North West · England · 70,666Boundary · 2023

Runcorn & Helsby

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Created in the 2023 boundary review, replacing Weaver Vale.

Dispatch
Apr 2026

A marginal seat — won by just 6 votes (0.0%) in 2025. Covers Runcorn, Frodsham and Helsby. Population 91,756.

Elected in the May 2025 Runcorn and Helsby by-election, Sarah Pochin made headlines in March 2026 when media reports -- scoring among the most negative in her coverage -- described her making what journalists characterised as transphobic and Islamophobic jokes at a Reform UK conference event, with one reporter describing comments about a "tartan burka" and remarks about Black and Asian people on television. The coverage drew sharp criticism of her conduct as a representative. Away from that controversy, she has broken with her party five times: most significantly by voting in favour of the Railways Bill's nationalisation of train operators -- against Reform's position -- and by casting multiple rebel votes on the assisted dying legislation, supporting amendments to tighten eligibility criteria while ultimately voting for the Bill's Third Reading, again against the Reform majority.

At 65% voting participation, Pochin is below the Commons average, though she has been active in debate -- 95 contributions across 60 debates, with crime, defence, economy and immigration dominating her speeches. She votes with Reform UK 95.9% of the time, firmly opposing workers' rights, housing development, progressive taxation and criminal justice reform measures. Her strongest deviations from her own party are a notably harder line against assisted dying and a stronger civil liberties score, while she lags party colleagues on end-of-life autonomy and armed forces welfare votes.

196
Commons votes
This parliament
£29k
Median income
HMRC · 2024
70.7k
Electorate
2024 GE

Ref took this seat from Lab in 2025.

Current Member of Parliament

Sarah Pochin

Sarah Pochin

Reform UK

Sarah Pochin is the Reform UK MP for Runcorn and Helsby, and has been an MP continually since 1 May 2025.

Notable Votes

Vote on whether to add a provision to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill ensuring that if an independent doctor dies or becomes too ill to complete their assessment before signing off on an assisted dying request, a further referral can be made to another doctor — mirroring an existing provision in the Bill for the attending doctor.

MP voted NoAgainst party majority

Vote on an amendment to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill that would prevent someone from qualifying as 'terminally ill' under the Bill solely because they have voluntarily stopped eating and drinking. This matters because without the amendment, a person could potentially use voluntary starvation to meet the terminal illness threshold and access an assisted death.

MP voted YesAgainst party majority

Vote on whether to prevent someone from qualifying as 'terminally ill' under the assisted dying bill solely because they have voluntarily stopped eating and drinking. The amendment aimed to close a potential loophole where a person might use self-starvation to meet the terminal illness criteria they would not otherwise meet.

MP voted YesAgainst party majority

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Voting at a Glance

A marginal seat — won by just 6 votes (0.0%) in 2025. Covers Runcorn, Frodsham and Helsby. Population 91,756.

2025-05-01 Runcorn and Helsby By-election

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

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

§ 07The record, at a glance.197 divisions voted

Two readings of the same data. Issue volume shows where Pochin 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
36
Crime & Policing
29
Taxation
25
Defence and Foreign Affairs
16
Planning
16
Employment
14
Notable votes
Free votes and rebellions — moments the MP’s own judgment matters more than the whip
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 1220 Jun 2025 · free vote
No
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 7720 Jun 2025 · free vote
Aye
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 9420 Jun 2025 · free vote
Aye
§ 08The local picture.13 wards

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

WardCouncillorVotesParty
Beechwood HeathMargaret Anna Ratcliffe806Liberal
BridgewaterStef Nelson850Labour P
Daresbury Moore SandymoorNeil Connolly652Labour P
FrodshamLucy Rebecca Sumner1,422Labour P
FrodshamMichael John Garvey1,537Labour P
Gowy RuralGraham Heatley1,121Conserva
Gowy RuralMargaret Parker1,122Conserva
GrangeKaty Elizabeth McDonough638Labour P
Halton CastleSharon Anne Thornton623Labour P
Halton LeaKath Loftus656Labour P
HelsbyChris Copeman908Green Pa
Mersey WestonVictoria Begg691Labour P
Population (2021 Census)
91,756
Electorate 70,666 · 2024 register
Median income
£28,800
HMRC SPI 2024
Households renting privately
13.4%
England average 20.0%
Schools
57
44 primary · 5 secondary
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