Lewes / data
James MacCleary · Liberal Democrats · sitting since 04 Jul 2024 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
660days
from 04 Jul 2024
Divisions
308
of 504 possible
Attendance
61%
196 absent / paired
Whip alignment
100%
vs party majority
Speeches
122
68 debates
Written Qs
410
384 answered
Committees
0
memberships
Expenses
£188k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 133 claims
Interests
7
4 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 68 | |
| Economy | 58 | |
| Employment | 34 | |
| Education | 27 | |
| Crime & Policing | 25 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 24 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 19 | |
| Pensions | 19 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Defence | 33 | 19,960 |
| Economy Jobs | 37 | 18,538 |
| Local Government | 16 | 8,842 |
| Culture Community | 9 | 7,402 |
| Technology | 4 | 5,096 |
| Transport | 6 | 4,623 |
| Social Care | 11 | 4,009 |
| Fiscal Policy | 14 | 3,378 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Apr 2026 | Strategic Defence Review: FundingIt seems like every day a fresh revelation about the parlous state of our military spending comes to light. After yesterday’s intervention from Lord Robertson, there are reports to… DefenceFiscal PolicyEconomy Jobs | 192 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | DefenceI was actually going to talk about something completely different, but the question is a good one. I find it very disappointing that the Conservatives have so little faith in the i… DefenceFiscal PolicyEconomy Jobs | 430 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | DefenceI thank the Minister for his intervention. It would be a chance to back our armed forces, our security and Britain. We know that properly funding our nation’s security is critical … DefenceFiscal PolicyEconomy Jobs | 254 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | DefenceI thank my hon. Friend for his valuable contribution, and I support the point he makes. All the cuts he mentions were damaging. Probably the most damaging thing of all was how the … DefenceFiscal PolicyEconomy Jobs | 53 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | DefenceWe welcomed the Government’s efforts to try to reverse that damage last year, with their commitment to increase defence spending to 2.6% of GDP. But the Government’s persistent fai… DefenceFiscal PolicyEconomy Jobs | 113 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | DefenceI agree with my hon. Friend. The SAFE fund is a good illustration of what it means to be outside the club. The Conservatives hollowed out our armed forces for a decade; now they wa… DefenceFiscal PolicyEconomy Jobs | 99 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | DefenceI thank my hon. and gallant Friend for his intervention. I agree; it is extremely hard to derive exactly what the Conservatives would be doing were they in government right now—God… DefenceFiscal PolicyEconomy Jobs | 162 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | DefenceI thank the right hon. Member for his intervention; that was very informative. We saw our surface fleet reduced to its smallest size since the English civil war while the Conservat… DefenceFiscal PolicyEconomy Jobs | 134 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | DefenceI hope that Ministers have heard my hon. Friend’s comments and will perhaps review that decision in future. Reducing certainty for British defence companies is not what we need to … DefenceFiscal PolicyEconomy Jobs | 137 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | DefenceI will give way to my hon. Friend the Member for Tunbridge Wells (Mike Martin). [Interruption.] DefenceFiscal PolicyEconomy Jobs | 16 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | DefenceEarlier this year, the head of the armed forces, Sir Richard Knighton, issued a stark warning. In describing the current state of our military, Sir Richard said that the UK is “not… DefenceFiscal PolicyEconomy Jobs | 182 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | DefencePerhaps the shadow Minister has one in his pocket. DefenceFiscal PolicyEconomy Jobs | 9 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | DefenceIt is astonishing, Madam Deputy Speaker. You would not think that they had been in majority government for 10 years since the coalition. All the crimes that have been committed in … DefenceFiscal PolicyEconomy Jobs | 76 |
| 23 Mar 2026 | Middle EastI thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of his statement. We are four weeks on from the start of President Trump’s illegal assault on Iran, and still there is no plan and … DefenceEnergyEconomy Jobs | 322 |
| 16 Mar 2026 | Defence Jobs: WalesThe hon. Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare (Gerald Jones) knows better than most that the Ajax programme is not only a national defence procurement issue, but specifically a W… DefenceEconomy JobsLocal Government | 133 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Ministry of Defence | 138 | 33.7% |
| Department of Health and Social Care | 52 | 12.7% |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 34 | 8.3% |
| Department for Education | 33 | 8.0% |
| Home Office | 28 | 6.8% |
| Department for Transport | 26 | 6.3% |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 24 | 5.9% |
| Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | 16 | 3.9% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Apr 2026 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to issue an update to the National Shipbuilding Strategy. | Pending |
| 23 Apr 2026 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many operational vessels are available to the Royal Navy with hospital or casualty receiving facilities. | Pending |
