Brentwood & Ongar / data
Alex Burghart · Conservative and Unionist Party · sitting since 08 Jun 2017 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
3242days
from 08 Jun 2017
Divisions
344
of 504 possible
Attendance
68%
160 absent / paired
Whip alignment
100%
vs party majority
Speeches
232
52 debates
Written Qs
301
277 answered
Committees
0
memberships
Expenses
£204k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 45 claims
Interests
9
3 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 75 | |
| Economy | 62 | |
| Employment | 36 | |
| Crime & Policing | 35 | |
| Education | 28 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 23 | |
| Housing | 21 | |
| Defence and Foreign Affairs | 19 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Defence | 28 | 21,572 |
| Mp Performance | 16 | 10,712 |
| Other | 10 | 10,465 |
| Crime | 13 | 7,675 |
| Economy Jobs | 16 | 7,564 |
| Social Care | 7 | 6,058 |
| Culture Community | 4 | 3,397 |
| Immigration | 2 | 3,300 |
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.
No notable votes recorded for this MP yet.
C · Speeches
| Date | Contribution | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Apr 2026 | Topical QuestionsCat Little, the permanent secretary, has just told the Foreign Affairs Committee that a very, very small number of people have actually seen the document in question. Will the Chie… DefenceTechnologyEconomy Jobs | 55 |
| 23 Apr 2026 | Topical QuestionsLast week, someone in the heart of Government leaked some extremely sensitive documents to The Guardian. This appears potentially to be a crime under the National Security Act 2023… DefenceTechnologyEconomy Jobs | 39 |
| 23 Apr 2026 | Ministerial CodeThe Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister is perfectly intelligent enough to know that there is an enormous difference between those two words. I will remind him that the Prime Min… Mp PerformanceOther | 180 |
| 23 Apr 2026 | Ministerial CodeParagraph 1.6.c of the ministerial code states: “It is of paramount importance that ministers give accurate and truthful information to Parliament, correcting any inadvertent error… Mp PerformanceOther | 156 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Point of OrderOn a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I wonder if I could get your guidance on seeking a correction of the record from today’s Prime Minister’s questions. In response to my ri… Mp Performance | 236 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Procedure Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1526)I agree with what Wendy says. To recap a point that we have been over several times, because it is very important, there is a slight danger that over time we will end up in a syste… | 159 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Procedure Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1526)I totally concur. There are two reasons why Government Departments do not answer questions in a timely way. Sometimes, it is because they do not have capacity; I am afraid I would … | 128 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Procedure Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1526)Yes, absolutely, but that tends to be the Department’s fault, rather than the fault of Members asking questions. | 18 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Procedure Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1526)Yes, we might get to that. We might draw attention to it on the Floor of the House, or we might use FOI. As I say, some Government Departments do not understand that when they try … | 76 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Procedure Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1526)Yes. | 1 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Procedure Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1526)My colleagues would often find it easier to resolve queries via email, rather than by having to go into the Table Office in person, when they are about simple things. I understand … | 133 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Procedure Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1526)I caveat my remarks by saying at the outset that we have a good working relationship with the Table Office. Even though we do not always agree, everybody who works there is always … | 296 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Procedure Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1526)I think we touched on this last time: at the most basic level, the Government and Ministers have a responsibility, in “Erskine May” and under the ministerial code, to be open and t… | 446 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Procedure Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1526)Oh, it would never have been the Minister’s fault in those circumstances! Of course mistakes happen, and sometimes political games are played, but what we ought to move towards, in… | 112 |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Procedure Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1526)You would need to ask the Government Departments. | 8 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinet Office | 146 | 48.5% |
| Northern Ireland Office | 37 | 12.3% |
| Treasury | 32 | 10.6% |
| Ministry of Defence | 21 | 7.0% |
| Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | 14 | 4.7% |
| Department for Education | 9 | 3.0% |
| Home Office | 8 | 2.7% |
| Department for Business and Trade | 7 | 2.3% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Apr 2026 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Lord Mandelson's Developed Vetting application was approved by National Security Vetting. | Pending |
| 17 Apr 2026 | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Lord Mandelson received and was given Developed Vetting with STRAP clearance. | Pending |
| 17 Apr 2026 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, in what circumstances (a) Ministers and (b) civil servants can override a United Kingdom Security Vetting recommendation not to appoint an individual to a civil servant appointment. | Pending |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish in the full the initial view or opinion that the Cabinet Office Propriety and Ethics Team gave to the Hon Member for Makerfield on the Ministerial Code, before the matter was re… | Pending |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Treasury | To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026, to Question 119974, on Bank Notes: Design, if she will make it her policy to have discussions with the Court of the Bank of England to lobby for the retention… | Pending |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards and (b) Cabinet Office Propriety and Ethics Team made an assessment of any involvement by Lord Mandelson in the commissioning, distribu… | Pending |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Pursuant to the answer of 22 December 2025, to Question 99535, on List of Ministerial Responsibilities, what is the reason the updated list of Ministerial Responsibilities following the September… | Pending |
