Colchester / data
Pam Cox · Labour Party · sitting since 04 Jul 2024 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
659days
from 04 Jul 2024
Divisions
433
of 504 possible
Attendance
86%
71 absent / paired
Whip alignment
100%
vs party majority
Speeches
325
75 debates
Written Qs
14
14 answered
Committees
2
memberships
Expenses
£159k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 145 claims
Interests
2
2 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 91 | |
| Economy | 86 | |
| Employment | 50 | |
| Crime & Policing | 41 | |
| Education | 35 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 29 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 24 | |
| Energy | 22 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Crime | 18 | 3,413 |
| Economy Jobs | 14 | 3,201 |
| Culture Community | 6 | 3,151 |
| Local Government | 9 | 2,559 |
| Social Care | 14 | 1,694 |
| Fiscal Policy | 7 | 1,682 |
| Defence | 8 | 1,417 |
| Health | 8 | 1,320 |
B · Notable divisions
Free votes, rebellions and high-salience whipped votes — the moments that distinguish this MP from the party machine. The full division-by-division record will follow once the per-MP archive is wired.
No notable votes recorded for this MP yet.
C · Speeches
| Date | Contribution | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Mar 2026 | Justice Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1771)Good morning. I am Pam Cox, the MP for Colchester. My interests are as declared in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. | 22 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Justice Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1771)Thank you. You have set out the vast experience that you have of engaging with public bodies. Have you ever led an organisation that is subject to public criticism and political sc… | 36 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Victims and Courts BillThe Victims and Courts Bill is part of the Government’s wider reforms of our justice system that will, in the round, better protect victims and improve their access to justice, as … Crime | 337 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Justice Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1771)You may have touched on some of this in your earlier answers, but in 2023 the Justice Committee called for a review of the LSB following criticisms made by the Bar Council, and the… | 54 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Armed Forces Bill (First sitting)I cannot help noting that the poor performance of SEN services in Essex is largely down to Conservative-run Essex county council, whose arrangement the right hon. Member and I shar… DefenceHealthEducation | 30 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Armed Forces Bill (First sitting)Would the hon. Gentleman agree that due regard is a long-established legal concept that lots of public bodies already understand? It is already routinely applied in practice, and t… DefenceHealthEducation | 46 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Armed Forces Bill (Second sitting)I completely agree with everything the hon. Member says about the need for robust mental and physical health support for veterans, and I bow to his personal experience on the matte… DefenceHealthSocial Care | 77 |
| 18 Mar 2026 | Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill — Oral Evidence (HC 1712)I am a member of the Justice Committee, so I am very interested in this: how do the Bill’s measures seek to improve existing support and protection for victims in the service justi… | 34 |
| 18 Mar 2026 | Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill — Oral Evidence (HC 1712)My follow-up question is on the closer alignment of the service justice system with the civilian justice system. The Bill will give service courts and police similar powers to prev… | 63 |
| 18 Mar 2026 | Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill — Oral Evidence (HC 1712)You touched on your work with the devolved Administrations. Is there anything anyone else would like to add on how this will have to work across the devolved Administrations? | 29 |
| 18 Mar 2026 | Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill — Oral Evidence (HC 1712)I want to put a couple of things on the record from our visit last week. Forgive me if they were covered in previous sessions. A number of us were interested in the court martial p… | 122 |
| 18 Mar 2026 | Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill — Oral Evidence (HC 1712)I think it was the question of rank that we raised. | 11 |
| 18 Mar 2026 | Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill — Oral Evidence (HC 1712)Good morning. The MOD will play a vital role in ensuring cross-departmental collaboration and work so that the Covenant is implemented. Some have said that the MOD does not cover i… | 79 |
| 18 Mar 2026 | Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill — Oral Evidence (HC 1712)I was putting it on the record that we had a discussion about the courts martial, but it was not in a formal setting, so I just wanted it to be captured. That was all. | 35 |
| 18 Mar 2026 | Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill — Oral Evidence (HC 1712)I very much welcome the focus on family housing, and it was wonderful to see the renovated housing last week. Single living accommodation is also very important. Can you very quick… | 52 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Ministry of Justice | 8 | 57.1% |
| Department for Transport | 2 | 14.3% |
| Department of Health and Social Care | 2 | 14.3% |
| Cabinet Office | 1 | 7.1% |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 1 | 7.1% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09 Feb 2026 | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will update the Homelessness Code of Guidance to ensure that domestic abuse survivors who have joint mortgages with abusers are not refused the main housing… | Answered |
| 12 Jan 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has to help improve accessibility at railway stations across Essex. | Answered |
| 12 Jan 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to deliver step-free access at Colchester railway stations. | Answered |
| 16 Dec 2025 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners have been released with a resettlement passport in each month since their introduction. | Answered |
| 16 Dec 2025 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress has been made to introduce resettlement passports for prison leavers. | Answered |
| 16 Dec 2025 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Prison Transfer Agreements are currently in place. | Answered |
| 16 Dec 2025 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign national offenders were in prison in England and Wales, by offence group as of 30 September 2025. | Answered |
| 16 Dec 2025 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisons and Young Offender Institutions have (a) an ID and Banking Administrator and (b) an Employment Lead currently in post. | Answered |
| 16 Dec 2025 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners are participating in higher education courses. | Answered |
| 16 Dec 2025 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what was the rate of compliance for people fitted with an alcohol monitoring device after their release from prison, in each year since 2021. | Answered |
| 16 Dec 2025 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisons and Young Offender Institutions currently have (a) an Incentivised Substance Free Living Unit operating, (b) a Drug Recovery Wing operating, and (c) a Drug Strategy Lead in post. | Answered |
| 03 Jan 2025 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) his Department and (b) the Cabinet Office is required to sign off procurement of services over £20m by the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust. | Answered |
| 20 Nov 2024 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the prohibition of two-tier workforce regulations will be applied to all NHS- funded outsourced contracts since 4 July 2024; and whether he has asked NHS England to provide guidance to NHS… | Answered |
| 20 Nov 2024 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is satisfied that the decision by East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust to outsource staff at Colchester hospital meets the requirements that (a) social value… | Answered |
E · Committees
| Committee | Role | House | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Select Committee on the Armed Forces BillSelect | Member | Commons | 09 Feb 2026 | present |
| Justice CommitteeSelect | Member | Commons | 21 Oct 2024 | present |
F · Expenses
Every business-cost claim reimbursed by IPSA in the current financial year, grouped by category. “Aggregated” rows are IPSA’s own year-end totals for cost types like payroll and rent that aren’t itemised claim-by-claim.
