Harwich & North Essex / data
Sir Bernard Jenkin · Conservative and Unionist Party · sitting since 09 Apr 1992 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
12433days
from 09 Apr 1992
Divisions
330
of 504 possible
Attendance
65%
174 absent / paired
Whip alignment
100%
vs party majority
Speeches
197
81 debates
Written Qs
20
18 answered
Committees
4
1 chair
Expenses
£262k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 49 claims
Interests
6
4 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 79 | |
| Economy | 62 | |
| Crime & Policing | 41 | |
| Employment | 29 | |
| Education | 28 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 20 | |
| Defence and Foreign Affairs | 20 | |
| Housing | 20 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Economy Jobs | 45 | 17,121 |
| Defence | 47 | 16,520 |
| Immigration | 8 | 6,012 |
| Energy | 16 | 4,744 |
| Social Care | 9 | 3,382 |
| Fiscal Policy | 18 | 3,289 |
| Cost Of Living | 7 | 1,902 |
| Local Government | 9 | 1,059 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Apr 2026 | UK-EU RelationsIs the House right to understand that the Government believe that the economy has grown significantly less—measurably less—as a result of leaving the EU, and that this is one of th… Economy JobsEnergyAgriculture | 130 |
| 21 Apr 2026 | Peter Mandelson: Government AppointmentI am most grateful to the hon. Gentleman, whom I know as a friend across the House, as we have worked together positively on many things. I served on the Privileges Committee that … Mp PerformanceDefenceEconomy Jobs | 73 |
| 21 Apr 2026 | Peter Mandelson: Government AppointmentWill the hon. Member give way? Mp PerformanceDefenceEconomy Jobs | 6 |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Security VettingMay I just point out that the developed vetting process has always been highly protected because otherwise it would not work? People would not give information to the developed vet… Mp PerformanceDefence | 123 |
| 13 Apr 2026 | Southport InquiryI thank the Home Secretary for her statement, and for the way in which she is promoting learning rather than blaming, because that is the best way to get the change we need. I also… CrimeSocial CareHealth | 182 |
| 13 Apr 2026 | Middle EastWill the Prime Minister remind some of his colleagues that the United States is a democracy and an ally, and Iran is an odious regime that could have ended the war this weekend had… DefenceEnergyCost Of Living | 82 |
| 13 Apr 2026 | Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory BillThey are not illegal. DefenceFiscal Policy | 4 |
| 13 Apr 2026 | Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory BillI congratulate the Minister on so valiantly trying to explain the inexplicable and reconcile the irreconcilable. I do not want to detain the House by quoting the whole Monty Python… DefenceFiscal Policy | 189 |
| 13 Apr 2026 | North Atlantic Submarine ActivityCan we be absolutely clear from this statement, which I very much commend for its candour and bluntness, that these two GUGI submarines have now left UK waters? They were carrying … DefenceEnergy | 181 |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Local Government ReorganisationMay I inform the Minister that the previous Conservative Government listened to the people of Essex, and the MPs and county and district councillors for Essex, and cancelled any pl… Local GovernmentHousingEconomy Jobs | 118 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | DefenceWill my hon. Friend give way? DefenceFiscal PolicyEconomy Jobs | 6 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | DefenceThe fact is that the whole of the deterrent stance of all the NATO nations is very substantially—I will not say hopelessly—dependent on the good will that the United States shows t… DefenceFiscal PolicyEconomy Jobs | 320 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | DefenceI draw my hon. Friend’s attention and the attention of the House to the other fundamental structural flaw in the method the Government have adopted for planning defence: the aspira… DefenceFiscal PolicyEconomy Jobs | 88 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | DefenceI listened to the Minister’s remarks with great care. Many of the things that he says, he says with great sincerity, but some of the things he says, I do not believe that he quite … DefenceFiscal PolicyEconomy Jobs | 840 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | DefenceWill my right hon. Friend give way? DefenceFiscal PolicyEconomy Jobs | 7 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | 5 | 25.0% |
| Cabinet Office | 5 | 25.0% |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 4 | 20.0% |
| Department for Transport | 3 | 15.0% |
| Department of Health and Social Care | 1 | 5.0% |
| Leader of the House | 1 | 5.0% |
| Ministry of Defence | 1 | 5.0% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Apr 2026 | Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the proportion of UK electricity that will pass through the Bramford substation (a) in an average year and (b) at periods of highest demand through… | Pending |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many times the assessments made by UKSV arising from the developed vetting of individuals proposed for public appointments since the enactment of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2… | Pending |
| 10 Mar 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she will give a substantive reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Harwich and North Essex dated 18 November 2025 on the road/rail crossing at Manningtree. | Answered |
