Wimbledon / data
Mr Paul Kohler · Liberal Democrats · sitting since 04 Jul 2024 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
662days
from 04 Jul 2024
Divisions
314
of 504 possible
Attendance
62%
190 absent / paired
Whip alignment
96%
vs party majority
Speeches
294
77 debates
Written Qs
155
155 answered
Committees
2
memberships
Expenses
£147k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 97 claims
Interests
13
5 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 70 | |
| Economy | 55 | |
| Employment | 40 | |
| Education | 34 | |
| Crime & Policing | 33 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 19 | |
| Pensions | 17 | |
| Schools | 17 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Transport | 20 | 16,776 |
| Local Government | 22 | 15,596 |
| Economy Jobs | 21 | 11,834 |
| Environment | 8 | 8,958 |
| Social Care | 14 | 7,046 |
| Energy | 5 | 5,667 |
| Defence | 17 | 5,556 |
| Crime | 26 | 4,875 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Jun 2025 | Crime and Policing Bill Report Stage: New Clause 106Vote on New Clause 106, which sought to require women to have an in-person medical consultation before receiving abortion medication, as a s… | Rebelled | Aye |
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 77Vote on an amendment to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill that would prevent someone from qualifying as 'terminally ill' under th… | Free vote | No |
| 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 |
C · Speeches
| Date | Contribution | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Apr 2026 | English Devolution and Community Empowerment BillDoes the right hon. Gentleman agree that the Tories’ amendment (a) would do nothing and that it is actually just a tick-box exercise that would allow Lords amendment 42 to pass wit… Local GovernmentHousingEnvironment | 70 |
| 21 Apr 2026 | English Devolution and Community Empowerment BillWill the shadow Minister give way? Local GovernmentHousingEnvironment | 6 |
| 21 Apr 2026 | English Devolution and Community Empowerment BillI wish to speak to Lords amendment 42. Where a local authority provides land for public recreation, it can be held on the basis of a statutory trust that protects it. Parliament ha… Local GovernmentHousingEnvironment | 552 |
| 21 Apr 2026 | English Devolution and Community Empowerment BillThen there are two remedies: to re-convey the land to the local authority to do it correctly, or to bring an amendment that gives the local authority a role to play. The local auth… Local GovernmentHousingEnvironment | 61 |
| 21 Apr 2026 | Courts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)I think the evidence is that 3% of trials currently have a jury, and that will go down to 1.5%. That is a 50% reduction. Does the hon. Member not agree that that is a huge reductio… CrimeSocial Care | 47 |
| 21 Apr 2026 | English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill Local GovernmentHousingEnvironment | 0 |
| 21 Apr 2026 | Courts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)To my mind, that would appear to be a clarification. CrimeSocial Care | 10 |
| 21 Apr 2026 | Courts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)I think we all agree now, do we not, that allocation decisions are not, on the whole, subject to judicial review if they are in the Crown court. If the Minister conceded that point… CrimeSocial Care | 46 |
| 21 Apr 2026 | Courts and Tribunals Bill (Eighth sitting)Why is increasing resources a legitimate argument in favour of positions that you want to take and a criticism of positions that you want to criticise? We surely need to increase r… CrimeSocial Care | 51 |
| 21 Apr 2026 | English Devolution and Community Empowerment BillWith respect, may I correct the Minister? There is a process by which the gap can be corrected. The land could be re-conveyed to the local authority and then the correct process ca… Local GovernmentHousingEnvironment | 85 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Courts and Tribunals Bill (Sixth sitting)But aspects of a Crown court decision that are not the trial by indictment can be reviewed. Other aspects of decision making can be reviewed, so I cannot see why an allocation deci… CrimeFiscal Policy | 37 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Courts and Tribunals Bill (Fifth sitting)Will the Minister give way? Crime | 5 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Courts and Tribunals Bill (Sixth sitting)The point is that judges can make mistakes. That is why the Attorney General can appeal unduly lenient sentences. Why are the Government saying there cannot be a challenge in this … CrimeFiscal Policy | 60 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Courts and Tribunals Bill (Fifth sitting)I have listened patiently to the Minister’s arguments for two sittings. She said something that I really do want to ask her to reflect on. She has talked about jury burden, and abo… Crime | 164 |
| 16 Apr 2026 | Courts and Tribunals Bill (Sixth sitting)I hate to break the consensus on the Opposition side, but I really do not see how we can say that judicial review is an appeal, and therefore why it is caught by this legislation a… CrimeFiscal Policy | 61 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department for Transport | 68 | 43.9% |
| Home Office | 18 | 11.6% |
| Ministry of Justice | 13 | 8.4% |
| Treasury | 11 | 7.1% |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 8 | 5.2% |
| Department of Health and Social Care | 7 | 4.5% |
| Department for Work and Pensions | 6 | 3.9% |
| Department for Business and Trade | 5 | 3.2% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Feb 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with TfL on the increase in lift closures due solely to a lack of trained staff on the London Underground to 6,365 hours in 2025, compared with 6,197 hours in 2024. | Answered |
