Hilary Benn

Biography

Parliamentary service

Party affiliations

Election history

Previous ministerial & opposition roles

Voting participation

262nd of 650 current MPs · all MPs average 71.4% · Labour average 75.4%

Participation by year

By Parliament

Participation counts aye, no or teller votes in Commons divisions held while the MP sat. Absence has many legitimate causes (pairing, illness, parental leave, ministerial or Speaker duties).

Parliamentary activity

joint 114th of 650 current MPs (2 tied) · all MPs average 489 · Labour average 363

Annual breakdown

Committee memberships

Not currently a member of any committee.

joint 1st of 515 current MPs (488 tied) · all MPs average 99.6% · Labour average 99.5%

Committee membership history

• Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union 2016–2017, 2017–2019, 2020–2021 · attendance 100.0%
• Energy Security and Net Zero Committee 2023–2023 · attendance 100.0%
• Liaison Committee (Commons) 2016–2017, 2017–2019, 2020–2021 · attendance 100.0%

Hansard activity

79th of 650 current MPs · all MPs average 552 · Labour average 425

Counts come from the Hansard record for the Commons and Westminster Hall within the dataset window. Individual contributions and topic analysis are not yet part of the dataset; search Hansard for the full record.

Parliamentary timeline

Generated from seat, party, role and committee records.

1. 1999

   • 10 June 1999 – Became MP for Leeds Central
   • 10 June 1999 – Joined Labour

2. 2001

   • 11 June 2001 – Appointed: Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for International Development)

3. 2002

   • 28 May 2002 – Left role: Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for International Development)
   • 29 May 2002 – Appointed: Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office) (Minister for Prisons and Probation)

4. 2003

   • 13 May 2003 – Appointed: Minister of State (Department for International Development)
   • 13 May 2003 – Left role: Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office) (Minister for Prisons and Probation)
   • 6 October 2003 – Appointed: Secretary of State for International Development
   • 6 October 2003 – Left role: Minister of State (Department for International Development)

5. 2007

   • 28 June 2007 – Appointed: Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
   • 28 June 2007 – Left role: Secretary of State for International Development

6. 2010

   • 6 May 2010 – Became MP for Leeds Central
   • 6 May 2010 – Left role: Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
   • 12 May 2010 – Appointed (opposition): Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
   • 8 October 2010 – Appointed (opposition): Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
   • 8 October 2010 – Left role: Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

7. 2011

   • 7 October 2011 – Appointed (opposition): Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
   • 7 October 2011 – Left role: Shadow Leader of the House of Commons

8. 2015

   • 8 May 2015 – Appointed (opposition): Shadow Foreign Secretary
   • 8 May 2015 – Left role: Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

9. 2016

   • 26 June 2016 – Left role: Shadow Foreign Secretary
   • 19 October 2016 – Became Chair of Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union
   • 19 October 2016 – Joined Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union
   • 19 October 2016 – Joined Liaison Committee (Commons)

10. 2017

    • 12 July 2017 – Became Chair of Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union
    • 12 July 2017 – Joined Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union
    • 6 November 2017 – Joined Liaison Committee (Commons)

11. 2020

    • 27 January 2020 – Became Chair of Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union
    • 27 January 2020 – Joined Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union
    • 20 May 2020 – Joined Liaison Committee (Commons)

12. 2023

    • 12 June 2023 – Joined Energy Security and Net Zero Committee
    • 4 September 2023 – Appointed (opposition): Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

13. 2024

    • 30 May 2024 – Left role: Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
    • 4 July 2024 – Became MP for Leeds South
    • 5 July 2024 – Appointed: Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

14. 2026

    • 20 July 2026 – Left role: Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Constituency: Leeds South