Category breakdown
| Category | Claims | Paid (£) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office Costs | 105 | 15,654 | 9.9% |
| Accommodation | 27 | 8,469 | 5.3% |
| Staffing | 6 | 129,408 | 81.6% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 3,163 | 2.0% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 1,982 | 1.2% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel - London | Accommodation | 25 | 7,502 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 43 | 4,629 |
| Rent | Office Costs | 10 | 4,400 |
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 1 | 3,000 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 26 | 2,055 |
| Recruitment Services &Costs | Staffing | 2 | 1,750 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 3 | 1,593 |
| Rent | Accommodation | 2 | 967 |
| Bought-in services | Office Costs | 2 | 765 |
| Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Office Costs | 13 | 737 |
| Training - staff | Staffing | 2 | 689 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 3 | 579 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 550 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Staffing Bought-in services | Administrative services | 500 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -550 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -1,133 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 317 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 294 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 158 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Banner March 2025 | 105 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Banner March 2025 | 40 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Banner March 2025 | 38 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Banner March 2025 | 27 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Banner March 2025 | 22 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Banner March 2025 | 17 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Banner March 2025 | 15 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Banner March 2025 | 14 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Banner March 2025 | 13 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Banner March 2025 | 12 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Banner March 2025 | 10 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Banner March 2025 | 8 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Banner March 2025 | 7 | Paid |
G · Register of interests
Every financial interest declared by the MP, grouped under the Register’s official categories. Retracted entries are hidden but counted above.
6. Land and property portfolio with a value over £100,000 and where indicated, the portfolio provides a rental income of over £10,000 a year1 entry
16 Aug 2024
Type of land/property: Residential property (House)
Number of properties: 1
Location: Colchester
Ownership details: co-owned with a family member
(Registered 30 July 2024)
8. Miscellaneous1 entry
29 Oct 2025
I served as an unpaid Colchester City Councillor from July 2024. (I opted not to take up the associated financial allowance following my election.)
Date interest ended: 8 September 2025
(Registered 4 August 2025; updated 13 October 2025)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 9 wards, 10 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berechurch | Dave Harris | Labour Party | 1,536 | 02 May 2024 |
| Castle | Kemal Cufoglu | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,247 | 02 May 2024 |
| Greenstead | Elizabeth Alake-Akinyemi | Labour Party | 1,150 | 02 May 2024 |
| Greenstead | Julie Ann Young | Labour Party | 1,159 | 02 May 2024 |
| Highwoods | Simon Appleton | Liberal Democrats | 947 | 02 May 2024 |
| Mile End | Martin Goss | Liberal Democrats | 1,889 | 02 May 2024 |
| New Town Christ Church | Pam Cox | Labour Party | 1,639 | 02 May 2024 |
| Prettygate | Sue Lissimore | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,642 | 02 May 2024 |
| Shrub End | Claire Leah Osborne | Labour Party | 792 | 02 May 2024 |
| St Annes St Johns | Catherine Spindler | Liberal Democrats | 1,071 | 02 May 2024 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 117,649 | Electorate 78,662 (2024) |
| Median age | 35 | years |
| Degree-educated | 33.2% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 83.2% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 57.2% | households |
| Private-rented | 26.8% | households |
| Social-rented | 15.9% | households |
| Employment rate | 60.6% | 16-64 in work |
J · Public spending
HMT publishes headline spending identifiable by region in PESA. Constituency-level capital allocations (Levelling-Up Fund, Towns Fund, UKSPF, transport capital, BEIS R&D) are published as separate departmental datasets. We are evaluating the cleanest reconciliation for a per-constituency view.