| 27 Feb 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with Transport for London regarding the 1,435 hours of lift closures across 244 incidents at Wimbledon Park station in 2025 due solely to a lack of trained staff, inc… | Answered |
| 28 Jan 2026 | Northern Ireland Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what support his Department is providing to help firms in Northern Ireland maximise the potential benefits of dual market access while managing regulatory and administrative burdens. | Answered |
| 28 Jan 2026 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of rape trials in England and Wales that were postponed in each year since 2015; and what the principal reasons were for those postponements. | Answered |
| 28 Jan 2026 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the prevalence of (a) drug use and (b) synthetic drug use among the prison population in England and Wales. | Answered |
| 28 Jan 2026 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the number of convictions for violence against women and girls in England and Wales in the last 12 months. | Answered |
| 28 Jan 2026 | Northern Ireland Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what engagement his Department has had with business organisations in Northern Ireland on the practical challenges of complying with dual market access requirements, and what issues have b… | Answered |
| 28 Jan 2026 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average length of time was from charge to completion in court for rape cases in England and Wales in each year since 2016. | Answered |
| 28 Jan 2026 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the number of criminal legal aid firms that have ceased operating in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years. | Answered |
| 28 Jan 2026 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of reported incidents of violence against women and girls in England and Wales. | Answered |
| 28 Jan 2026 | Ministry of Justice | To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many sitting days each (a) court and (b) tribunal in England and Wales has been allocated in the 2025–26 financial year. | Answered |
| 28 Jan 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of police officer retention and morale. | Answered |
| 28 Jan 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many full-time equivalent police officers there were in England and Wales in each of the last five years. | Answered |
| 28 Jan 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time taken to make an initial decision on an asylum claim was in each of the last five years. | Answered |
| 28 Jan 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people without leave to remain were removed from the UK in each of the last five years. | Answered |
E · Committees
| Committee | Role | House | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland Affairs CommitteeSelect | Member | Commons | 13 Nov 2025 | present |
| Home Affairs CommitteeSelect | Member | Commons | 28 Oct 2024 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staffing | 29 | 132,955 | 90.4% |
| Office Costs | 65 | 13,684 | 9.3% |
| Miscellaneous | 1 | 440 | 0.3% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 60 | 0.0% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bought-in services | Staffing | 28 | 50,654 |
| Rent | Office Costs | 1 | 7,405 |
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 1 | 4,900 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 47 | 2,038 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 4 | 1,707 |
| Moving Fees | Office Costs | 1 | 1,500 |
| Removals | Miscellaneous | 1 | 440 |
| Training - staff | Office Costs | 1 | 439 |
| Newspapers, journals, magazines | Office Costs | 8 | 280 |
| Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Office Costs | 1 | 184 |
| Utilities | Office Costs | 2 | 130 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03 Jul 2025 | Staffing Pooled staffing services | Parliamentary Support Team (Liberal Democrat) | 4,900 | Paid |
| 27 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Newspapers, journals, magazines | TELEGRAPH SUBSCRIPTION [200011725-10259] | 10 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 272 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 150 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 104 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 91 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 34 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 27 | Paid |
| 18 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | 270 The Broadway [***] | 7,405 | Paid |
| 12 Mar 2025 | Staffing Bought-in services | Professional & consultancy | 2,500 | Paid |
| 12 Mar 2025 | Staffing Bought-in services | Professional & consultancy | 2,500 | Paid |
| 12 Mar 2025 | Staffing Bought-in services | Professional & consultancy | 1,280 | Paid |
| 12 Mar 2025 | Staffing Bought-in services | Professional & consultancy | 1,275 | Paid |
| 12 Mar 2025 | Staffing Bought-in services | Professional & consultancy | 1,000 | Paid |
| 27 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Newspapers, journals, magazines | TELEGRAPH SUBSCRIPTION [200011725-1852] | 10 | Paid |
| 24 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Electricity | 122 | Paid |
| 11 Feb 2025 | Staffing Bought-in services | Professional & consultancy | 2,820 | Paid |
| 11 Feb 2025 | Staffing Bought-in services | Professional & consultancy | 2,500 | Paid |
| 11 Feb 2025 | Staffing Bought-in services | Professional & consultancy | 1,280 | Paid |
| 30 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner February 2025 | 26 | 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.
