Sir Edward Leigh
Conservative Sitting MP
MP for Gainsborough · in Parliament since 9 June 1983
Role Father of the House of Commons
Website
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Parliamentary participation snapshot
Biography
Parliamentary service
| Constituency | From | To | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gainsborough | 4 July 2024 | Present | Elected 1 time |
| Gainsborough | 6 May 2010 | 30 May 2024 | Elected 4 times |
| Gainsborough | 1 May 1997 | 6 May 2010 | Elected 3 times |
| Gainsborough and Horncastle | 9 June 1983 | 1 May 1997 | Elected 3 times |
Party affiliations
| Party | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 9 June 1983 | Present |
Election history
| Election | Constituency | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesbrough |
Previous ministerial & opposition roles
| Role | Type | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Trade and Industry) | Government | 2 November 1990 | 27 May 1993 |
Voting participation
373rd of 650 current MPs · all MPs average 71.4% · Conservative average 73.8%
Participation by year
| Year | Eligible divisions | Voted | Participation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 236 | 155 | 65.7% |
| 2025 | 322 | 208 | 64.6% |
| 2024 | 200 | 133 | 66.5% |
| 2023 | 256 | 194 | 75.8% |
| 2022 | 251 | 180 | 71.7% |
| 2021 | 242 | 204 | 84.3% |
| 2020 | 190 | 141 | 74.2% |
| 2019 | 2 | 2 | 100.0% |
By Parliament
| Parliament | Eligible divisions | Voted | Participation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 58th | 1,068 | 814 | 76.2% |
| 59th | 631 | 403 | 63.9% |
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 412th of 650 current MPs (3 tied) · all MPs average 489 · Conservative average 669
Annual breakdown
| Year | Debate contributions | Debates participated | Written questions | Oral questions | EDMs | Bills sponsored | Petitions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 148 | 90 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 228 | 143 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 187 | 95 | 10 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | 132 | 87 | 18 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 142 | 82 | 20 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2021 | 171 | 106 | 26 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 158 | 87 | 37 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Committee memberships
Current committees
| Committee | Role | Since | Meetings attended | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panel of Chairs | Member | 30 July 2024 | – | no published attendance |
joint 1st of 515 current MPs (488 tied) · all MPs average 99.6% · Conservative average 99.9%
Committee membership history
- National Security Strategy (Joint Committee) 2020–2022 · attendance 100.0%
- Public Accounts Commission 2011–2015, 2015–2017, 2017–2022 · attendance 100.0%
- Restoration and Renewal Programme Board 2023–2024 · attendance 100.0%
Hansard activity
73rd of 650 current MPs · all MPs average 552 · Conservative average 899
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.
1983
- – Became MP for Gainsborough and Horncastle
- – Joined Conservative
1990
- – Appointed: Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Trade and Industry)
1993
- – Left role: Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Trade and Industry)
1997
- – Became MP for Gainsborough
2010
- – Became MP for Gainsborough
- – Joined Panel of Chairs
2011
- – Became Chair of Public Accounts Commission
- – Joined Public Accounts Commission
2015
- – Joined Public Accounts Commission
2017
- – Joined Panel of Chairs
- – Joined Public Accounts Commission
2020
- – Joined Panel of Chairs
- – Joined National Security Strategy (Joint Committee)
2023
- – Joined Restoration and Renewal Programme Board
2024
- – Appointed: Father of the House of Commons
- – Became MP for Gainsborough
- – Joined Panel of Chairs
Constituency: Gainsborough
Statistics cover 7 November 2019 to 7 November 2026. Source: UK Parliament Members, Committees, Commons Votes, Hansard, Questions and Bills APIs, via the UK Politics Decoded dataset. View this MP’s raw JSON.