Eastbourne / data
Josh Babarinde · Liberal Democrats · sitting since 04 Jul 2024 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
660days
from 04 Jul 2024
Divisions
356
of 504 possible
Attendance
71%
148 absent / paired
Whip alignment
99%
vs party majority
Speeches
205
116 debates
Written Qs
246
240 answered
Committees
0
memberships
Expenses
£181k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 106 claims
Interests
8
2 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 78 | |
| Economy | 66 | |
| Employment | 39 | |
| Crime & Policing | 31 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 26 | |
| Education | 23 | |
| Pensions | 22 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 19 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Crime | 34 | 11,173 |
| Social Care | 28 | 7,320 |
| Local Government | 37 | 7,317 |
| Health | 20 | 4,709 |
| Economy Jobs | 32 | 4,136 |
| Housing | 15 | 3,900 |
| Fiscal Policy | 10 | 3,877 |
| Transport | 8 | 2,730 |
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.
| Date | Division | Whip | MP voted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Mar 2025 | Tobacco and Vapes Bill: Third ReadingMPs voted to pass the Tobacco and Vapes Bill at its final stage in the Commons. The Bill aims to create a 'smokefree generation' by graduall… | Rebelled | No |
| 26 Nov 2024 | Tobacco and Vapes Bill: Second ReadingMPs voted on whether to give the Tobacco and Vapes Bill its Second Reading, advancing legislation that would create a 'smoke-free generation… | Free vote | No |
C · Speeches
| Date | Contribution | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Apr 2026 | Business of the HouseTwenty-four-year-old Eastbournian Chanté Lloyd-Buckingham was tragically found dead in her supported accommodation in the town in 2024, amid grave concerns about the quality of the… Local GovernmentEconomy JobsEnergy | 100 |
| 23 Apr 2026 | Topical QuestionsIn February, Capita said to Eastbourne resident Keith that his civil service pension would be paid by March. By March, it said his pension would be paid in April. Now it says that … DefenceTechnologyEconomy Jobs | 52 |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Topical QuestionsT4. Eastbourne headteachers have expressed grave concerns about the impact of the new Ofsted framework on staff wellbeing, and its punishing impact on schools in deprived areas. Wi… EducationSocial CareLabour Market | 48 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Women’s Health StrategyI commend the Minister on this women’s health strategy, and particularly on action 59, which is to invest in the women’s maternity and neonatal estate. I am also grateful to the Mi… HealthSocial Care | 104 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Grassroots Music Venues6. What steps she is taking to support grassroots music venues. Culture CommunityLocal GovernmentEconomy Jobs | 11 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Grassroots Music VenuesEastbourne’s historical bandstand is set to reopen this summer after a refurbishment programme. Mr Speaker, I would like to invite you to come and celebrate with us as our guest of… Culture CommunityLocal GovernmentEconomy Jobs | 132 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Listed Places of Worship Grant SchemeSt Mary’s church in Old Town in Eastbourne is a grade I listed church that was built in the 12th century. A recent survey has revealed that the roof and east window are in urgent n… Culture CommunityLocal Government | 152 |
| 13 Apr 2026 | Topical QuestionsConservative-run East Sussex county council has a vendetta against local businesses. Most recently, it placed an enormous storage crate outside the Dickens Tea Cottage, which will … HousingLocal Government | 48 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | EngagementsFurther to that point of order, Mr Speaker. I have given advance notice to you and the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage). There is an important tradition and custom in this Ho… EnergyCost Of LivingLocal Government | 42 |
| 19 Mar 2026 | Private Sea Defences: Charges1. If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing private sea defence charges. HousingUtilitiesLocal Government | 17 |
| 19 Mar 2026 | Private Sea Defences: ChargesSovereign Harbour in Eastbourne is the only marina of its kind in Europe; thousands of residents, rather than the Government, have to cover the cost of sea defences through an annu… HousingUtilitiesLocal Government | 86 |
| 18 Mar 2026 | Royal Mail: PerformanceThe Royal Mail leadership is failing our hard-working posties and failing Eastbourne. Eastbournians are missing vital medical appointments because letters from doctors have arrived… UtilitiesLabour MarketEconomy Jobs | 222 |
| 09 Mar 2026 | Pension Credit Entitlement: Veterans1. If he will make an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of disregarding the war pension scheme and the armed forces compensation scheme for the purpose of calculat… Social CareDefenceFiscal Policy | 35 |
| 09 Mar 2026 | Pension Credit Entitlement: VeteransThe Minister will remember that Pauline was a veteran who was awarded military compensation for injuries sustained in her service, but that led to her pension credit being cut from… Social CareDefenceFiscal Policy | 112 |
| 05 Mar 2026 | Consular AssistanceA statement on consular assistance is no time for party political attacks. That does a disservice to hard-working officials such as Sarah Taylor, who has been doing amazing work, a… DefenceCost Of LivingOther | 174 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 48 | 19.5% |
| Department of Health and Social Care | 41 | 16.7% |
| Ministry of Justice | 29 | 11.8% |
| Department for Education | 29 | 11.8% |
| Home Office | 16 | 6.5% |
| Department for Work and Pensions | 15 | 6.1% |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 14 | 5.7% |
| Department for Transport | 11 | 4.5% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Apr 2026 | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what forms of accountability are in place to help ensure that UK aid to Malawi reaches its intended destination. | Pending |