1. Employment and earnings2 entries
16 Aug 2024
Remuneration: £1,001.17 a month
Hours: 10 hrs a week approximate
(Registered 3 August 2024)
16 Aug 2024
Role, work or services: Councillor
Payer: Merton Council, Merton Civic Centre, London Road, Morden SM4 5DX
(Registered 2 August 2024)
3. Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources6 entries
01 Jul 2025
Name of donor: AFC Wimbledon
Address of donor: Plough Lane Stadium, Plough Lane, London SW17 0NR
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Two tickets and hospitality to see AFC Wimbledon in the league 2 play-off final at Wembley, value £700
Date received: 26 May 2025
Date accepted: 26 May 2025
Donor status: company, registration 04458490
(Registered 24 June 2025)
20 Jan 2026
Name of donor: National Liberal Club
Address of donor: 1 Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2HE
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Complimentary membership to the National Liberal Club, 2026, value £1,140
Date received: 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026
Date accepted: 5 January 2026
Donor status: unincorporated association
(Registered 12 January 2026)
17 Nov 2025
Name of donor: National Liberal Club
Address of donor: 1 Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2HE
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Complimentary membership of the NLC from 14 August 2024 until 31 December 2025, value £1,552.86
Date received: 8 July 2024 to 31 December 2025
Date accepted: 9 July 2024
Donor status: unincorporated association
(Registered 3 August 2024)
21 Oct 2025
Name of donor: Football Association Limited
Address of donor: Wembley Stadium, Wembley, London HA9 0WS
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Two tickets and hospitality to the FA cup semi-final with Crystal Palace F.C., value £494.36
Date received: 26 April 2025
Date accepted: 26 April 2025
Donor status: company, registration 00077797
(Registered 9 May 2025)
05 Aug 2025
Name of donor: The All England Lawn Tennis Club (Championships) Limited
Address of donor: Church Road, Wimbledon, London SW19 5AE
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Two Royal Box tickets to watch the Wimbledon Championships, value £560
Date received: 4 July 2025
Date accepted: 4 July 2025
Donor status: company, registration 07546773
(Registered 1 August 2025)
05 Aug 2025
Name of donor: UK Music
Address of donor: Work.Life, 33 Foley Street, London, England W1W 7TL
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Two tickets for the BST in Hyde Park, including hospitality on the terrace, value £599.88
Date received: 11 July 2025
Date accepted: 11 July 2025
Donor status: company, registration 03245288
(Registered 1 August 2025)
4. Visits outside the UK1 entry
19 Dec 2025
Name of donor: European Jewish Association
Address of donor: Rue du Cornet 22, 1040 Etterbeek, Belgium
Estimate of the probable value (or amount of any donation): Part of the flights and accommodation have been provided for this trip. (£350 for both), value £350
Destination of visit: Poland (Auschwitz)
Dates of visit: 3 November 2025 to 5 November 2025
Purpose of visit: To visit Auschwitz as a cross-party group. The purpose was to learn from each other how to promote peace.
