MPs have returned to the House of Commons this week following Easter recess, but what contribution do Worcestershire’s MPs actually make to the chamber?

Well, using figures from the House of Commons Library, we can reveal the activities of MPs between the state opening of Parliament on December 16, 2019, and March 7 this year.

Over this time there has been a total of 491 votes.

Robin Walker, MP for Worcester, has voted in 427 of them, while recording no vote or abstaining in 64, giving him a total participation of 87 per cent.

MP for West Worcestershire Harriett Baldwin had a lower participation than Walker, recording 407 votes with 84 no votes or abstentions for a 83 per cent participation.

Meanwhile, Mid Worcestershire MP Nigel Huddleston leads the way with a participation of 91 per cent having voted 441 times, recording no vote or abstention on 42 occasions, and acting as a teller to count eight divisions.

All three were above the UK average of 81 per cent, with several MPs having participation rates as high as 95 per cent.

While Conservative rate of 86 per cent was greater than Labour’s 77, Tory MP Sir Christopher Chope voted in just 36 per cent of divisions.

The HoC Library said that MPs may not vote due to other work and in some cases, rates may be affected by ‘pairing arrangements’, whereby MPs from different parties who cannot attend a division agree to cancel out one another’s vote.

 

Made with Flourish

 

Before divisions, debates are held for Members to discuss government policy, new laws and topical issues of the day to help the House reach an informed decision.

Once again, Huddleston has been the most active, speaking a total of 93,436 words.

This comes despite him having attended the fewest number of debates, 85.

Walker took part in 95 debates, speaking 64,680 words, while Harriett Baldwin, despite taking part in 124 debates, spoke only 25,600 words.

By comparison, the average MP has spoken 44,530 words over the same period, Prime Minister Boris Johnson around 394,000 and Democratic Unionist Party MP Jim Shannon a whopping 560,000.

These include spoken contributions and oral questions in the House of Commons chamber and in Westminster Hall, but not those shorter than four words.

These are put formally to a government minister about a matter they are responsible for – to seek information or to press for action from the Government.

The HoC Library said Members with roles in Government – such as Robin Walker – tend to ask fewer parliamentary questions but speak relatively frequently on their portfolio subjects.

The figures also show that since the last election, neither Huddleston or Walker asked any Parliamentary Questions, formal questions to ministers about a matter they are responsible for.

Baldwin meanwhile asked 250, including 43 in person and 176 in writing, 26 topical questions, and five during Prime Minister’s Questions.

The HoC Library said Members with roles in Government – such as Walker and Huddleston – tend to ask fewer parliamentary questions but speak relatively frequently on their portfolio subjects.