South East · England · 76,166Boundary · 2023

Lewes

Follow⇄ Compare
Dispatch
Apr 2026

A safe LD seat, won with 51% of the vote in 2024. Covers Seaford, Lewes and Newhaven. Population 97,439, notably older (median age 49 vs 41 nationally).

Elected in 2024, James MacCleary has spent recent months pushing back against the government on Lords amendments -- consistently voting to retain changes made by the upper chamber to both the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill and the Pension Schemes Bill, including opposition to Labour's proposed power to direct pension fund investments. Locally, he has been vocal on sewage pollution (meeting water company executives and declaring government plans "not enough"), challenged a Sussex council reorganisation proposal as a "dog's breakfast," and called for community "hobby hubs" to address loneliness. His opposition to mandatory digital IDs, citing a constituency petition, also attracted coverage.

At Westminster, MacCleary votes with the Liberal Democrats 100% of the time -- no rebel votes on record -- but his participation rate of 63% sits noticeably below the Commons average. His voting profile shows strong alignment with Lords and parliamentary scrutiny, climate action, and opposition to the employer National Insurance increase, while deviating from his party average by a significant margin on NHS funding (100% vs the Lib Dem average of 61%) and civil liberties (100% vs 77%). He has contributed to 109 debates since 2024, with economy, defence, and fiscal policy dominating his speech activity.

308
Commons votes
This parliament
£28k
Median income
HMRC · 2024
76.2k
Electorate
2024 GE

LD regained this seat from Con — last held it in 2010.

Current Member of Parliament

James MacCleary

James MacCleary

Liberal Democrats

James MacCleary is the Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes, and has been an MP continually since 4 July 2024. He currently undertakes the role of Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Defence).

Sign up free to read the full briefing on James MacCleary.

Sign up free

Voting at a Glance

A safe LD seat, won with 51% of the vote in 2024. Covers Seaford, Lewes and Newhaven. Population 97,439, notably older (median age 49 vs 41 nationally).

2024 General Election

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

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

§ 07The record, at a glance.308 divisions voted

Two readings of the same data. Issue volume shows where MacCleary 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
68
Economy
58
Employment
34
Education
27
Crime & Policing
25
Welfare and Benefits
24
Notable votes
Free votes and rebellions — moments the MP’s own judgment matters more than the whip

No rebellions or free votes recorded yet.

§ 08The local picture.22 wards

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

WardCouncillorVotesParty
ArlingtonAlison Jane Wilson668Green Pa
Ditchling WestmestonPaul Anthony David Mellor377Liberal
KingstonStella Spiteri431Liberal
Lewes BridgeJanet Baah812Liberal
Lewes BridgeZoe Nicholson916Green Pa
Lewes CastleNicolas Kortalla-Bird600Green Pa
Lewes CastleWendy Maples696Green Pa
Lewes PrioryGraham Clews1,457Green Pa
Lewes PrioryImogen Makepeace1,727Green Pa
Lewes PrioryPaul Keene1,420Green Pa
Lower WillingdonStephen Shing602Independ
Newhaven NorthJulie Lyn Carr628Liberal
Population (2021 Census)
97,439
Electorate 76,166 · 2024 register
Median income
£27,700
HMRC SPI 2024
Households renting privately
16.1%
England average 20.0%
Schools
36
24 primary · 5 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.