values by type so different kinds of registered interest remain visually distinct. Select a category bubble to see every individual published value behind it. Project Open Gov does not combine all categories into one grand total or describe support, gifts or visit values as personal income. The salary reference is the basic annual MP salary of £98,599 from 1 April 2026 and is not itself a registered interest.
Project Open Gov voting coverage begins with the 2026–27 parliamentary session, which began on 13 May 2026. The earliest Commons division currently available is 19 May 2026, with records currently running to 4 November 2026. Earlier parliamentary sessions are not included; future sessions will be retained within this same record.
About “No recorded vote”. This means the official Commons division record does not show the MP as voting Aye or No, or acting as a teller. It does not by itself explain why there is no recorded vote.
Recent divisions
Railways Bill
Bill stage
4 November 2026 · Division 118
Voted Aye
Procedural voteMotion agreed
MPs voted on a question connected to the progress of the Bill: Railways Bill: Carry-over extension (Motion)
Draft Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) (Amendment and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2026
Planning application fees regulations
27 October 2026 · Division 105
Voted Aye
Statutory instrument voteMotion agreed
MPs voted on whether to approve draft regulations concerning fees for planning applications, deemed applications, requests and site visits in England.
Draft Railways (Interoperability in Northern Ireland) (Convention on International Carriage by Rail) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
Railways (Interoperability in Northern Ireland) (Convention on International Carriage by Rail) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
21 October 2026 · Division 101
Voted Aye
Statutory instrument voteMotion agreed
MPs voted on whether to approve the draft Railways (Interoperability in Northern Ireland) (Convention on International Carriage by Rail) (Amendment) Regulations 2026.
The Northern Ireland Troubles Bill passed its Third Reading by 330 votes to 178, completing its Commons stages and allowing it to continue its parliamentary passage.
MPs voted on New Clause 7, which would have required independent annual reporting on the effect of the Bill on recruitment and retention in the UK armed forces.
MPs voted on Amendment 32 to add extra protection against repeated investigative steps in resumed inquests involving armed forces personnel or former Royal Ulster Constabulary members.
MPs voted on New Clause 21, which would have restricted investigations and legal proceedings over certain Troubles-related conduct unless there was new and compelling evidence.
MPs voted on whether to stop people linked to political parties supporting or connected with paramilitary or terrorist organisations from joining the Victims and Survivors Advisory Group.
MPs voted on whether to reject the Highways (Financing) Bill at Second Reading over concerns about its financing powers, road-charging provisions and the delivery and cost of the Lower Thames Crossing.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (Calculation of CBAM Rate and Determination of Carbon Price Relief) Regulations 2026
14 October 2026 · Division 84
No recorded vote
Statutory instrument voteMotion agreed
MPs voted on whether to approve the draft Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (Calculation of CBAM Rate and Determination of Carbon Price Relief) Regulations 2026.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
The Courts and Tribunals Bill passed its Third Reading by 301 votes to 193, completing its Commons stages and allowing it to continue its parliamentary passage.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
Legal aid funding for serious magistrates' court cases
13 October 2026 · Division 78
No recorded vote
Bill stage voteMotion negatived
MPs voted on Amendment 18 to provide Crown Court-level legal aid funding where a magistrates' court case could result in more than 12 months' imprisonment.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
MPs voted on whether to remove clause 1 from the Courts and Tribunals Bill, which would restrict defendants' ability to elect a Crown Court trial in some either-way cases.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
MPs voted on whether to add New Clause 25 to the Courts and Tribunals Bill, ending sections 1 to 7 once the Crown Court backlog had remained below pre-pandemic levels for four quarterly reporting periods.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
Draft Plant Health, Seeds, Seed Potatoes and Plant Propagating Material (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026
Plant Health, Seeds, Seed Potatoes and Plant Propagating Material (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026
9 September 2026 · Division 72
No recorded vote
Statutory instrument voteMotion agreed
MPs voted on whether to approve the draft Plant Health, Seeds, Seed Potatoes and Plant Propagating Material (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
MPs voted on whether to add New Clause 142 to the Health Bill, requiring regulations to prevent puberty blockers being prescribed, supplied or used in clinical trials for under-18s in gender-related treatment, unless both Houses approved a trial.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
MPs voted on whether to add New Clause 145 to the Health Bill, requiring the Secretary of State to publish the Government's response to the Hughes Report within 30 days of the Act being passed.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
MPs voted on New Clause 6, which would have required the Secretary of State to create a scheme aimed at ensuring every NHS maternity unit achieved a good or outstanding CQC rating.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
The Representation of the People Bill passed its Third Reading by 411 votes to 102, completing its Commons stages and allowing it to continue its parliamentary passage.
MPs voted on whether to add New Clause 88 to the Representation of the People Bill, requiring proposals for a Royal Commission on political donations and campaign expenditure.
MPs voted on whether to add New Clause 67 to restrict campaign material published or promoted in languages other than English during an election period.
MPs voted on whether to add New Clause 65 to require an independent review of registration and participation by overseas electors in UK parliamentary elections.