| 23 Apr 2026 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve mine hunting capabilities. | Pending |
| 23 Apr 2026 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, by which year does he forecast the Royal Navy surface fleet will return to its minimum target strength of 19 frigates and destroyers. | Pending |
| 23 Apr 2026 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on (a) Project Beehive, (b) MMCM program (Marine Mine Counter Measures), (c) SeaCat and (d) the repairs to HMS Bangor. | Pending |
| 23 Apr 2026 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on the Type 83 design process; and whether it will be completed by 2038. | Pending |
| 23 Apr 2026 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, under what legislation do British forces operate in UK waters. | Pending |
| 23 Apr 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered New Zealand's retirement villages sector in developing policy on the future of the social care system in England. | Pending |
| 23 Apr 2026 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on resolving disputes over pay and work conditions in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. | Pending |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his her Department taking to ensure all driving licence applications are processed in a timely manner. | Pending |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps is her Department taking to ensure those renewing short-term medical driving licences are kept up to date with the progress of their application. | Pending |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) falsely-flagged and (b) non-flagged vessels have passed through the English Channel since July 2024. | Pending |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, (a) when he expects the Ministry of Defence to respond to Freedom of Information request FOI2026/00636, submitted by my office on the 9th January 2026, and (b) what the reasons are for the delay in… | Pending |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) falsely-flagged and (b) non-flagged vessels that have passed through the English Channel and are linked to the Russian state since July 2024. | Pending |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what is the average time a new licence is issued to those who are over 70 and have applied online. | Pending |
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 | 91 | 23,412 | 12.5% |
| Accommodation | 29 | 21,060 | 11.2% |
| Staffing | 1 | 137,234 | 73.0% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 3,398 | 1.8% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 2,437 | 1.3% |
| Dependant Travel | 0 | 414 | 0.2% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | Accommodation | 7 | 15,602 |
| Rent | Office Costs | 9 | 15,600 |
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 1 | 4,900 |
| Hotel - London | Accommodation | 14 | 4,715 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 23 | 4,106 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 3 | 1,683 |
| Cleaning services | Office Costs | 5 | 572 |
| Council tax | Accommodation | 2 | 507 |
| Advertising and contact cards | Office Costs | 4 | 427 |
| Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Office Costs | 17 | 388 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 24 | 294 |
| Utilities | Accommodation | 3 | 165 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Cleaning services | Office Cleaning March [200011793-96] | 130 | Paid |
| 08 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Cleaning services | Office Cleaning [200011793-97] | 104 | Paid |
| 08 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | [200011793-98] | 32 | Paid |
| 08 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | [200011793-99] | 10 | Paid |
| 08 Apr 2025 | Accommodation Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Internet | 7 | Paid |
| 07 Apr 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Dual Fuel | 82 | Paid |
| 01 Apr 2025 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 3,100 | Paid |
| 01 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 1,950 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -1,950 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -2,998 | Paid |
| 17 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Computer, laptop, PC, tablet & accessories | 100 | Paid |
| 11 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Internet | 32 | Paid |
| 04 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 3,100 | Paid |
| 04 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 1,950 | Paid |
| 18 Feb 2025 | Accommodation Council tax | WWW.WESTMINSTER.GOV.UK | 253 | Paid |
| 18 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | WH SMITH LEWES [200011725-977] | 6 | Paid |
| 14 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Office furniture | 26 | Paid |
| 14 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Other office equipment | 10 | Paid |
| 12 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | 30 | Paid |
| 12 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | 30 | 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.
1. Employment and earnings4 entries
23 Sept 2025
Remuneration: £719.50 a month
Until: 7 May 2026.
Hours: 30 hrs a month Estimated depending on meetings and casework
(Registered 1 August 2024; updated 20 September 2025)
18 Sept 2025
Role, work or services: Councillor
Until: 7 May 2026.
Payer: East Sussex County Council, County Hall, Lewes, BN7 1UE
(Registered 1 August 2024; updated 20 September 2025)
16 Aug 2024
Remuneration: £416.83 a month
From: 2 May 2023. Until: 6 May 2027.
Hours: 20 hrs a month Hours worked is an estimate
(Registered 1 August 2024)
16 Aug 2024
Role, work or services: District Councillor
Until: 6 May 2027.
