South Ribble / data
Mr Paul Foster · Labour Party · sitting since 04 Jul 2024 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
659days
from 04 Jul 2024
Divisions
408
of 504 possible
Attendance
81%
96 absent / paired
Whip alignment
98%
vs party majority
Speeches
36
22 debates
Written Qs
31
31 answered
Committees
1
memberships
Expenses
£195k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 103 claims
Interests
11
4 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 69 | |
| Economy | 68 | |
| Employment | 47 | |
| Education | 34 | |
| Crime & Policing | 34 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 28 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 24 | |
| Energy | 22 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Market | 1 | — |
| Technology | 1 | — |
| Culture Community | 2 | — |
| Defence | 16 | 2,943 |
| Economy Jobs | 7 | 1,537 |
| Mp Performance | 4 | 1,074 |
| Other | 2 | 898 |
| Crime | 1 | 763 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 24Vote on whether to prevent someone from qualifying as 'terminally ill' under the assisted dying bill solely because they have chosen to stop… | Free vote | Aye |
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Third ReadingMPs voted on the Third Reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill — the final Commons vote on whether to pass the assisted dyin… | Free vote | No |
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 94Vote on whether to prevent someone from qualifying as 'terminally ill' under the assisted dying bill solely because they have voluntarily st… | Free vote | No |
C · Speeches
| Date | Contribution | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Apr 2026 | West Bank: Illegal Settlements21. What diplomatic steps her Department is taking to oppose the expansion of illegal settlements in the west bank. DefenceCulture Community | 19 |
| 21 Apr 2026 | West Bank: Illegal SettlementsAfter the destruction of Gaza and the deaths of in excess of 72,000 Palestinians, it is evident that the Israeli Government have turned their attention not only to Lebanon and Iran… DefenceCulture Community | 134 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Armed Forces Bill (Sixth sitting)I can provide a real-world example of how ludicrous the current system is. A friend of mine joined the Paras, completed P company, served with the Paras, smelt the coffee, and join… Defence | 97 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Armed Forces Bill (Seventh sitting)Would the right hon. Gentleman update me on where he heard that the Government have any intention whatsoever of withdrawing the HM forces or HM veterans railcards? I have a veteran… DefenceTechnologyLabour Market | 48 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Armed Forces Bill (Seventh sitting)If the right hon. Gentleman is referring to our armed forces as a global laughing stock, is that perhaps because of—we had this debate in the Chamber yesterday—the inheritance his … DefenceTechnologyLabour Market | 64 |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Strategic Defence Review: FundingDoes the Minister agree that we must understand that we inherited an MOD procurement system in disarray, unfunded defence programmes, an Air Force without enough aircraft or helico… DefenceFiscal PolicyEconomy Jobs | 73 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Armed Forces Bill (Fourth sitting)Does the hon. Gentleman accept that the majority of courts martial involve non-commissioned individuals? Although senior commissioned officers are subject to court martial at times… Defence | 35 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Armed Forces Bill (Fourth sitting)I find this a fascinating debate because we can all see the meaning of the amendment, but the hon. Gentleman mentioned victims. If he recalls, we all visited the Defence Serious Cr… Defence | 110 |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Armed Forces Bill (Third sitting)The independent defence housing strategy team looked at the issue of a defence housing association, and said that “transfer outside the public sector to a housing association or ot… HousingDefence | 68 |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Armed Forces Bill (Third sitting)Will the right hon. Member give way? HousingDefence | 7 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Good Friday Agreement3. What steps he is taking to mark the anniversary of the Good Friday agreement. Culture Community | 15 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Good Friday AgreementWe approach the anniversary of the Good Friday agreement, which was historic in that it ultimately delivered peace for a generation. With the knowledge that it requires constant po… Culture Community | 92 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Armed Forces Bill (First sitting)Does the hon. Gentleman not agree that we may be jumping the gun slightly? The covenant’s statutory