Amendment 199 — security and intelligence disclosures
14 July 2026 · Division 57
Voted No
Bill stage voteMotion negatived
MPs voted on whether the duty of candour could require certain security or intelligence information to be provided only with consent from the head of the relevant service or agency, subject to specified conditions.
MPs voted on whether public authorities or officials assisting an inquiry, investigation or inquest should have to demonstrate that relevant people can safely disclose information.
MPs voted on the Opposition’s reasoned amendment to decline the Immigration and Asylum Bill a Second Reading, arguing that the Bill did not go far enough on illegal immigration, deportations, asylum, settlement and human-rights constraints.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
Draft Supply of Machinery (Safety) (Amendment etc.) and the EU Machinery Regulation (Enforcement etc. in Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026
Supply of Machinery (Safety) (Amendment etc.) and the EU Machinery Regulation (Enforcement etc. in Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026
8 July 2026 · Division 52
Voted Aye
Statutory instrument voteMotion agreed
MPs voted on whether to approve the draft Supply of Machinery (Safety) (Amendment etc.) and the EU Machinery Regulation (Enforcement etc. in Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026.
Draft Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 (Establishment of Schools) (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2026
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 (Establishment of Schools) (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2026
8 July 2026 · Division 51
Voted Aye
Statutory instrument voteMotion agreed
MPs voted on whether to approve the draft Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 (Establishment of Schools) (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2026.
MPs voted on an Opposition Day motion about the early release of prisoners, including concerns about whether people convicted of serious sexual offences would be released.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
MPs voted on whether to add New Clause 5 to require a Treasury review of the temporary goods vehicle VED (road freight tax) rates and reporting to Parliament.
New Clause 4 — Electricity Generator Levy rate review
1 July 2026 · Division 47
Voted No
New Clause voteMotion negatived
MPs voted on whether to add New Clause 4, which would require the Treasury to review the impact of increasing the Electricity Generator Levy rate to 55% and report to Parliament by 31 March 2028.
MPs voted on whether to add New Clause 2 to the Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill, which would require a review of the approved mileage allowance rate paid to care workers who use a personal vehicle for work.
Employment Tribunal (Extension of Time Limits) (Miscellaneous Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2026
1 July 2026 · Division 44
Voted Aye
Statutory instrument voteMotion agreed
MPs voted on whether to approve the draft Employment Tribunal (Extension of Time Limits) (Miscellaneous Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2026.
MPs voted on an Opposition Day motion calling on the Government to take steps to prevent the PATHWAYS clinical trial of puberty-suppressing hormones for children with gender incongruence.
New Clause 4 — settlement fee waiver for service families
22 June 2026 · Division 33
No recorded vote
New Clause voteMotion negatived
MPs voted on whether to waive indefinite-leave-to-remain fees for spouses or children of serving or former armed forces members who had served for four or more years.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
MPs voted on whether the Bill should include New Clause 3, which would require the Secretary of State to bring forward regulations to designate the IRGC as involved in foreign power threat activity within a month.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
MPs voted on a proposal (Amendment 13) to create new offences for conduct that is self-directed and prepared in relation to a designated body under the Bill.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
MPs voted on whether to amend the Bill so that, after a body is designated, the Secretary of State must review whether further action should be taken against the body and connected persons and then report the outcome to Parliament.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
Allocation of Time — timetable for further consideration
17 June 2026 · Division 28
No recorded vote
Procedural voteMotion agreed
MPs voted on an Allocation of Time motion for the National Security (State Threats) Bill, setting the timetable for its further consideration in the House.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill Remaining Stages
New Clause 14 — register of foreign powers
16 June 2026 · Division 25
No recorded vote
New Clause voteMotion negatived
MPs voted on whether the Government should establish and maintain a register of foreign powers that the Secretary of State believes present a cyber-security risk to the UK, to inform the use of Part 4 powers.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill Remaining Stages
New Clause 13 — Digital Sovereignty Strategy
16 June 2026 · Division 24
No recorded vote
New Clause voteMotion negatived
MPs voted on whether to add New Clause 13, which would require the Government to publish a “Digital Sovereignty Strategy” to assess and mitigate risks to security and resilience from foreign interference and reliance on foreign-supplied technologies and to build domestic capacity.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
MPs voted on whether to require Great British Railways to continue offering discounted rail fares for UK veterans, armed forces personnel and their families, and for young people aged 26 to 30 under Amendment 143.
MPs voted on whether to insert New Clause 1, which would require a “Passengers' Charter” to set standards and improvement plans for rail passenger experience.
New Clause 4 — compensation and financial assistance cap
9 June 2026 · Division 17
Voted No
New Clause voteMotion negatived
MPs voted on whether to add New Clause 4 to the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill, which would cap total compensation and financial assistance payable under the Act unless authorised by a Commons resolution.
MPs voted on whether to add New Clause 12, which would cap the amount of financial assistance available under the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Act.
