Edinburgh East & Musselburgh / data
Chris Murray · Labour Party · sitting since 04 Jul 2024 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
659days
from 04 Jul 2024
Divisions
406
of 504 possible
Attendance
81%
98 absent / paired
Whip alignment
100%
vs party majority
Speeches
334
67 debates
Written Qs
33
33 answered
Committees
1
memberships
Expenses
£195k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 106 claims
Interests
5
3 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 86 | |
| Economy | 76 | |
| Employment | 47 | |
| Crime & Policing | 40 | |
| Education | 34 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 26 | |
| Housing | 24 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 23 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Immigration | 20 | 9,334 |
| Economy Jobs | 18 | 7,452 |
| Defence | 8 | 4,264 |
| Local Government | 12 | 3,462 |
| Social Care | 11 | 1,939 |
| Crime | 13 | 1,907 |
| Cost Of Living | 8 | 1,856 |
| Education | 3 | 1,424 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Mar 2026 | Middle East Conflict: Energy SecurityOur energy security is so exposed to events in the middle east because we have relied on oil and gas for too long. Not only do fossil fuels cause climate change, but we buy them on… EnergyEconomy JobsEnvironment | 90 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Middle East Conflict: Energy Security9. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the middle east conflict on energy security. EnergyEconomy JobsEnvironment | 18 |
| 23 Mar 2026 | Asylum Seekers: Recorded CrimeThe way to deal with any asylum seeker—or, indeed, any migrant—who commits a crime, is to remove them from the country. That is why it is good to see that removals of foreign natio… ImmigrationCrime | 89 |
| 12 Feb 2026 | Business of the HouseCraigmillar is a brilliant area, but it is blighted by fly-tipping. One site just off the high street beside Craigmillar library, owned by Keyworkers Living Ltd, lies waste to litt… Mp PerformanceEconomy JobsSocial Care | 101 |
| 10 Feb 2026 | Home Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1690)The officers at Charing Cross who were in the “Panorama” programme should never have been police officers, and there is clear evidence of people who passed vetting who should never… | 65 |
| 10 Feb 2026 | Home Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1690)So women in London can have confidence in you—confidence that you are checking the allegations of sexual assault against police officers, before they have to phone 999? That is tak… | 34 |
| 10 Feb 2026 | Home Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1690)Of all the things you had to cut as a result of that prioritisation, if you had to pick one that was a mistake—or the closest to a mistake, if you are not willing to admit that—or … | 66 |
| 10 Feb 2026 | Home Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1690)As you have alluded to, you have a challenging financial backdrop that forces prioritisation. How does “A New Met for London” guide your prioritisation? You have already alluded to… | 64 |
| 10 Feb 2026 | Home Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1690)You will obviously have seen Baroness Casey’s report, in which she described the Met as having severe institutional failings and talked about “systemic and fundamental problems”. S… | 99 |
| 09 Feb 2026 | Asylum Seekers: HotelsWhile we are on the issue of immigration statistics, when the previous Conservative Government signed the contracts that led to those hotels opening, the average cost per asylum se… ImmigrationCost Of Living | 94 |
| 05 Feb 2026 | National Cancer PlanI strongly welcome the Minister’s statement, which I found quite emotional. I know that many of her friends are pleased to see her making it today. She said that cancer mortality i… HealthEconomy JobsLocal Government | 104 |
| 05 Feb 2026 | Occupied Palestinian Territories: Genocide Risk AssessmentWe are here to discuss genocide. As my hon. Friend says, 20,000 children have been killed, 95% of hospitals have been destroyed, and food has been blocked to the point of famine. D… DefenceCulture CommunityOther | 49 |
| 04 Feb 2026 | Home Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 505)It is good to hear that contract management is being improved—I mean, it could not get worse—but what investigations are taking place about misconduct, diversion of public funds an… | 72 |
| 04 Feb 2026 | Home Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 505)I will come on to that in a second. | 9 |
| 04 Feb 2026 | Home Affairs Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 505)Thank you for that. I would like to move on to now talk about asylum accommodation. This Committee has heard a lot of evidence, which is blood-boiling, of billions of pounds being … | 116 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Home Office | 25 | 75.8% |
| Department for Business and Trade | 3 | 9.1% |
| Ministry of Justice | 2 | 6.1% |
| Northern Ireland Office | 1 | 3.0% |
| Scotland Office | 1 | 3.0% |