| 24 Apr 2026 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to help strengthen complaints and whistleblowing processes with respect to the Teachers Regulation Authority. | Pending |
| 24 Apr 2026 | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what due diligence processes have been undertaken to assess the suitability of organisations in Malawi to receive UK funded aid. | Pending |
| 24 Apr 2026 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to modernise the Inheritance Act to reflect a) common law partners and b) common law partners whose marriage plans were underway before one of those partners passed away. | Pending |
| 13 Apr 2026 | Women and Equalities | To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what estimate her Department has made of (a) private and (b) public elevator repair equipment stocks; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of these stocks on people with acce… | Pending |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Department for Business and Trade | To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to address delays in importing elevator parts to the UK. | Pending |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Department for Business and Trade | To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to improve elevator part manufacturing levels in the UK. | Answered |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to prevent the advertising of vapes and tobacco products alongside items such as toys and sweets in retail settings; and what assessment he has ma… | Answered |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the recommendations of the report entitled Invisible Women "Made Visible": Learning from the Femicides o… | Answered |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to increase the number of qualified lift engineers in the UK. | Answered |
| 06 Mar 2026 | Treasury | To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to help support the spending power of those who are on the national minimum wage. | Answered |
| 04 Mar 2026 | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether non-British spouses of British nationals in Middle Eastern countries affected by Iranian strikes will be included in emergency evacuation and repatriat… | Answered |
| 25 Feb 2026 | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities have paid back their full Exceptional Financial Support. | Answered |
| 20 Feb 2026 | Department for Culture, Media and Sport | To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when the Places of Worship Renewal Fund will be open for applications. | Answered |
| 20 Feb 2026 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school-based nurseries were created under the school-based nursery capital grant for 2024-25 that replaced an existing private nursery in the same location. | Answered |
E · Committees
No committee memberships recorded for this MP.
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 | 87 | 28,013 | 15.5% |
| Accommodation | 11 | 19,855 | 11.0% |
| Staffing | 1 | 129,795 | 71.6% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 2,572 | 1.4% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 994 | 0.5% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | Accommodation | 10 | 19,172 |
| Rent | Office Costs | 5 | 9,000 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 7 | 6,006 |
| Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | Office Costs | 18 | 5,848 |
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 1 | 4,900 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 30 | 3,058 |
| Utilities | Office Costs | 4 | 1,897 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 10 | 1,104 |
| Council tax | Accommodation | 1 | 683 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 2 | 535 |
| Waste disposal, confidential waste & rubbish collection | Office Costs | 1 | 390 |
| Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Office Costs | 8 | 133 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 1,125 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -1,125 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -1,303 | Paid |
| 28 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | CarpetCare Floorcoverings - carpet fitting (materials and labour) [200012213-7] | 1,435 | Paid |
| 28 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | Alsford - door and wood [200012213-6] | 941 | Paid |
| 28 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Office furniture | 857 | Paid |
| 28 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | MPC Electrical - electrical work [200012213-5] | 545 | Paid |
| 28 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | ElectricFix - door hinges, ironmongery and fixings [***] [200012213-13] | 120 | Paid |
| 28 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | ElectricFix - refurb materials [***] [200012213-4] | 54 | Paid |
| 28 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | Plumbers Mate Ltd - plumbing fixings for removing old radiator [200012213-9] | 52 | Paid |
| 28 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | Brewers - paint and redecorating putty [200012213-10] | 37 | Paid |
| 28 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | ElectricFix - refurb materials [***] [200012213-2] | 33 | Paid |
| 28 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | ElectricFix - sanding sheets and masks [***] [200012213-14] | 20 | Paid |
| 28 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | ElectricFix - nails [***] [200012213-12] | 11 | Paid |
| 28 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | Alsford - Privacy beading for office door [200012213-8] | 10 | Paid |
| 28 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | ElectricFix - draught excluders [***] [200012213-11] | 6 | Paid |
| 28 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | ElectricFix - screws [***] [200012213-3] | 6 | Paid |
| 27 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Gas | 596 | Paid |
| 27 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Electricity | 575 | Paid |
| 27 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | PLANAHEAD [200011725-8010] | 375 | 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.