guidance will explain in detail what due regard means in practice. DefenceHealthEducation | 28 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Armed Forces Bill (First sitting)On this Committee, we have veterans and former council leaders, and I am both. One of the main reasons for all the changes being made in the Bill is a recognition that, historicall… DefenceHealthEducation | 70 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Armed Forces Bill (First sitting)Does my hon. Friend share my concern that, with this amendment, we run the risk of creating a minimal requirement that organisations may seek to meet, without going any further, th… DefenceHealthEducation | 42 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Social Care | 7 | 22.6% |
| Cabinet Office | 5 | 16.1% |
| Department for Work and Pensions | 5 | 16.1% |
| Department for Transport | 3 | 9.7% |
| Department for Education | 3 | 9.7% |
| Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | 2 | 6.5% |
| Home Office | 1 | 3.2% |
| Ministry of Defence | 1 | 3.2% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Jan 2026 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking in response to the Government Internal Audit Agency’s finding of Limited Assurance for the Armed Forces Pension Scheme in FY 2024–25, particularly in relation to… | Answered |
| 15 Dec 2025 | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many arms export licences in respect to Israel have been reviewed over the past 12 months, and of those reviewed, how many have been revoked or suspended/p… | Answered |
| 22 Jul 2025 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a ministerial attendance list for the meeting of the Domestic and Economic Affairs Committee of the Cabinet on 16 November 2023. | Answered |
| 22 Jul 2025 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Ministers attended the meeting of the Domestic and Economic Affairs Committee on 25 March 2024. | Answered |
| 22 Jul 2025 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a ministerial attendance list for the meeting of the Domestic and Economic Affairs Committee of the Cabinet on 22 January 2024. | Answered |
| 22 Jul 2025 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a ministerial attendance list for the meeting of the Domestic and Economic Affairs Committee of the Cabinet on 19 December 2023. | Answered |
| 22 Jul 2025 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether a meeting of the Domestic and Economic Affairs Committee of the Cabinet relating to a data breach took place in October 2023,. | Answered |
| 25 Jun 2025 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department monitors the compliance of individual local authorities with statutory duties under the Children and Families Act 2014 in relation to the delivery of EHCP provision. | Answered |
| 25 Jun 2025 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Education, Health and Care (a) requests and (b) needs assessments have been (i) completed and (ii) issued within the statutory 20-week timeframe by Lancashire County Council in the last… | Answered |
| 25 Jun 2025 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve SEND provision in South Ribble constituency. | Answered |
| 22 May 2025 | Northern Ireland Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many cases the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information is investigating that relate to deaths of (a) armed forces personnel and (b) police officers. | Answered |
| 13 May 2025 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance her Department has issued on whether Magistrates Courts in England and Wales can revert back to a conditional offer of £100 Fine and 3 Penalty Points rather than using the Sentencing… | Answered |
| 13 May 2025 | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to take steps to enable (a) constituents and (b) businesses in South Ribble constituency to become eligible Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme. | Answered |
| 13 May 2025 | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has alternative plans for reaching (a) premises and (b) communities that are deemed too expensive to reach through Project Gigabit. | Answered |
| 23 Apr 2025 | Department for Work and Pensions | To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in South Ribble constituency are in receipt of Personal Independence Payment (PIP); how those payments are broken down between the (a) daily living and (b) mobility compon… | Answered |
E · Committees
| Committee | Role | House | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Select Committee on the Armed Forces BillSelect | Member | Commons | 09 Feb 2026 | 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 | 81 | 23,593 | 12.1% |
| Accommodation | 14 | 22,896 | 11.8% |
| Staffing | 1 | 133,514 | 68.5% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 8,295 | 4.3% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 6,495 | 3.3% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | Accommodation | 10 | 20,738 |