| Wales Office | 1 | 3.0% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Apr 2026 | Department for Business and Trade | To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what plans the Fair Work Agency has to collect data on Overseas Domestic Worker visa holders at risk of exploitation; and in what way this data will inform the Agency's enforcement prior… | Answered |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when is the next review date for the National Referral Mechanism guidance; and whether that review will consider the barriers to referral routes for Overseas Domestic Worker visa holder… | Answered |
| 11 Feb 2026 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his target number is of Strategic Housing Specialists in women's prisons. | Answered |
| 11 Feb 2026 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Strategic Housing Specialists have been employed in women's prisons; and whether he plans to increase that number. | Answered |
| 28 Jan 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the average time taken to make a Reasonable Grounds decision for people currently held in immigration detention. | Answered |
| 28 Jan 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people currently held in immigration detention have received a positive Reasonable Grounds decision under the the National Referral Mechanism. | Answered |
| 29 Aug 2025 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to help ensure that the Border Force’s freight inspection targets at UK borders are met and what recent progress has been made on reaching these targets. | Answered |
| 21 Jul 2025 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Written Statement of 16 July 2025 on Call for Evidence – Identification of Victims of Modern Slavery, HCWS826, whether the call for evidence will consider the impa… | Answered |
| 21 Jul 2025 | Department for Business and Trade | To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the structures in place for the Fair Work Agency to collaborate with other Government departments to (a) prevent and (b) disrupt modern sla… | Answered |
| 21 Jul 2025 | Department for Business and Trade | To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what plans he has for the future of the Fair Work Agency; what statutory duties it will assume from the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority in responding to modern slavery and human t… | Answered |
| 24 Jun 2025 | Northern Ireland Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on improving childcare provision in Northern Ireland. | Answered |
| 22 Apr 2025 | Wales Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed increase in defence spending on the economy in Wales. | Answered |
| 26 Nov 2024 | Scotland Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent progress he has made with Cabinet colleagues on the green energy transition in Scotland. | Answered |
| 04 Nov 2024 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many grants of UK citizenship were made to people resident in Scotland in 2021. | Answered |
| 04 Nov 2024 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many grants of UK citizenship were made to people resident in Scotland in 2022. | Answered |
E · Committees
| Committee | Role | House | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Affairs 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 | 76 | 30,401 | 15.6% |
| Accommodation | 10 | 17,182 | 8.8% |
| Staffing | 8 | 122,225 | 62.8% |
| Miscellaneous | 1 | 5,000 | 2.6% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 11,426 | 5.9% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 8,387 | 4.3% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | Office Costs | 5 | 16,208 |
| Rent | Accommodation | 9 | 15,262 |
| Bought-in services | Staffing | 7 | 10,914 |
| Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | Miscellaneous | 1 | 5,000 |
| Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Office Costs | 20 | 3,840 |
| Rent | Office Costs | 3 | 3,705 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 7 | 2,302 |
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 1 | 2,300 |
| Council tax | Accommodation | 1 | 1,920 |
| Utilities | Office Costs | 1 | 992 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 15 | 932 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 4 | 699 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | [200011798-162] | 210 | Paid |
| 11 Apr 2025 | Staffing Bought-in services | Professional & consultancy | 938 | Paid |
| 01 Apr 2025 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 2,150 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Cleaning services | Office cleaning March [200011797-177] | 210 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -795 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -1,938 | Paid |
| 29 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Software & applications | ADOBE.COM [200011725-9122] | 79 | Paid |
| 28 Mar 2025 | Staffing Bought-in services | Professional & consultancy | 4,000 | Paid |
| 28 Mar 2025 | Staffing Bought-in services | Comms & Media | 3,000 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline & internet package | 30 | Paid |
| 17 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | WWW.TONERGIANT.CO.UK [200011725-4766] | 83 | Paid |
| 06 Mar 2025 | Miscellaneous Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | Second invoice relating to office repairs | 5,000 | Paid |
| 06 Mar 2025 | Staffing Bought-in services | Administrative services | 588 | Paid |
| 06 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Website hosting and design | SQSP [***] [200011725-4790] | 19 | Paid |