2. (a) Support linked to an MP but received by a local party organisation or indirectly via a central party organisation7 entries
14 Apr 2026
Name of donor: Andrew Little
Address of donor: private
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £15,000
Donor status: individual
(Registered 10 April 2026)
10 Mar 2026
Name of donor: Alan Morton
Address of donor: private
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £20,000 donation to support my office as President of the Liberal Democrats.
Donor status: individual
(Registered 3 March 2026)
04 Nov 2025
Name of donor: Adam Management Holdings Limited
Address of donor: 1 Canada Square, London E14 5AA
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £7,500 donation in support of Josh Babarinde's campaign for Liberal Democrat Party President
Donor status: company, registration 13453522
(Registered 28 October 2025)
08 Oct 2025
Name of donor: Ian Wrigglesworth
Address of donor: private
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £2,000 donation in support of Josh Babarinde's campaign for Liberal Democrat Party President
Donor status: individual
(Registered 17 September 2025)
08 Oct 2025
Name of donor: Carl Michel
Address of donor: private
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £2,000 donation in support of Josh Babarinde's campaign for Liberal Democrat Party President
Donor status: individual
(Registered 17 September 2025)
08 Oct 2025
Name of donor: Carl Michel
Address of donor: private
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £2,000 donation to the Eastbourne Liberal Democrats for campaign purposes
Donor status: individual
(Registered 17 September 2025)
29 Apr 2025
Name of donor: Adam Management Holdings Ltd
Address of donor: 1 Canada Square, London E14 5AA
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £3,500
Donor status: company, registration 13453522
(Registered 16 April 2025)
8. Miscellaneous1 entry
16 Aug 2024
Trustee of Eastbourne's Towner Art Gallery. This is an unpaid role.
Date interest arose: 6 June 2022
(Registered 16 July 2024)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 9 wards, 27 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devonshire | Christina Jane Ewbank | Liberal Democrats | 1,238 | 04 May 2023 |
| Devonshire | Margaret Elizabeth Bannister | Liberal Democrats | 1,409 | 04 May 2023 |
| Devonshire | Steve Holt | Liberal Democrats | 1,233 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hampden Park | Colin Richard Swansborough | Liberal Democrats | 1,091 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hampden Park | James Robert Murray | Liberal Democrats | 1,037 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hampden Park | Teri Sayers-Cooper | Liberal Democrats | 1,004 | 04 May 2023 |
| Langney | Alan Shuttleworth | Liberal Democrats | 1,485 | 04 May 2023 |
| Langney | Anita Mayes | Liberal Democrats | 1,358 | 04 May 2023 |
| Langney | Candy Vaughan | Liberal Democrats | 1,318 | 04 May 2023 |
| Meads | Andy Collins | Liberal Democrats | 1,630 | 04 May 2023 |
| Meads | Jane Lamb | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,585 | 04 May 2023 |
| Meads | Robert Smart | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,536 | 04 May 2023 |
| Old Town | Ali Asgar Dehdashty | Liberal Democrats | 1,939 | 04 May 2023 |
| Old Town | Amanda Jennifer Morris | Liberal Democrats | 1,913 | 04 May 2023 |
| Old Town | Peter Robert Diplock | Liberal Democrats | 2,074 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ratton | Colin Belsey | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,453 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ratton | David Small | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,324 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ratton | Nick Ansell | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,438 | 04 May 2023 |
| Sovereign | Kshama Shore | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,511 | 04 May 2023 |
| Sovereign | Nigel Royston Goodyear | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,480 | 04 May 2023 |
| Sovereign | Penny di Cara | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,629 | 04 May 2023 |
| St Anthonys | Daniel David Anstey Butcher | Liberal Democrats | 1,399 | 04 May 2023 |
| St Anthonys | Hugh Wayne Parker | Liberal Democrats | 1,304 | 04 May 2023 |
| St Anthonys | Jenny Williams | Liberal Democrats | 1,395 | 04 May 2023 |
| Upperton | Kathy Ballard | Liberal Democrats | 1,683 | 04 May 2023 |
| Upperton | Pat Rodohan | Liberal Democrats | 1,633 | 04 May 2023 |
| Upperton | Robin Hugh Maxted | Liberal Democrats | 1,585 | 04 May 2023 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 101,694 | Electorate 72,590 (2024) |
| Median age | 45 | years |
| Degree-educated | 29.8% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 90.8% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 60.3% | households |
| Private-rented | 26.6% | households |
| Social-rented | 13.0% | households |
| Employment rate | 51.8% | 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.