| Rent | Office Costs | 11 | 10,498 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 4 | 5,509 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 2 | 2,040 |
| Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | Office Costs | 2 | 1,410 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 29 | 1,257 |
| Hotel - London | Accommodation | 2 | 1,043 |
| Council tax | Accommodation | 1 | 996 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 9 | 871 |
| Utilities | Office Costs | 2 | 754 |
| Training - staff | Office Costs | 1 | 511 |
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 1 | 500 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Apr 2025 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 2,893 | Paid |
| 01 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 1,261 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -1,260 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -2,893 | Paid |
| 27 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Office | 276 | Paid |
| 27 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Cleaning services | Office clean | 16 | Paid |
| 13 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Design and printing of MP and Staff Business Cards | 474 | Paid |
| 13 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Cleaning services | Cleaning services - office | 16 | Paid |
| 10 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Training - staff | PARLI-TRAINING [200011725-6534] | 511 | Paid |
| 10 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Electricity | 267 | Paid |
| 07 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | Paul Foster MP Window Frosting and Exernal Sinage Graphic to entracne windows and doors, external graphic applied to totem signage | 468 | Paid |
| 06 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Cleaning services | Cleaning service - office | 16 | Paid |
| 05 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Waste disposal, confidential waste & rubbish collection | confidential waste | 50 | Paid |
| 04 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 2,893 | Paid |
| 04 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 1,261 | Paid |
| 01 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline | 124 | Paid |
| 01 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Internet | 45 | Paid |
| 27 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Cleaning services | cleaning services - office | 16 | Paid |
| 25 Feb 2025 | Staffing Pooled staffing services | Parliamentary Research Service (Labour) | 500 | Paid |
| 18 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Electricity | 487 | 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.
4. Visits outside the UK1 entry
10 Mar 2026
Name of donor: (1) Westminster Foundation for Democracy (2) IPSA
Address of donor: (1) Artillery House, 11-19 Artillery Row, London SW1P 1RT (2) House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
Estimate of the probable value (or amount of any donation): (1) Flights (£256.91), hotel (£108.04), value £364.95 (2) Hotel (£221.13), train from airport (£16.05), value £237.18
Destination of visit: Albania and Kosovo
Dates of visit: 13 February 2026 to 18 February 2026
Purpose of visit: Mentoring new Albanian MP's on behalf of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and then joining the cross party APPG delegation meeting members of the Kosovan Government for their Independence Day parade and celebrations.
(Registered 3 March 2026)
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
16 Aug 2024
Type of land/property: Residential property
Number of properties: 1
Location: Preston
(Registered 22 July 2024)
7. (i) Shareholdings: over 15% of issued share capital3 entries
16 Aug 2024
Name of company or organisation: NWSD Professional Services Ltd
Nature of business: Social housing/student accommodation development consultancy
(Registered 23 July 2024)
16 Aug 2024
Name of company or organisation: PFPM (Preston) Ltd
Nature of business: Project & Development Management Consultancy
(Registered 24 July 2024)
16 Aug 2024
Name of company or organisation: Project Furnishings Management Ltd (Dormant)
Nature of business: Supplies furniture
(Registered 23 July 2024)
8. Miscellaneous6 entries
16 Aug 2024
Unpaid Director of Home Safe Veterans & Homeless Support Ltd. This entity is currently seeking charitable status.
Date interest arose: 29 July 2024
(Registered 30 July 2024)
16 Aug 2024
A 10% shareholding in WT IP Ltd. The shareholding is below the threshold for registration.
(Registered 23 July 2024)
16 Aug 2024
Unpaid Director of NWSD Professional Services Ltd.
Date interest arose: 5 July 2024
(Registered 24 July 2024)
16 Aug 2024
Unpaid director of WT IP Ltd.
Date interest arose: 5 July 2024
(Registered 24 July 2024)
16 Aug 2024
Unpaid Directorship of Project Furnishings Management Ltd.
