South East · England · 74,927Boundary · 2023

East Thanet

Follow⇄ Compare

Created in the 2023 boundary review, replacing South Thanet.

Dispatch
Apr 2026

Won by Lab in its first election in 2024. Covers Ramsgate, Margate and Broadstairs. Population 106,516. Median income £26K (below average).

Polly Billington's most distinctive parliamentary moments have come on assisted dying. In June 2025, she broke with her party five times during Report Stage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, voting to close what she saw as a loophole allowing voluntary starvation to meet terminal illness criteria -- a position that put her at odds with the Labour majority on multiple related amendments. More recently, she responded forcefully to the collapse of a local school into administration in April 2026, publicly criticising the school's owners and committing to work with Kent County Council and the Department for Education to secure places for around 160 affected pupils.

At 83% voting participation and 97% party alignment, Billington is a broadly loyal but engaged backbencher. Her stance profile shows strong alignment with workers' rights and progressive taxation, but notably low scores on pro-business and tough-on-crime measures. She votes to override Lords amendments more frequently than the average Labour MP -- 26 percentage points above her party on lords-override -- and leans toward assisted dying safeguards and parliamentary scrutiny more than her colleagues. Her 237 contributions span economy, energy, environment, and social care, consistent with her seat on the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee.

404
Commons votes
This parliament
£26k
Median income
HMRC · 2024
74.9k
Electorate
2024 GE

A new constituency created in the 2023 boundary review.

Current Member of Parliament

Polly Billington

Polly Billington

Labour Party

Ms Polly Billington is the Labour MP for East Thanet, and has been an MP continually since 4 July 2024.

Notable Votes

Vote on whether to prevent someone from qualifying as 'terminally ill' under the assisted dying bill solely because they have chosen to stop eating and drinking. The amendment would close a potential loophole where a person who is not otherwise terminally ill could meet the bill's eligibility criteria by voluntarily starving themselves.

MP voted YesAgainst party majority

MPs voted on the Third Reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill — the final Commons vote on whether to pass the assisted dying legislation in its amended form. Passing Third Reading sends the Bill to the House of Lords.

MP voted NoAgainst party majority

Vote on whether to prevent someone from qualifying as 'terminally ill' under the assisted dying bill solely because they have voluntarily stopped eating and drinking. The amendment aimed to close a potential loophole where a person might use self-starvation to meet the terminal illness criteria they would not otherwise meet.

MP voted NoAgainst party majority

Sign up free to read the full briefing on Polly Billington.

Sign up free

Voting at a Glance

Won by Lab in its first election in 2024. Covers Ramsgate, Margate and Broadstairs. Population 106,516. Median income £26K (below average).

2024 General Election

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

Billington’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 Billington 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
92
Economy
87
Employment
46
Crime & Policing
36
Education
32
Constitution and Democracy
27
Notable votes
Free votes and rebellions — moments the MP’s own judgment matters more than the whip
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 2420 Jun 2025 · free vote
Aye
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Third Reading20 Jun 2025 · free vote
No
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 9420 Jun 2025 · free vote
No
§ 08The local picture.17 wards

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

WardCouncillorVotesParty
Beacon RoadJenny Matterface694Labour P
Beacon RoadJoanne Janet Bright620Labour P
BradstoweGeorge Henry Rusiecki525Conserva
BradstoweJill Louise Bayford524Conserva
Central HarbourBecky Wing936Green Pa
Central HarbourRaushan Ara1,157Labour P
Central HarbourTricia Austin852Green Pa
Cliffsend PegwellBrenda Marilyn Rogers571Conserva
Cliffsend PegwellJohn William Davis516Conserva
Cliftonville EastBarry Kenneth Manners985Conserva
Cliftonville EastCedric Leslie Towning852Conserva
Cliftonville EastMarc Rattigan912Conserva
Population (2021 Census)
106,516
Electorate 74,927 · 2024 register
Median income
£25,700
HMRC SPI 2024
Households renting privately
28.9%
England average 20.0%
Schools
45
24 primary · 4 secondary
Next · dig deeperEvery division, question, speech and committee record

Mine the full
record → Data view

Filter divisions, search written questions, read every speech since the election. Sortable, searchable, downloadable.

More constituency data is being added, including local issue analysis and historical trends. Learn about our methodology. View data sources & attribution.