MPs voted on whether to require the Secretary of State to make a statement to Parliament about the value of contingent liabilities before using the Bill's main powers to transfer (nationalise) steel undertakings.
MPs voted on whether to add New Clause 2, which would require the Secretary of State to set up a stakeholder advisory committee and consult it before key public-interest decisions under the Bill.
New Clause 13 — single living accommodation standards
2 June 2026 · Division 10
No recorded vote
New Clause voteMotion negatived
MPs voted on whether to add New Clause 13 to the Armed Forces Bill, which would amend the Renters' Rights Act 2025 to set defence housing standards for single living accommodation.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
New Clause 6 — ECHR derogation for overseas operations
2 June 2026 · Division 9
No recorded vote
New Clause voteMotion negatived
MPs voted on whether to require the Secretary of State to consider whether to make an ECHR derogation for significant overseas operations under the Human Rights Act 1998.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
MPs voted on whether to include New Clause 5, which would waive fees for applications for indefinite leave to remain by spouses and dependants of serving or discharged armed forces personnel.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
MPs voted on a new clause that would require the Secretary of State to lay a Defence Investment Plan before both Houses of Parliament within one month of the Act being passed.
The official division record does not show a recorded vote for this MP. It does not state the reason.
MPs voted on an amendment to the Opposition's motion for an Address in response to the King's Speech, regretting the absence of a Defence Readiness Bill and related defence planning commitments.
MPs voted on an amendment to the King's Speech Address debate to express regret that the Gracious Speech did not include a Defence Readiness Bill and to call for specific defence policy actions.
MPs voted on an amendment to the motion for an Address to the King that would have expressed regret at the lack of a Defence Readiness Bill and other defence-related delays, and urged the Government to bring forward relevant measures and raise defence spending.
Individual voting states are verified against the official Commons Votes division data. Project Open Gov adds the explanatory text, vote type and link to the corresponding Project Open Gov vote page.
Spoken contributions
Recent debates and proceedings in which Parliament records this MP as contributing. Project Open Gov shows the official contribution summary by debate, rather than listing every individual speech or intervention.
Coverage on this profile begins with the 2026–27 session (13 May 2026).
Tabled 4 September 2026 · Ministry of Defence · UIN 27244
Answered
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made towards publishing records about Nuclear Test Veterans from The Technical Cooperation Programme.
View answer · 11 September 2026
Answered by: Mr Calvin Bailey
The Ministry of Defence wrote to the hon. Lady in March explaining the challenges associated with locating, accessing and searching TTCP information held in a variety of archives, both electronic and paper. Since sending that letter, the department has id...
Tabled 11 June 2026 · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs · UIN 8999
Answered
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2026 to Question 6751, what sanctions are placed on water companies if they do not provide Ofwat with their regular monitoring reports.
View answer · 18 June 2026
Answered by: Emma Hardy
Under the agreed undertakings, Northumbrian Water must provide Ofwat with regular monitoring reports on progress, including an initial report in June 2026 and further updates every six months. The company is also required to publish progress updates for c...
Tabled 4 June 2026 · Department of Health and Social Care · UIN 6758
Answered
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding has been allocated to (a) the treatment of asbestos-related illnesses and b) research into asbestos-related illnesses.
View answer · 10 June 2026
Answered by: Preet Kaur Gill
There is no pre-allocated funding amount for the treatment of asbestos-related health conditions. The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes applications on any aspect of health and ...
Tabled 4 June 2026 · Department of Health and Social Care · UIN 6757
Answered
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a regional breakdown of the number of Mesothelioma cases.
View answer · 11 June 2026
Answered by: Mrs Sharon Hodgson
The National Disease Registration Service publishes regional breakdowns of cancer cases, including mesothelioma. Data by region and cancer type can be accessed at the following link:https://nhsd-ndrs.shinyapps.io/incidence_and_mortality/The Office for Nat...
Parliament lists these Early Day Motions as supported by this MP. The member endpoint does not say whether the MP was the primary sponsor or a later signatory, so Project Open Gov does not assign that role.
This profile shows supported Early Day Motions tabled from 13 May 2026 onwards.
Publication of the final report of the Right to Food UK Commission
This profile shows a concise election summary. The full candidate result and further constituency information are available on the constituency dashboard. Turnout percentage is calculated by Project Open Gov from the official turnout and electorate figures. Constituency and election data last collected 9 October 2026.
Consent on Project Open Gov
We use essential cookies to make this website work.
We would also like to use optional cookies to understand how people use the site and to manage embedded third-party content where it is used.
You can accept optional cookies, reject them, or manage your preferences.
Essential cookies
Always active
These cookies are needed for the website to work properly, including security, basic site functions, caching, forms and cookie preference settings. They are always active.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Analytics cookies
These optional cookies help us understand how people use Project Open Gov, such as which pages are visited and how the site is reached. We use this information to improve the website. Analytics cookies are only used if you agree.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
External media cookies
These optional cookies may be used when third-party embedded content is loaded, such as videos or social media content. Project Open Gov does not use these cookies for advertising or remarketing.