(Registered 23 July 2024)
16 Aug 2024
Unpaid Director of PFPM Preston Ltd
(Registered 22 July 2024)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 18 wards, 37 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broad Oak | Ange Turner | Liberal Democrats | 948 | 04 May 2023 |
| Broad Oak | Harold George Hancock | Liberal Democrats | 951 | 04 May 2023 |
| Broadfield | Kath Unsworth | Labour Party | 581 | 04 May 2023 |
| Broadfield | Matthew Tomlinson | Labour Party | 624 | 04 May 2023 |
| Buckshaw Worden | Pete Pillinger | Labour Party | 682 | 04 May 2023 |
| Buckshaw Worden | Wes Roberts | Labour Party | 620 | 04 May 2023 |
| Charnock | Deborah Jane Ashton | Labour Party | 556 | 04 May 2023 |
| Charnock | Ian Danny Watkinson | Labour Party | 523 | 04 May 2023 |
| Croston Mawdesley Euxton South | Debra Platt | Conservative and Unionist Party | 976 | 02 May 2024 |
| Earnshaw Bridge | Colin George Sharples | Labour Party | 546 | 04 May 2023 |
| Earnshaw Bridge | Lou Jackson | Labour Party | 549 | 04 May 2023 |
| Eccleston Heskin Charnock Richard | Alan Whittaker | Labour Party | 1,117 | 02 May 2024 |
| Farington East | Jacky Alty | Labour Party | 549 | 04 May 2023 |
| Farington East | Paul Wharton-Hardman | Labour Party | 608 | 04 May 2023 |
| Farington West | George Rear | Conservative and Unionist Party | 433 | 04 May 2023 |
| Farington West | Karen Jean Walton | Conservative and Unionist Party | 491 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hoole | Connor Paul Watson | Conservative and Unionist Party | 466 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hoole | John Rainsbury | Conservative and Unionist Party | 566 | 04 May 2023 |
| Howick Priory | David Charles Shaw | Liberal Democrats | 1,390 | 04 May 2023 |
| Howick Priory | David Howarth | Liberal Democrats | 1,627 | 04 May 2023 |
| Howick Priory | James Edward Lillis | Liberal Democrats | 1,436 | 04 May 2023 |
| Leyland Central | Aniela Sheila Bylinski Gelder | Labour Party | 666 | 04 May 2023 |
| Leyland Central | Haydn David Williams | Labour Party | 662 | 04 May 2023 |
| Longton Hutton West | Colin Coulton | Conservative and Unionist Party | 934 | 04 May 2023 |
| Longton Hutton West | Julie Ann Buttery | Conservative and Unionist Party | 965 | 04 May 2023 |
| Longton Hutton West | Will King | Conservative and Unionist Party | 892 | 04 May 2023 |
| Middleforth | James Michael Flannery | Labour Party | 913 | 04 May 2023 |
| Middleforth | Keith Martin | Labour Party | 940 | 04 May 2023 |
| Middleforth | Will Adams | Labour Party | 957 | 04 May 2023 |
| Moss Side | Mary Green | Conservative and Unionist Party | 595 | 04 May 2023 |
| Moss Side | Michael Anthony Green | Conservative and Unionist Party | 590 | 04 May 2023 |
| New Longton Hutton East | Margaret Rose Smith | Conservative and Unionist Party | 753 | 04 May 2023 |
| New Longton Hutton East | Phil Smith | Conservative and Unionist Party | 729 | 04 May 2023 |
| Seven Stars | Jane Bell | Labour Party | 627 | 04 May 2023 |
| Seven Stars | Matthew Thomas Farnworth | Labour Party | 604 | 04 May 2023 |
| St Ambrose | Jo Hindle-Taylor | Labour Party | 671 | 04 May 2023 |
| St Ambrose | Nicky Peet | Labour Party | 692 | 04 May 2023 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 93,331 | Electorate 73,420 (2024) |
| Median age | 45 | years |
| Degree-educated | 33.0% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 95.7% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 77.2% | households |
| Private-rented | 11.8% | households |
| Social-rented | 11.0% | households |
| Employment rate | 58.0% | 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.