Luton South & South Bedfordshire / data
Rachel Hopkins · Labour Party · sitting since 12 Dec 2019 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
2327days
from 12 Dec 2019
Divisions
482
of 504 possible
Attendance
96%
22 absent / paired
Whip alignment
100%
vs party majority
Speeches
98
75 debates
Written Qs
12
12 answered
Committees
1
memberships
Expenses
£254k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 157 claims
Interests
2
2 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 95 | |
| Economy | 88 | |
| Employment | 47 | |
| Crime & Policing | 47 | |
| Education | 41 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 30 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 29 | |
| Housing | 23 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Economy Jobs | 35 | 5,789 |
| Local Government | 22 | 4,456 |
| Culture Community | 14 | 3,980 |
| Social Care | 15 | 3,541 |
| Crime | 18 | 2,898 |
| Transport | 10 | 2,007 |
| Housing | 5 | 1,514 |
| Health | 7 | 1,417 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07 Mar 2025 | Motion to sit in privateA motion was put forward to hold the parliamentary session in private (behind closed doors), excluding the public and press. This was overwh… | Rebelled | Aye |
C · Speeches
| Date | Contribution | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Apr 2026 | Business of the HouseRural fly-tipping is a persistent problem across the villages in the South Bedfordshire part of my constituency, including Billington, Eaton Bray and Kensworth. I welcome the Gover… Local GovernmentEconomy JobsEnergy | 66 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Pension SchemesI should declare that I have preserved benefits in the CSPS, and that I am a member of the PCS trade union. I thank the Minister for his decisive action in terminating the contract… Social CareFiscal PolicyMp Performance | 164 |
| 15 Apr 2026 | EngagementsQ14. I greatly welcome the Government’s announcement to open a youth hub in Luton to help bring together jobs, skills and wellbeing support in one place. Does the Prime Minister ag… DefenceCost Of LivingHealth | 58 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Knife CrimeIn Luton South and South Bedfordshire, we know all too well the devastating impact of knife crime, so I welcome our Government’s ambitious plan to halve it over the next decade, an… Crime | 77 |
| 13 Apr 2026 | Pride in Place: Community Cohesion5. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of Pride in Place funding on levels of community cohesion in Luton South and South Bedfordshire constituency. Local GovernmentCulture CommunityEconomy Jobs | 27 |
| 13 Apr 2026 | Pride in Place: Community CohesionMay I take a moment to congratulate Luton Town on winning the English Football League trophy yesterday at Wembley? I very much welcome the £20 million Pride in Place funding for ce… Local GovernmentCulture CommunityEconomy Jobs | 89 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Foreign Financial Influence and Interference: UK PoliticsI declare that I am a member of the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission. I welcome the Secretary of State’s comments on the Rycroft review. He says that he will be resp… Fiscal PolicyDefenceTechnology | 77 |
| 17 Mar 2026 | Rural RoadsIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Stringer. I thank the hon. Member for South Shropshire (Stuart Anderson) for securing the debate. In my one minute, I would like … TransportLocal GovernmentEconomy Jobs | 188 |
| 12 Mar 2026 | CarnivalsIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Harris. I thank the hon. Member for Glastonbury and Somerton (Sarah Dyke) and my hon. Friend the Member for Weston-super-Mare (D… Culture CommunityEconomy JobsLocal Government | 804 |
| 12 Mar 2026 | Marriage RegulationsThe right hon. Gentleman talks about anachronisms. Would he agree that the inequity between humanist marriages being legal in Scotland and not being permitted in England and Wales … Culture CommunityEconomy JobsOther | 36 |
| 12 Mar 2026 | Defending Democracy TaskforceI should mention that I am a member of the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission; its members work very collegiately, cross-party, in support of its important work. I tha… CrimeMp PerformanceDefence | 129 |
| 26 Feb 2026 | Business of the HouseThis week my home town of Luton celebrates a very important milestone as we mark the 150th anniversary of the borough and its elected council. Will the Leader of the House join me … Local GovernmentCost Of LivingEconomy Jobs | 61 |
| 26 Feb 2026 | TraditionsThe end of May will mark the 50th Luton international carnival, which is the UK’s largest one-day carnival. I think that 50 years means it qualifies as a UK tradition—it is definit… Culture Community | 74 |
| 26 Feb 2026 | Traditions5. What steps her Department is taking to support UK traditions. Culture Community | 11 |
| 25 Feb 2026 | EngagementsQ2. I very much welcome the fact that our Labour Government have recognised the state of Palestine. I also welcome the Foreign Secretary’s statement last week as chair of the UN Se… Economy JobsEducationCost Of Living | 70 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department for Work and Pensions | 3 | 25.0% |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 2 | 16.7% |
| Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | 1 | 8.3% |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 1 | 8.3% |
| Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | 1 | 8.3% |
| Home Office | 1 | 8.3% |
| Department for Business and Trade | 1 | 8.3% |
| Women and Equalities | 1 | 8.3% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Dec 2025 | Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to his oral answer of 14 October 2025, Official Report, col 189, what plans he has to extend grants for solar panels on public buildings in non-Mayoral areas. | Answered |
| 10 Dec 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 current pricing of licenses for the all-year storage and sale of fireworks of up to 2,000kg in content, in the context of the cost of t… | Answered |
| 01 Dec 2025 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether financial resources will be made available to charities and voluntary groups organising public events in order for them to comply with the provisions of the Terrorism (Protectio… | Answered |
| 01 Apr 2025 | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent progress her Department has made on implementing the Remediation Acceleration Plan. | Answered |
| 30 Jan 2025 | Women and Equalities | To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice on legally binding humanist marriages in England and Wales. | Answered |
| 09 Dec 2024 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of paying benefits on 24 December 2024 on (a) access to banking and (b) time available for Christmas shopping for (i) pensi… | Answered |
| 09 Dec 2024 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether Special Educational Need schools are eligible for split school site funding. | Answered |
| 05 Nov 2024 | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assistance his Department has offered to the Spanish government, in the context of recent floods in that country. | Answered |
| 12 Sept 2024 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will simplify the application form for Pension Credit. | Answered |
| 12 Sept 2024 | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her planned timetable is for publishing a response to the report entitled The impact of a change in the maximum park home sale commission, published in June 2… | Answered |
| 06 Sept 2024 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the merits of the use of snares. | Answered |
| 03 Sept 2024 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to negotiate a reciprocal agreement with the Australian government on uprating state pensions. | Answered |
E · Committees
| Committee | Role | House | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modernisation CommitteeSelect | Member | Commons | 08 Dec 2025 | 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 | 108 | 19,992 | 7.9% |
| Accommodation | 43 | 5,458 | 2.1% |
| Staffing | 1 | 224,181 | 88.1% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 4,183 | 1.6% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 578 | 0.2% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel - London | Accommodation | 43 | 5,458 |
| Pooled staffing services | Office Costs | 1 | 4,600 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 48 | 2,798 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 19 | 2,254 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 5 | 1,450 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 29 | 1,335 |
| Training - staff | Staffing | 1 | 840 |
| Training - staff | Office Costs | 1 | 451 |
| Landline phone & internet - installation & equipment purchase | Office Costs | 1 | 441 |
| Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Office Costs | 3 | 201 |
| Postage & couriers | Office Costs | 1 | 2 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 205 | Paid |
| 11 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 205 | Paid |
| 11 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 205 | Paid |
| 11 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA March 2025 | 167 | Paid |
| 25 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Hotel - London | [***] [***] [200011725-9014] | 203 | Paid |
| 21 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Other office equipment | 540 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Banner March 2025 | 722 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Banner March 2025 | 105 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Banner March 2025 | 63 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 41 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 21 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 21 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 11 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 11 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 11 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 11 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 10 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 10 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 9 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 8 | 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.
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
18 Apr 2024
Type of land/property: Residential property (house, used also for my partner's business)
Number of properties: 1
Location: Luton
(Registered 11 January 2020)
8. Miscellaneous1 entry
18 Apr 2024
Unpaid Vice President of the LGA, which works with councils to support, promote and improve local government.