(Registered 4 December 2025)
7. (i) Shareholdings: over 15% of issued share capital2 entries
16 Aug 2024
Name of company or organisation: Babylon Bars (London) Ltd
Nature of business: Hospitality
(Registered 2 August 2024)
16 Aug 2024
Name of company or organisation: Babylon Bars Ltd
Nature of business: Hospitality
(Registered 3 August 2024)
8. Miscellaneous2 entries
16 Aug 2024
Unpaid Director, Babylon Bars (London) Ltd.
(Registered 3 August 2024)
16 Aug 2024
Unpaid Director, Babylon Bars Ltd.
(Registered 3 August 2024)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 13 wards, 32 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbey | John Matthew Braithwaite | Liberal Democrats | 1,294 | 05 May 2022 |
| Abbey | Klaar Dresselaers | Liberal Democrats | 1,160 | 05 May 2022 |
| Abbey | Mike Brunt | Labour Party | 1,169 | 05 May 2022 |
| Green Lane St James | Yvonne Tracey | Kingston Independent Residents Group | 855 | 10 Nov 2022 |
| Hillside | Daniel Holden | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,059 | 05 May 2022 |
| Hillside | Susie Hicks | Liberal Democrats | 1,105 | 05 May 2022 |
| Merton Park | Edward William Foley | Merton Park Ward Independent Residents | 1,853 | 05 May 2022 |
| Merton Park | Stephen Mercer | Merton Park Ward Independent Residents | 1,723 | 05 May 2022 |
| Motspur Park Old Malden East | Lynn Isabell Henderson | Liberal Democrats | 1,132 | 05 May 2022 |
| Motspur Park Old Malden East | Richard John Thorpe | Liberal Democrats | 1,009 | 05 May 2022 |
| New Malden Village | Dongsung Kim | Liberal Democrats | 1,184 | 23 Jun 2022 |
| New Malden Village | Lesley Anne Heap | Liberal Democrats | 1,182 | 23 Jun 2022 |
| New Malden Village | Mark Durrant | Liberal Democrats | 1,217 | 23 Jun 2022 |
| Old Malden | Elizabeth Park | Liberal Democrats | 1,162 | 05 May 2022 |
| Old Malden | Mike Massimi | Liberal Democrats | 1,093 | 05 May 2022 |
| Raynes Park | Chessie Flack | Liberal Democrats | 1,796 | 05 May 2022 |
| Raynes Park | Matthew Willis | Liberal Democrats | 1,753 | 05 May 2022 |
| Raynes Park | Victoria Wilson | Liberal Democrats | 1,819 | 05 May 2022 |
| Village | Andrew Howard | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,850 | 05 May 2022 |
| Village | Max Daniel Austin | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,909 | 05 May 2022 |
| Village | Thomas Barlow | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,931 | 05 May 2022 |
| Wandle | Eleanor Lesley Stringer | Labour Party | 740 | 05 May 2022 |
| Wandle | Kirsten Galea | Liberal Democrats | 755 | 05 May 2022 |
| West Barnes | Hina Bokhari | Liberal Democrats | 1,655 | 05 May 2022 |
| West Barnes | John Oliver | Liberal Democrats | 1,612 | 05 May 2022 |
| West Barnes | Robert Page | Liberal Democrats | 1,348 | 05 May 2022 |
| Wimbledon Park | Jil Hall | Liberal Democrats | 1,451 | 05 May 2022 |
| Wimbledon Park | Samantha MacArthur | Liberal Democrats | 1,377 | 05 May 2022 |
| Wimbledon Park | Tony Reiss | Liberal Democrats | 1,358 | 05 May 2022 |
| Wimbledon Town Dundonald | Anthony John Fairclough | Liberal Democrats | 2,463 | 05 May 2022 |
| Wimbledon Town Dundonald | Paul Kohler | Liberal Democrats | 2,637 | 05 May 2022 |
| Wimbledon Town Dundonald | Simon McGrath | Liberal Democrats | 2,252 | 05 May 2022 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 105,193 | Electorate 76,334 (2024) |
| Median age | 39 | years |
| Degree-educated | 61.1% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 70.0% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 62.5% | households |
| Private-rented | 29.2% | households |
| Social-rented | 8.2% | households |
| Employment rate | 65.6% | 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.