North West · England · 73,460Boundary · 2023

Oldham East & Saddleworth

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Dispatch
Apr 2026

Represented by Lab since 2024. Covers Oldham, Shaw (Oldham) and Lees. Population 110,688. Recorded crime is 100% below the national average.

Debbie Abrahams has made her most visible mark recently by breaking with Labour on assisted dying. She voted against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill at both Report Stage and Third Reading in 2025 -- one of only a handful of rebel votes in an otherwise tightly party-aligned record. At Report Stage she also backed an amendment that would have allowed religious employers, such as hospices, to prohibit their staff from participating in assisted dying. Beyond that single issue, she has been publicly vocal in challenging her own government on welfare reform, telling the Prime Minister directly that cuts to disability benefits left her "ashamed," and using her platform as Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee to push for the two-child benefit cap to be scrapped more comprehensively than current legislation proposes.

Otherwise, Abrahams votes with Labour 99.2% of the time -- a high party-line rate. Her participation, at 75%, sits somewhat below the Commons average. Her stance profile shows consistent support for workers' rights and progressive taxation, but notably low alignment with pro-business positions (13%) and welfare expansion measures (45%), the latter reflecting her public criticisms of cuts. Her speeches concentrate heavily on social care, the economy, and health -- areas consistent with her background in public health and her committee role. She deviates from her party average most clearly on NHS funding (27 percentage points more supportive) and welfare reform.

365
Commons votes
This parliament
£27k
Median income
HMRC · 2024
73.5k
Electorate
2024 GE

Lab held for 6 consecutive elections.

Current Member of Parliament

Debbie Abrahams

Debbie Abrahams

Labour Party

Debbie Abrahams is the Labour MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, and has been an MP continually since 13 January 2011.

Notable Votes

MPs voted on the Third Reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill — the final Commons vote on whether to pass the assisted dying legislation in its amended form. Passing Third Reading sends the Bill to the House of Lords.

MP voted NoAgainst party majority
Closure motion16 May 2025

A closure motion was voted on to end debate and force an immediate vote on the matter under discussion. Closure motions are a procedural tool used to curtail further debate; passing one (288 Ayes vs 239 Noes) meant the House moved directly to a division on the substantive question.

MP voted NoAgainst party majority

Vote on whether to allow employers who opt out of providing assisted dying to also prohibit their employees from participating in assisted dying while working for them. This amendment to the Terminally Ill Adults Bill would let, for example, a religious hospice or care home prevent its staff from facilitating assisted dying even if the individual healthcare worker personally wished to do so.

MP voted YesAgainst party majority

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Voting at a Glance

Represented by Lab since 2024. Covers Oldham, Shaw (Oldham) and Lees. Population 110,688. Recorded crime is 100% below the national average.

2024 General Election

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

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

§ 07The record, at a glance.380 divisions voted

Two readings of the same data. Issue volume shows where Abrahams 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
Economy
87
Taxation
77
Employment
42
Crime & Policing
40
Welfare and Benefits
27
Education
22
Notable votes
Free votes and rebellions — moments the MP’s own judgment matters more than the whip
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Third Reading20 Jun 2025 · free vote
No
Closure motion16 May 2025 · free vote
No
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill Report Stage: Amendment (a) to New Clause 1016 May 2025 · free vote
Aye
§ 08The local picture.8 wards

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

WardCouncillorVotesParty
AlexandraZaheer Ali1,494Independ
Saddleworth NorthGarth Harkness1,279Liberal
Saddleworth SouthMax Woodvine1,107Conserva
Saddleworth West LeesMark Kenyon1,603Liberal
ShawLisa Adele Navesey1,011Independ
St JamesJosh Charters757Labour P
St MarysAisha Kouser2,769Independ
WaterheadNaveed Tariq Chowhan1,221Independ
Population (2021 Census)
110,688
Electorate 73,460 · 2024 register
Median income
£26,500
HMRC SPI 2024
Households renting privately
17.5%
England average 20.0%
Schools
55
43 primary · 6 secondary
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