North East · England · 70,242Boundary · 2023

Stockton North

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Dispatch
Apr 2026

A safe Lab seat, won with 46% of the vote in 2024. Covers Stockton-on-Tees, Billingham and Wynyard. Population 109,305. Recorded crime is 43% above the national average. Median income £26K (below average).

A notably active local champion, Chris McDonald made headlines in March 2026 when his direct lobbying helped secure a £100 million government intervention to reopen a mothballed Teesside biofuel plant -- with the company chairman explicitly crediting his "tremendous efforts." He has also driven a five-point town centre safety plan for Stockton, coordinating with council and police on what he described as "the most ambitious plan of its kind anywhere in the country." His most notable parliamentary deviations came in June 2025, when he broke with his party five times on the assisted dying bill -- backing amendments to close a loophole that could have allowed voluntary starvation to qualify someone as terminally ill, and supporting a procedural fix for assessments interrupted mid-process. His voting profile sits 22 percentage points above his party average on end-of-life autonomy.

McDonald is a 97.3% party-line voter overall, but his 77% participation rate sits below the Commons average, worth noting for constituents. His 356 parliamentary contributions span 138 debates, with economy and jobs dominating (92 speeches), followed by defence, energy, and health -- a pattern consistent with his September 2025 appointment to a ministerial role covering hydrogen policy, industrial decarbonisation, and carbon capture, areas directly relevant to Teesside's industrial base. His prior career in the steel sector and leadership of the Materials Processing Institute informs this focus. He scores notably low on pro-business (17%) and pro-parliamentary scrutiny (11%) metrics.

376
Commons votes
This parliament
£26k
Median income
HMRC · 2024
70.2k
Electorate
2024 GE

Lab held for 5 consecutive elections.

Current Member of Parliament

Chris McDonald

Chris McDonald

Labour Party

Chris McDonald is the Labour MP for Stockton North, and has been an MP continually since 4 July 2024. He currently holds the Government posts of Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero), and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade).

Notable Votes

A motion was put forward to hold the parliamentary session in private, meaning the public and press would be excluded from proceedings. The motion was overwhelmingly rejected, keeping the session open and transparent.

MP voted YesAgainst party majorityLikely whipped

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

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Voting at a Glance

A safe Lab seat, won with 46% of the vote in 2024. Covers Stockton-on-Tees, Billingham and Wynyard. Population 109,305. Recorded crime is 43% above the national average. Median income £26K (below average).

2024 General Election

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

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

§ 07The record, at a glance.390 divisions voted

Two readings of the same data. Issue volume shows where McDonald 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
89
Economy
80
Employment
45
Education
31
Welfare and Benefits
28
Crime & Policing
25
Notable votes
Free votes and rebellions — moments the MP’s own judgment matters more than the whip
Motion to sit in private28 Mar 2025
Aye
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
§ 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
Billingham CentralAnn McCoy826Labour P
Billingham CentralBarry Woodhouse733Labour P
Billingham EastMichelle Bendelow781Labour P
Billingham EastMick Stoker732Labour P
Billingham NorthClare Gamble1,045Labour P
Billingham NorthMarc Besford1,011Labour P
Billingham SouthKatie Weston1,005Labour P
Billingham SouthPaul Weston1,037Labour P
Billingham West WolvistonDavid Reynard838Conserva
Billingham West WolvistonMarcus Lennon Vickers766Conserva
HardwickNigel Cooke654Labour P
HardwickNorma Stephenson675Labour P
Population (2021 Census)
109,305
Electorate 70,242 · 2024 register
Median income
£25,700
HMRC SPI 2024
Households renting privately
18.2%
England average 20.0%
Schools
41
30 primary · 3 secondary
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More constituency data is being added, including local issue analysis and historical trends. Learn about our methodology. View data sources & attribution.