Labour Party MP for Southampton Itchen.
Darren Paffey's most significant break from Labour came on the assisted dying bill in June 2025, when he voted against the party majority four times — including at Third Reading, where he opposed the bill passing its final Commons hurdle. He also backed New Clause 16, which would have barred applications driven by fear of being a burden or by financial hardship — a clause the Labour majority rejected. That same month, news coverage noted him leading a separate rebellion against proposed benefits changes, publicly defending vulnerable constituents while acknowledging government intentions.
At 78% voting participation and 97.3% party alignment, Paffey is a broadly loyal government supporter — but his voting profile shows some consistent contours. He aligns strongly with Labour on workers' rights (83%), progressive taxation (100%), and fiscal responsibility (81%), while scoring low on civil liberties (14%) and business-friendly measures (22%). His stance on assisted dying is the sharpest statistical outlier: he sits 47 percentage points below his party on supporting assisted dying access, and 21 points above it on outright opposition. On speech topics, economy and jobs dominate (44 contributions), followed closely by education and social care — consistent with his seat on the Education Committee.
Local coverage in the Daily Echo has been broadly positive, highlighting constituency advocacy on Weston funding, hospitality business support ahead of the budget, and a defence of Southampton against a national newspaper's criticism. He also quit X in January 2026 over what he called the platform's harmful use of AI — framed around online safety. The 90-day news data covers only three recent articles, so current local sentiment is limited. Full voting records are available from July 2024 onwards.
Darren Paffey is the Labour MP for Southampton Itchen, and has been an MP continually since 4 July 2024.
Top eight by total divisions voted, this parliament. Volume measures engagement, not direction — see Notable Votes for free-vote moments and rebellions.
Source · The Public Whip · Hansard
Moments where the whip was free, or where Paffey broke ranks. Free votes are the truer signal of personal stance.
| Date | Bill / motion | Vote | Whip |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 94 | No | Freevs party |
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Third Reading | No | Freevs party |
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 12 | Yes | Freevs party |
Source · Hansard
“Southampton demonstrates that ports can lead on decarbonisation (shore power), but grid connection timelines (2036) are incompatible with 2030 obligations; government must bring fo…”
“Drowning is a preventable public health emergency requiring dedicated ministerial leadership, statutory fire and rescue responsibility, mandatory water safety education, and coordi…”
“Northern Ireland's defence sector, including Navy shipbuilding, plays a vital role in UK defence and the economy, deserving recognition and investment.”
“Henry was treated as a criminal based on the murderer's lies; the IOPC must be fully resourced to investigate; knife laws must be clarified and toughened.”
Select, joint and other committees Paffey currently sits on. Committee work is where much of the line-by-line scrutiny of bills and departments happens, away from the chamber.
| Committee | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Education Committee | Member | Select |
Source · UK Parliament Committees API
Committee seats are where backbenchers shape legislation and hold departments to account. Paffey sits on one.
| Department | Qs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Social Care | 31 | 23.5% |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 28 | 21.2% |
| Department for Education | 14 | 10.6% |
| Department for Work and Pensions | 13 | 9.8% |
| Home Office | 10 | 7.6% |
| Department for Transport | 8 | 6.1% |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 5 | 3.8% |
| Ministry of Justice | 5 | 3.8% |
How many students are expected to complete approved paramedic training courses in England in (a) 2026 and (b) 2027; how many Band 5 newly qualified paramedic posts NHS ambulance trusts plan to recruit to in each of those years; and what steps he is taking to ensure that the number of funded posts is aligned with the number of students completing paramedic training.
Awaiting answer.
What assessment he has made of variations between integrated care boards in access to weight-loss injections such as tirzepatide for weight management; whether the funding provided to integrated care boards is sufficient to offer treatment to all patients meeting the current nationally prioritised eligibility criteria; and what steps he is taking to ensure equitable access to that treatment in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and across England.
Awaiting answer.
Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on ensuring value for money in contracts for the treatment of separately collected household food waste, including where private contractors receive revenue from biomethane and digestate produced from that waste.
Awaiting answer.
Communities and Local Government, (a) what assessment he has made of the extent of barriers faced by disabled leaseholders seeking reasonable adaptions of their homes and communal areas and (b) what steps is he t
Awaiting answer.
UK Chamber of Shipping 30 January 2026 |
Source · Members API · Last amended 10 Mar 2026
| Category | £ | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Staffing | 141,512 | 70.4% |
| Office Costs | 27,219 | 13.5% |
| Accommodation | 26,773 | 13.3% |
| MP Travel | 2,690 | 1.3% |
| Staff Travel | 2,623 | 1.3% |
| Total · 181 claims | 200,934 | 100% |
Source · IPSA · FY 24_25
Nothing tabled for Paffey on the published Order Paper this week.
| Year | Constituency | Votes | Share | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Southampton Itchen | 15,782 | 41.5% | Won |
| 2017 | Romsey and Southampton North | 9,614 | 19.2% | Lost |
| 2015 | Romsey and Southampton North | 5,749 | 11.9% | Lost |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darren PaffeyWON | Lab | 15,782 | 41.5 |
Showing the MP’s own row only. Full result table: see Southampton Itchen →