West Midlands · England · 70,002Boundary · 2023

Stoke-on-Trent South

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Dispatch
Apr 2026

A marginal seat — won by just 627 votes (1.5%) in 2024. Covers Stoke-on-Trent, Blythe Bridge and Forsbrook and Upper Tean. Population 85,662. Median income £26K (below average).

Allison Gardner's most significant recent action has been voting against her party on the assisted dying bill. On 20 June 2025, she voted against the bill's Third Reading -- opposing the legislation passing to the Lords -- and also broke with Labour on amendments concerning voluntary stopping of eating and drinking (VSED) as a route to qualifying as terminally ill, voting twice to exclude that pathway. She simultaneously supported amendments to strengthen advertising restrictions and to protect assessments if an independent doctor becomes unavailable. These five rebel votes on a single day make assisted dying the clearest point of conscience-driven independence in her record so far.

Otherwise, Gardner is a broadly loyalist first-term MP, voting with Labour 97.6% of the time across 86% of divisions -- a solid but not exceptional participation rate. Her stance profile shows strong alignment with workers' rights and progressive taxation, while she scores notably low on pro-business, pro-lords-scrutiny, and parliamentary-scrutiny measures -- the last being somewhat higher than her party average, suggesting modest interest in oversight. Her speech activity, spread across 181 contributions in economy, local government, health, and defence debates, is active for a new MP. She sits on the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee.

418
Commons votes
This parliament
£26k
Median income
HMRC · 2024
70.0k
Electorate
2024 GE

Lab regained this seat from Con — last held it in 2015.

Current Member of Parliament

Allison Gardner

Allison Gardner

Labour Party

Dr Allison Gardner is the Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent South, 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 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

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 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 NoAgainst party majority

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Voting at a Glance

A marginal seat — won by just 627 votes (1.5%) in 2024. Covers Stoke-on-Trent, Blythe Bridge and Forsbrook and Upper Tean. Population 85,662. Median income £26K (below average).

2024 General Election

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

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

§ 07The record, at a glance.434 divisions voted

Two readings of the same data. Issue volume shows where Gardner 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
77
Employment
48
Crime & Policing
45
Education
35
Welfare and Benefits
26
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 9420 Jun 2025 · free vote
No
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Third Reading20 Jun 2025 · free vote
No
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 7720 Jun 2025 · free vote
No
§ 08The local picture.15 wards

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

WardCouncillorVotesParty
BarlastonEvan Gareth Rowland Jones368Conserva
BlurtonLorraine Beardmore705Conserva
CheckleyAlan Hulme532Conserva
CheckleyMark Anthony Deaville603Conserva
CheckleyPeter Wilkinson629Independ
Dresden FlorenceLilian Jean Dodd637City Ind
ForsbrookIan Herdman495Conserva
ForsbrookMarc Durose497Conserva
ForsbrookTony Holmes589Conserva
FulfordAlec Sandiford693Liberal
FulfordMichael George Dodson576Conserva
Hanford Newstead TrenthamDaniel Jellyman2,283Conserva
Population (2021 Census)
85,662
Electorate 70,002 · 2024 register
Median income
£25,600
HMRC SPI 2024
Households renting privately
12.4%
England average 20.0%
Schools
44
29 primary · 6 secondary
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