Payer: Lewes District Council, 6 High Street, Lewes, BN7 2AD
(Registered 1 August 2024)
3. Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources1 entry
31 Dec 2025
Name of donor: National Liberal Club Ltd
Address of donor: 1 Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2HE
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Honorary membership until the end of 2025, as a new Liberal Democrat MP, value £1,578.50
Date received: 2 September 2024 to 31 December 2025
Date accepted: 2 September 2024
Donor status: company, registration 01355034
(Registered 13 October 2024)
4. Visits outside the UK1 entry
06 Jan 2026
Name of donor: Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
Address of donor: 63 Eccleston Square, London SW1V 1PH
Estimate of the probable value (or amount of any donation): Flights, accommodation and transfers, value £889.45
Destination of visit: Italy
Dates of visit: 24 October 2025 to 26 October 2025
Purpose of visit: To attend the Economic and Finance Conference by invitation
(Registered 16 December 2025)
8. Miscellaneous1 entry
16 Oct 2024
Director of Newhaven Fishing Community Interest Company. This is an unpaid role.
Date interest arose: 1 September 2024
(Registered 3 October 2024)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 22 wards, 36 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington | Alison Jane Wilson | Green Party of England and Wales | 668 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ditchling Westmeston | Paul Anthony David Mellor | Liberal Democrats | 377 | 04 May 2023 |
| Kingston | Stella Spiteri | Liberal Democrats | 431 | 04 May 2023 |
| Lewes Bridge | Janet Baah | Liberal Democrats | 812 | 04 May 2023 |
| Lewes Bridge | Zoe Nicholson | Green Party of England and Wales | 916 | 04 May 2023 |
| Lewes Castle | Nicolas Kortalla-Bird | Green Party of England and Wales | 600 | 04 May 2023 |
| Lewes Castle | Wendy Maples | Green Party of England and Wales | 696 | 04 May 2023 |
| Lewes Priory | Graham Clews | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,457 | 04 May 2023 |
| Lewes Priory | Imogen Makepeace | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,727 | 04 May 2023 |
| Lewes Priory | Paul Keene | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,420 | 04 May 2023 |
| Lower Willingdon | Stephen Shing | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 602 | 04 May 2023 |
| Newhaven North | Julie Lyn Carr | Liberal Democrats | 628 | 04 May 2023 |
| Newhaven North | Sean Macleod | Liberal Democrats | 589 | 04 May 2023 |
| Newhaven South | Christoph David Von Kurthy | Liberal Democrats | 611 | 04 May 2023 |
| Newhaven South | Graham Roger Amy | Liberal Democrats | 766 | 04 May 2023 |
| Newhaven South | James MacCleary | Liberal Democrats | 672 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ouse Valley Ringmer | Emily O'Brien | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,213 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ouse Valley Ringmer | Johnny Denis | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,263 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ouse Valley Ringmer | Lucy Agace | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,042 | 04 May 2023 |
| Plumpton Streat East Chiltington St John | Daniel James Banfield Stewart-Roberts | Liberal Democrats | 601 | 04 May 2023 |
| Polegate Central | Chris Primett | Conservative and Unionist Party | 394 | 04 May 2023 |
| Polegate North | Oi Lin Shing | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 351 | 04 May 2023 |
| Polegate South Willingdon Watermill | Daniel Dak Yan Shing | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 554 | 04 May 2023 |
| Seaford Central | Freddie Hoareau | Liberal Democrats | 523 | 04 May 2023 |
| Seaford Central | Stephen John Gauntlett | Liberal Democrats | 632 | 04 May 2023 |
| Seaford East | Becky Francomb | Green Party of England and Wales | 774 | 04 May 2023 |
| Seaford East | Ezra Cohen | Green Party of England and Wales | 764 | 04 May 2023 |
| Seaford North | James Meek | Green Party of England and Wales | 584 | 04 May 2023 |
| Seaford North | Roy Clay | Green Party of England and Wales | 566 | 04 May 2023 |
| Seaford South | Christine Anne Brett | Liberal Democrats | 799 | 04 May 2023 |
| Seaford South | Olivia Honeyman | Liberal Democrats | 760 | 04 May 2023 |
| Seaford West | Christina Kathleen Bristow | Liberal Democrats | 851 | 04 May 2023 |
| Seaford West | Lesley Boniface | Liberal Democrats | 733 | 04 May 2023 |
| South Downs | David Martin Greaves | Conservative and Unionist Party | 660 | 04 May 2023 |
| Stone Cross | Daniel Oliver Upton | Conservative and Unionist Party | 335 | 04 May 2023 |
| Upper Willingdon | Raymond Dak Wai Shing | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 616 | 04 May 2023 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 97,439 | Electorate 76,166 (2024) |
| Median age | 49 | years |
| Degree-educated | 34.0% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 95.0% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 74.1% | households |
| Private-rented | 16.1% | households |
| Social-rented | 9.7% | households |
| Employment rate | 52.8% | 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.