North East · England · 69,395Boundary · 2023

Easington

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Dispatch
Apr 2026

Represented by Lab since 2024. Covers Seaham, Peterlee and Murton (County Durham). Population 94,060. Recorded crime is 41% above the national average. Median income £25K (below average).

One of Labour's more rebellious backbenchers on welfare, Grahame Morris broke with his party five times in the past year -- most significantly in July 2025, when he voted against the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill at committee stage and third reading, backing amendments to protect disabled people with fluctuating conditions and maintain inflation-linked payments for the most vulnerable. He also voted against the government on a Crime and Policing Bill Lords amendment in April 2026. His public opposition was unambiguous: he told the Northern Echo in March 2025 that the benefit cuts were "simply unfair" and committed to voting against them, which he did. High-profile coverage also credited him with leading coalfield MPs in lobbying that secured a pension boost for 738 former miners in Easington -- a concrete constituency win.

At 83% voting participation and 95.8% party alignment overall, Morris is a broadly loyal Labour MP who nonetheless has a distinct profile on disability and welfare. His voting record shows him 88 percentage points more likely than the average Labour MP to back disability benefit protections -- the starkest deviation in his data. He speaks most frequently on economy and jobs, local government, and transport, and his parliamentary contributions span 54 debates, with regular engagement on social care and health. He is notably low on pro-business and tough-on-crime dimensions.

400
Commons votes
This parliament
£25k
Median income
HMRC · 2024
69.4k
Electorate
2024 GE

Lab held for 5 consecutive elections.

Current Member of Parliament

Grahame Morris

Grahame Morris

Labour Party

Grahame Morris is the Labour MP for Easington, and has been an MP continually since 6 May 2010.

Notable Votes

MPs voted on whether to accept the remaining Lords amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, a wide-ranging policing and criminal justice bill. This was a package vote covering multiple Lords changes, some of which the government accepted, others it rejected and replaced with alternative provisions, including on civil liberties issues such as freedom of expression and religion.

MP voted NoAgainst party majorityLikely whipped

Vote on a technical amendment (New Clause 8) to ensure that Universal Credit payments for claimants in the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) group in Northern Ireland rise in line with inflation, supporting a separate duty on the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland. The amendment was backed by left-wing Labour rebels and crossbench MPs opposed to welfare cuts affecting the most vulnerable.

MP voted YesAgainst party majorityLikely whipped

Vote on whether Clauses 2 and 3 of the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill should remain part of the Bill. These clauses relate to changes to Universal Credit and PIP eligibility or rates, with the vote determining whether the government's welfare reform proposals proceed through committee stage.

MP voted NoAgainst party majorityLikely whipped

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Voting at a Glance

Represented by Lab since 2024. Covers Seaham, Peterlee and Murton (County Durham). Population 94,060. Recorded crime is 41% above the national average. Median income £25K (below average).

2024 General Election

§ 06This week in Westminster.Live · today’s sittingOrder Paper · refreshed daily

Morris’s scheduled Commons activity this week — whipped divisions, oral questions, debates — drawn from the House of Commons Order Paper.

§ 07The record, at a glance.420 divisions voted

Two readings of the same data. Issue volume shows where Morris has cast the most ballots — a proxy for engagement, not direction. Notable votes are the moments where the whip was free or where they broke ranks.

Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted · cumulative this Parliament
Taxation
93
Economy
82
Employment
48
Education
36
Crime & Policing
31
Welfare and Benefits
27
Notable votes
Free votes and rebellions — moments the MP’s own judgment matters more than the whip
Crime and Policing Bill: motion to agree with all remaining Lords Amendments 14 Apr 2026
No
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill Committee: New Clause 809 Jul 2025
Aye
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill Committee: Clause 2, as amended, and Clause 3 stand part09 Jul 2025
No
§ 08The local picture.12 wards

Constituencies are not uniform. Below — the local council make-up, key facts worth knowing, and the neighbouring seats on either side.

WardCouncillorVotesParty
BlackhallsRob Crute1,179Labour P
BlackhallsStacey Deinali898Labour P
DawdonJune Watson514Labour P
DenesideJohn James Purvis654Labour P
DenesideRochelle Charlton-Lainé664Labour P
EasingtonAngela Surtees952Labour P
EasingtonDavid John Boyes911Labour P
HordenJune Clark852Labour P
MurtonJulie Ann Griffiths1,200Labour P
MurtonRobert Adcock-Forster1,006Labour P
PassfieldKaren Hawley446The Nort
Peterlee EastDiane Howarth573The Nort
Population (2021 Census)
94,060
Electorate 69,395 · 2024 register
Median income
£25,000
HMRC SPI 2024
Households renting privately
17.1%
England average 20.0%
Schools
48
34 primary · 6 secondary
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