| 18 Dec 2025 | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to his decision for postpone the Mayoral election in Essex, if he will make an estimate of the cost to local authorities of the preparations for that elec… | Answered |
| 09 Dec 2025 | Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, which Ministers are responsible for overseeing the implementation of the recommendations of the Nuclear Regulatory Review 2025; and if he will set out the timeline for their im… | Answered |
| 28 Oct 2025 | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent progress he has made with Cabinet colleagues on allocating funding for the proposed A1331 link road. | Answered |
| 22 Oct 2025 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Government will investigate the source of internal Government briefings on the future of the Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service; and if the Prime Minister will make a statement… | Answered |
| 16 Jul 2025 | Leader of the House | To ask the Leader of the House, if she will publish a list of the statutory instruments made since the last general election and set out the provisions in the parent act of Parliament which are relied upon to provide statutory authority for… | Answered |
| 01 Jul 2025 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the redevelopment of Liverpool Street Station on the surrounding heritage buildings. | Answered |
| 24 Jun 2025 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the redevelopment of Liverpool Street Station on the economy. | Answered |
| 26 Feb 2025 | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the cost to the public purse of local government reorganisation in Essex. | Answered |
| 30 Jan 2025 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) officials and (b) advisers are employed by (i) his Department and (ii) Number 10 Downing Street. | Answered |
| 07 Jan 2025 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Oral Statement of 6 January 2026 on Health and Adult Social Care Reform, Official Report, Column 597, where new diagnostic centres in (a) Essex and (b) Suffolk… | Answered |
| 18 Dec 2024 | Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the (a) level of skilled labour and (b) extent of the shortage of the particular skills required to deliver the proposed upgrades to the National… | Answered |
| 16 Dec 2024 | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024, what the evidential basis is that unitary c… | Answered |
E · Committees
| Committee | Role | House | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liaison Sub-Committee on National Policy StatementsSelect | Member | Commons | 11 Jun 2025 | present |
| Liaison Committee (Commons)Select | Member | Commons | 04 Dec 2024 | present |
| Statutory Instruments (Select Committee)Select | Chair | Commons | 16 Oct 2024 | present |
| Statutory Instruments (Select Committee)Select | Member | Commons | 14 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 | 41 | 14,168 | 5.4% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 2,516 | 1.0% |
| Accommodation | 0 | 29,145 | 11.1% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 909 | 0.3% |
| Staffing | 0 | 215,309 | 82.2% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pooled staffing services | Office Costs | 4 | 9,763 |
| Bought-in services | Office Costs | 1 | 1,650 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 4 | 944 |
| Newspapers, journals, magazines | Office Costs | 4 | 937 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 3 | 302 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 17 | 297 |
| Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Office Costs | 2 | 162 |
| Mobile telephone - contract & usage | Office Costs | 5 | 112 |
| Parking | Office Costs | 1 | 2 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Pooled staffing services | European Research Group (Conservative) | 2,500 | Paid |
| 22 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Newspapers, journals, magazines | Daily Mail annual subscription | 99 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 150 | Paid |
| 14 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Parking | Parking | 2 | Paid |
| 13 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | [200011634-57] | 30 | Paid |
| 26 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Computer, laptop, PC, tablet & accessories | 142 | Paid |
| 06 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Mobile telephone - contract & usage | Voda -feb | 23 | Paid |
| 09 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner February 2025 | 10 | Paid |
| 07 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner February 2025 | 26 | Paid |
| 07 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner February 2025 | 19 | Paid |
| 07 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner February 2025 | 18 | Paid |
| 07 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner February 2025 | 16 | Paid |
| 07 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner February 2025 | 12 | Paid |
| 07 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner February 2025 | 7 | Paid |
| 07 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner February 2025 | 4 | Paid |
| 07 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner February 2025 | 4 | Paid |
| 07 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner February 2025 | 3 | Paid |
| 07 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner February 2025 | 1 | Paid |
| 07 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner February 2025 | 1 | Paid |
| 07 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner February 2025 | 1 | 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.
3. Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources1 entry
20 Jan 2026
Name of donor: Richard Matthews
Address of donor: private
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Day's shooting, value £300
Date received: 23 December 2025
Date accepted: 23 December 2025
Donor status: individual
(Registered 11 January 2026)
4. Visits outside the UK1 entry
24 Mar 2026
Name of donor: UK Friends of Ukraine
Address of donor: 62 Lots Road, London SW10 0QD
Estimate of the probable value (or amount of any donation): Meals and bus transport, value £398
Destination of visit: Moldova (Chisinau) and Ukraine (Odessa, Kiev)
Dates of visit: 19 February 2026 to 25 February 2026
Purpose of visit: Visit for briefings and meetings in Moldova, Odessa and Kiev, and to attend fourth anniversary event to commemorate the 2022 full scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, with President Zelenskyy and other heads of state.
(Registered 20 March 2026)
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
04 Nov 2025
Type of land/property: Residential property (Holiday chalet)
Number of properties: 1
Location: Essex
Interest held: from 4 September 2025
(Registered 30 October 2025)
8. Miscellaneous3 entries
04 Nov 2025
I am a Trustee of the Parliament Choir, which was an All Party Parliamentary Group until 2019, but is now an autonomous body under the patronage of the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Lords Speaker. The choir is open to all who work in Parliament.
Date interest arose: 1 January 2010
(Registered 21 October 2025)
18 Apr 2024
Director and Chairman of Beach Road Water Ltd, a non-profit company limited by guarantee. This is an unpaid role.
Date interest arose: 20 July 2011
(Registered 11 December 2023)
18 Apr 2024
A Vice President of Combat Stress, a charity offering mental health services to veterans. This is an unpaid role.
(Registered 15 December 2021)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 15 wards, 21 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alresford Elmstead | Ann Wiggins | Liberal Democrats | 1,046 | 04 May 2023 |
| Alresford Elmstead | Gary Scott | Liberal Democrats | 1,170 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ardleigh Little Bromley | Zoe Jacqueline Fairley | Conservative and Unionist Party | 343 | 04 May 2023 |
| Brightlingsea | Graham David Steady | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 1,081 | 04 May 2023 |
| Brightlingsea | Jayne Beverley Chapman | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 1,309 | 04 May 2023 |
| Brightlingsea | Mick Barry | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 1,411 | 04 May 2023 |
| Dovercourt All Saints | Jo Henderson | Labour Party | 1,018 | 04 May 2023 |
| Dovercourt All Saints | Maria Fowler | Labour Party | 858 | 04 May 2023 |
| Dovercourt Bay | Garry William John Calver | Labour Party | 422 | 04 May 2023 |
| Dovercourt Tollgate | Pam Morrison | Labour Party | 264 | 04 May 2023 |
| Dovercourt Vines Parkeston | Bill Davidson | Labour Party | 337 | 04 May 2023 |
| Harwich Kingsway | Ivan Henderson | Labour Party | 493 | 04 May 2023 |
| Lawford Manningtree Mistley | Carlo Guglielmi | Conservative and Unionist Party | 907 | 04 May 2023 |
| Lawford Manningtree Mistley | Matthew Bensilum | Liberal Democrats | 824 | 04 May 2023 |
| Lawford Manningtree Mistley | Terry Barrett | Liberal Democrats | 1,208 | 04 May 2023 |
| Lexden Braiswick | Dennis Willetts | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,420 | 02 May 2024 |
| Mersea Pyefleet | Martin David Parsons | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,081 | 02 May 2024 |
| Old Heath The Hythe | Mike Lilley | Labour Party | 1,291 | 02 May 2024 |
| Rural North | Darius Grant Laws | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,618 | 02 May 2024 |
| Stour Valley | Tanya Michelle Ferguson | Conservative and Unionist Party | 336 | 04 May 2023 |
| Wivenhoe | Sean Kelly | Liberal Democrats | 1,421 | 02 May 2024 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 98,389 | Electorate 76,296 (2024) |
| Median age | 47 | years |
| Degree-educated | 27.2% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 94.9% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 74.0% | households |
| Private-rented | 16.7% | households |
| Social-rented | 9.3% | households |
| Employment rate | 53.7% | 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.