Northern Ireland · 74,525Boundary · 2023

Strangford

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Dispatch
Apr 2026

A DUP seat since 2010, held for 5 consecutive elections.

One of Westminster's most prolific backbenchers, Jim Shannon broke with his DUP colleagues five times in recent months -- most notably backing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill at Third Reading in March 2025, putting him at odds with his party on a major public health measure. On the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, Shannon split from the DUP majority on multiple amendments, consistently siding with the House of Lords against government attempts to overturn Lords changes -- a pattern that reflects his strong pro-parliamentary-scrutiny and pro-Lords-scrutiny scores (both 88%). These are not isolated moments of rebellion: they reveal an MP willing to deviate from party discipline when constitutional or health principles are at stake, even on legislation that technically has no direct application to Northern Ireland.

Day to day, Shannon is a high-volume parliamentary operator. His 91% voting participation is well above the Commons average, and his 2,423 contributions across 1,754 debates place him among the most active speakers in the House. He is a 98.9% party-line voter overall, but his voting profile flags consistent distance from DUP norms on NHS funding (+33 percentage points above his party), consumer protection (+25pp), and public health (+24pp). His speeches concentrate heavily on economy and jobs, local government, health, and social care -- a mix that reflects both Northern Irish concerns and active constituency casework. He raised an Urgent Question on UK air connectivity and has pressed ministers on winter fuel payments for pensioners.

455
Commons votes
This parliament
74.5k
Electorate
2024 GE

Votes more often than 95% of MPs.

Current Member of Parliament

Jim Shannon

Jim Shannon

Democratic Unionist Party

Jim Shannon is the Democratic Unionist Party MP for Strangford, and has been an MP continually since 6 May 2010.

Notable Votes

The Commons voted on whether to reject a change made by the House of Lords to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. Without debate excerpts, the precise content of Lords Amendment 98 is unknown, but voting Aye meant siding with the government in overturning what the Lords had added or changed.

MP voted YesAgainst party majority

MPs voted on whether to reject a change made by the House of Lords to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. Without debate excerpts it is not possible to specify what Lords Amendment 37 proposed, but the government sought to remove it, and a majority of MPs backed the government's position.

MP voted NoAgainst party majority

Vote on New Clause 17, which proposed that council tax increases by mayoral combined authorities and combined county authorities be subject to the same caps as ordinary county and unitary councils, as part of the wider English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. The Liberal Democrats raised broader concerns that the Bill concentrates power upwards into combined authorities and away from local communities.

MP voted NoAgainst party majority

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Voting at a Glance

A DUP seat since 2010, held for 5 consecutive elections.

2024 General Election

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

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

§ 07The record, at a glance.459 divisions voted

Two readings of the same data. Issue volume shows where Shannon 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
96
Economy
87
Employment
50
Crime & Policing
45
Education
40
Welfare and Benefits
31
Notable votes
Free votes and rebellions — moments the MP’s own judgment matters more than the whip
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill: Government motion to disagree to Lords Amendment 9821 Apr 2026 · free vote
Aye
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill: Government motion to disagree to Lords Amendment 3721 Apr 2026 · free vote
No
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill Report Stage: New Clause 1725 Nov 2025 · free vote
No
§ 08The local picture.Northern Ireland

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

Local-government election data has not yet been ingested for this constituency.

Next · dig deeperEvery division, question, speech and committee record

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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.