| 05 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Software & applications | CANVA [***] [200011725-3416] | 13 | Paid |
| 04 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 2,150 | Paid |
| 03 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | [200011799-261] | 221 | Paid |
| 26 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Software & applications | ADOBE.COM [200011725-102] | 79 | Paid |
| 25 Feb 2025 | Staffing Pooled staffing services | Parliamentary Research Service (Labour) | 2,300 | Paid |
| 25 Feb 2025 | Staffing Bought-in services | Administrative services | 588 | 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. (b) Any other support not included in Category 2(a)3 entries
13 May 2025
Name of donor: Refugee, Asylum and Migration Policy Project (RAMP)
Address of donor: The Courtyard, High Street, Ascot SL5 7HP
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Services of a policy adviser for one day per week from 7 April 2025 to 7th July 2025, value £6,500
Date received: 7 April 2025
Date accepted: 7 April 2025
Donor status: company, registration 12373468
(Registered 9 May 2025)
20 Jan 2026
Name of donor: Refugee, Asylum and Migration Policy Project (RAMP)
Address of donor: The Courtyard, High Street, Ascot SL5 7HP
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Services of a policy adviser for two days per week (value is estimated), value £6,500
Date received: 1 January 2026 to 31 March 2026
Date accepted: 1 January 2026
Donor status: company, registration 12373468
(Registered 6 January 2026)
08 Oct 2025
Name of donor: Refugee, Asylum and Migration Policy Project (RAMP)
Address of donor: The Courtyard, High Street, Ascot SL5 7HP
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Services of a policy adviser for one day per week (value is estimated), value £13,000
Date received: 1 September 2025 to 31 December 2025
Date accepted: 1 September 2025
Donor status: company, registration 12373468
(Registered 18 September 2025)
3. Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources1 entry
17 Sept 2025
Name of donor: The Royal Navy
Address of donor: MOD, Whitehall, London SW1A 2HB
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Hospitality on the Royal Yacht Britannia and two tickets to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo for myself and guest, value £1,574
Date received: 12 August 2025
Date accepted: 12 August 2025
Donor status: other (Government department)
(Registered 12 September 2025)
4. Visits outside the UK1 entry
15 Jul 2025
Name of donor: The Refugee, Asylum, Migration and Policy Project (RAMP)
Address of donor: c/o Kirk Rice, The Courtyard, 69 High Street, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7HP, UK
Estimate of the probable value (or amount of any donation): Transportation and food (£260 per person) and translation costs (£175 per person), value £435
Destination of visit: France (Calais)
Dates of visit: 12 June 2025 to 12 June 2025
Purpose of visit: APPG on Migration visit to Calais to learn more about UK/French cooperation to tackle Channel crossings.
(Registered 9 July 2025)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 5 wards, 19 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craigentinnyduddingston | Alex Staniforth | Green Party of England and Wales | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Craigentinnyduddingston | Danny Aston | Scottish National Party (SNP) | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Craigentinnyduddingston | Iain Whyte | Conservative and Unionist Party | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Craigentinnyduddingston | Joan Griffiths | Labour Party | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Leith | Adam McVey | Scottish National Party (SNP) | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Leith | Chas Booth | Green Party of England and Wales | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Leith | Katrina Faccenda | Labour Party | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Musselburgh | Andy Forrest | Labour Party | 1,209 | 05 May 2022 |
| Musselburgh | Cher Cassini | Scottish National Party (SNP) | 1,596 | 05 May 2022 |
| Musselburgh | Ruaridh Bennett | Labour Party | 1,074 | 05 May 2022 |
| Musselburgh | Shona McIntosh | Green Party of England and Wales | 991 | 05 May 2022 |
| Portobellocraigmillar | Alys Mumford | Green Party of England and Wales | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Portobellocraigmillar | Jane Meagher | Labour Party | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Portobellocraigmillar | Kate Campbell | Scottish National Party (SNP) | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Portobellocraigmillar | Tim Jones | Conservative and Unionist Party | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Southsidenewington | Pauline Flannery | Liberal Democrats | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Southsidenewington | Simita Kumar | Scottish National Party (SNP) | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Southsidenewington | Steve Burgess | Green Party of England and Wales | — | 05 May 2022 |
| Southsidenewington | Tim Pogson | Labour Party | — | 05 May 2022 |
I · Demographics
Demographic profile unavailable for this constituency.
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.