North West · England · 73,420Boundary · 2023

South Ribble

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Dispatch
Apr 2026

Represented by Lab since 2024. Covers Leyland, Penwortham and Longton. Population 93,331.

Foster's most notable recent act was breaking from Labour on the assisted dying bill in June 2025 -- voting against the legislation passing its Third Reading and backing amendments to tighten eligibility criteria, including one preventing voluntary starvation from qualifying someone as terminally ill. His voting pattern on the bill places him noticeably more supportive of expanded end-of-life autonomy than the average Labour MP on some measures, yet more resistant than colleagues on overall passage, suggesting a nuanced rather than simply oppositional stance. Beyond that, he has voted consistently with the government across all recent parliamentary business, including multiple ping-pong votes on the English Devolution Bill and other legislation.

At 81% voting participation and 98.3% party alignment, Foster is a reliable but not exceptional presence in the division lobbies -- slightly below the Commons average for participation. His speeches cluster heavily around defence (20 contributions), economy and jobs, fiscal policy, and local government. He sits on the Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill, which aligns with his speech activity. Stance data shows strong alignment with workers' rights and progressive taxation, but very low scores on pro-business and parliamentary scrutiny measures.

408
Commons votes
This parliament
£28k
Median income
HMRC · 2024
73.4k
Electorate
2024 GE

Lab took this seat from Con after 4 consecutive elections.

Current Member of Parliament

Paul Foster

Paul Foster

Labour Party

Mr Paul Foster is the Labour MP for South Ribble, and has been an MP continually since 4 July 2024.

Notable Votes

Vote on whether to prevent someone from qualifying as 'terminally ill' under the assisted dying bill solely because they have chosen to stop eating and drinking. The amendment would close a potential loophole where a person who is not otherwise terminally ill could meet the bill's eligibility criteria by voluntarily starving themselves.

MP voted YesAgainst party majority

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

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 NoAgainst party majority

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Voting at a Glance

Represented by Lab since 2024. Covers Leyland, Penwortham and Longton. Population 93,331.

2024 General Election

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

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

§ 07The record, at a glance.408 divisions voted

Two readings of the same data. Issue volume shows where Foster 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
69
Economy
68
Employment
47
Education
34
Crime & Policing
34
Welfare and Benefits
28
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 2420 Jun 2025 · free vote
Aye
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Third Reading20 Jun 2025 · free vote
No
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 9420 Jun 2025 · free vote
No
§ 08The local picture.18 wards

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

WardCouncillorVotesParty
Broad OakAnge Turner948Liberal
Broad OakHarold George Hancock951Liberal
BroadfieldKath Unsworth581Labour P
BroadfieldMatthew Tomlinson624Labour P
Buckshaw WordenPete Pillinger682Labour P
Buckshaw WordenWes Roberts620Labour P
CharnockDeborah Jane Ashton556Labour P
CharnockIan Danny Watkinson523Labour P
Croston Mawdesley Euxton SouthDebra Platt976Conserva
Earnshaw BridgeColin George Sharples546Labour P
Earnshaw BridgeLou Jackson549Labour P
Eccleston Heskin Charnock RichardAlan Whittaker1,117Labour P
Population (2021 Census)
93,331
Electorate 73,420 · 2024 register
Median income
£28,100
HMRC SPI 2024
Households renting privately
11.8%
England average 20.0%
Schools
53
38 primary · 9 secondary
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