Date interest arose: 30 December 2020
Date interest ended: 31 December 2025
(Registered 9 March 2021; updated 2 February 2026)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 16 wards, 37 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnfield | Amjid Ali | Liberal Democrats | 1,551 | 04 May 2023 |
| Barnfield | David George Franks | Liberal Democrats | 1,690 | 04 May 2023 |
| Barnfield | Jeff Petts | Liberal Democrats | 1,627 | 04 May 2023 |
| Beech Hill | Javed Iqbal Hussain | Labour Party | 2,127 | 04 May 2023 |
| Beech Hill | Rehana Malik | Labour Party | 1,928 | 04 May 2023 |
| Beech Hill | Rumi Chowdhury | Labour Party | 2,158 | 04 May 2023 |
| Biscot | Tahmina Saleem | Labour Party | 929 | 04 May 2023 |
| Biscot | Zanib Raja | Labour Party | 937 | 04 May 2023 |
| Caddington | Kevin Mark Collins | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,043 | 04 May 2023 |
| Caddington | Vicky Malone | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 1,394 | 04 May 2023 |
| Central | Fatima Begum | Labour Party | 626 | 04 May 2023 |
| Central | Mohammed Yaqub Hanif | Labour Party | 447 | 04 May 2023 |
| Challney | Basid Mahmood | Labour Party | 1,572 | 04 May 2023 |
| Challney | Khtija Ghaus Malik | Labour Party | 1,562 | 04 May 2023 |
| Challney | Tom Shaw | Labour Party | 1,546 | 04 May 2023 |
| Dallow | Alia Khan | Labour Party | 1,059 | 04 May 2023 |
| Dallow | Mohammed Farooq | Labour Party | 1,101 | 04 May 2023 |
| Eaton Bray | Philip Douglas Keer Spicer | Conservative and Unionist Party | 693 | 04 May 2023 |
| Farley | Dave Taylor | Labour Party | 1,348 | 02 May 2019 |
| Farley | Mahmood Hussain | Labour Party | 1,304 | 02 May 2019 |
| Farley | Sian Julie Timoney | Labour Party | 1,307 | 02 May 2019 |
| High Town | James John Taylor | Labour Party | 798 | 04 May 2023 |
| High Town | Umme Ali | Labour Party | 783 | 04 May 2023 |
| Round Green | Gillian Frances Fry | Liberal Democrats | 910 | 04 May 2023 |
| Round Green | Zahoor Ahmed | Liberal Democrats | 799 | 04 May 2023 |
| Saints | Ghulam Abbas | Labour Party | 1,594 | 04 May 2023 |
| Saints | Saima Hussain | Labour Party | 1,630 | 04 May 2023 |
| Saints | Shahanara Naser | Labour Party | 1,525 | 04 May 2023 |
| South | Charmaine Isles | Labour Party | 645 | 04 May 2023 |
| South | Steve Stevens | Liberal Democrats | 710 | 04 May 2023 |
| Stopsley | David Hesketh Wynn | Liberal Democrats | 2,142 | 04 May 2023 |
| Stopsley | Nigel John Marshall | Liberal Democrats | 2,137 | 04 May 2023 |
| Stopsley | Richard Underwood | Liberal Democrats | 2,185 | 04 May 2023 |
| Vauxhall | Lee Mark Bridgen | Liberal Democrats | 868 | 04 May 2023 |
| Vauxhall | Terry David Keens | Liberal Democrats | 893 | 04 May 2023 |
| Wigmore | Alan Michael Skepelhorn | Liberal Democrats | 1,760 | 04 May 2023 |
| Wigmore | Claire Gallagher | Liberal Democrats | 1,809 | 04 May 2023 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 122,959 | Electorate 77,312 (2024) |
| Median age | 34 | years |
| Degree-educated | 30.3% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 51.0% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 49.3% | households |
| Private-rented | 34.8% | households |
| Social-rented | 15.8% | households |
| Employment rate | 57.9% | 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.