| 13 Apr 2026 | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to page 261 of the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts 2024–2025, HC 1198, whether her Department considered declaring grants to Inter Mediate in 20… | Pending |
| 13 Apr 2026 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 113590 on Erasmus+ Programme: Finance, what the planned timetable is for the negotiation of the next Multiannual Financial Framework. | Pending |
| 13 Apr 2026 | Treasury | To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Kickstarting Economic Growth Mission Board has met since November 2025. | Answered |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the letter from the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards to the Prime Minister of 27 February 2026 relating to the conduct of the Hon Member for Makerfield, whether any s… | Pending |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 122146 on Lord Mandelson, whether the steps taken to retain material include (a) accessing tape backups or (b) turning off the auto-delete polic… | Pending |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Cabinet Secretary's objectives 2026-27, published on 7 April 2026, what is the timetable for refreshing the Civil Service Code; in what manner will the code be refreshed; and… | Pending |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 119977 on Proof of Identity: Digital Technology, whether the postcode lottery process will invite (a) named individuals or (b) any householder w… | Pending |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Ministers in her Department were (a) consulted on and (b) approved the exit payment to Lord Mandelson. | Pending |
E · Committees
No committee memberships recorded for this MP.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office Costs | 43 | 8,223 | 4.0% |
| Staffing | 0 | 195,561 | 96.0% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pooled staffing services | Office Costs | 2 | 5,269 |
| Mobile telephone - contract & usage | Office Costs | 12 | 1,207 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 27 | 1,013 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 1 | 720 |
| Mobile telephone - equipment purchase | Office Costs | 1 | 14 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Mobile telephone - contract & usage | WWW.CELLHIRE.COM | 102 | Paid |
| 18 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Mobile telephone - contract & usage | WWW.CELLHIRE.COM | 100 | Paid |
| 18 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Mobile telephone - contract & usage | WWW.CELLHIRE.COM | 100 | Paid |
| 10 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Software & applications | Caseworker software annual fee, 2025 | 720 | Paid |
| 15 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner February 2025 | 1 | Paid |
| 02 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner February 2025 | 19 | Paid |
| 02 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner February 2025 | 1 | Paid |
| 17 Dec 2024 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner January 2025 | 27 | Paid |
| 17 Dec 2024 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner January 2025 | 20 | Paid |
| 17 Dec 2024 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner January 2025 | 18 | Paid |
| 17 Dec 2024 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner January 2025 | 15 | Paid |
| 17 Dec 2024 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner January 2025 | 4 | Paid |
| 12 Dec 2024 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA January 2025 | 34 | Paid |
| 10 Dec 2024 | Office Costs Mobile telephone - contract & usage | WWW.CELLHIRE.COM | 102 | Paid |
| 10 Dec 2024 | Office Costs Mobile telephone - contract & usage | WWW.CELLHIRE.COM | 102 | Paid |
| 10 Dec 2024 | Office Costs Mobile telephone - equipment purchase | WWW.CELLHIRE.COM | 14 | Paid |
| 29 Nov 2024 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA December 2024 | 56 | Paid |
| 29 Nov 2024 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA December 2024 | 26 | Paid |
| 29 Nov 2024 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA December 2024 | 26 | Paid |
| 29 Nov 2024 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | XMA December 2024 | 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 earnings6 entries
08 Oct 2025
Payment: £1,500
Received on: 26 September 2025. Hours: 4.5 hrs.
(Registered 30 September 2025)
08 Oct 2025
Role, work or services: Speaking engagement
Payer: Primary Access & Research Limited (Political analysis), 22 Friars Street, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2AA
(Registered 30 September 2025)
02 Sept 2025
Payment: £200
Received on: 30 April 2025. Hours: 10 hrs estimate.
(Registered 1 September 2025)
02 Sept 2025
Payment: £350
Received on: 31 July 2025. Hours: 10 hrs estimate.
(Registered 1 September 2025)
02 Sept 2025
Payment: £200
Received on: 28 February 2025. Hours: 10 hrs estimated.
(Registered 1 September 2025)
02 Sept 2025
Role, work or services: Writing reviews
Payer: The Spectator, 22 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP
(Registered 1 September 2025)
3. Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources1 entry
18 Nov 2025
Name of donor: Cliveden Literary Festival
Address of donor: SRE Hotels (Cliveden) Ltd 8th Floor South Block, 55 Baker Street, London W1U 8EW
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Two nights stay for me and my wife and two children at the Literary Festival at which I was speaking (includes dinner both nights), value £2,302
Date received: 10 October 2025
Date accepted: 10 October 2025
Donor status: company, registration 07844715
(Registered 4 November 2025)
4. Visits outside the UK2 entries
24 Feb 2026
Name of donor: Franco-British Colloque Ltd
Address of donor: Station House, Station Approach, East Horsley, Surrey KT24 6QX
Estimate of the probable value (or amount of any donation): Food, accommodation and transfers to/from the hotel, value £920.80
Destination of visit: France
Dates of visit: 15 January 2026 to 17 January 2026
Purpose of visit: Attending the Franco-British Colloque 2026 at the Trianon Palace, Versailles, a private forum for facilitating closer and more effective engagement between the UK and France.
(Registered 11 February 2026)
03 Jun 2025
Name of donor: Charles McDowell
Address of donor: private
Estimate of the probable value (or amount of any donation): £731 (Flight (£531), hotel (£200))
Destination of visit: United States (Washington)
Dates of visit: 25 April 2025 to 27 April 2025
Purpose of visit: Visit to Washington DC for White House Correspondents' Dinner
(Registered 19 May 2025)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 5 wards, 15 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackmore Doddinghurst | Cliff Poppy | Conservative and Unionist Party | 947 | 02 May 2024 |
| Blackmore Doddinghurst | Keith Parker | Conservative and Unionist Party | 960 | 02 May 2024 |
| Blackmore Doddinghurst | Roger John McCheyne | Conservative and Unionist Party | 982 | 02 May 2024 |
| Brizes Stondon Massey South Weald | Chrissy Gelderbloem | Conservative and Unionist Party | 730 | 02 May 2024 |
| Brizes Stondon Massey South Weald | Soni Pavinder Sunger | Conservative and Unionist Party | 604 | 02 May 2024 |
| Brizes Stondon Massey South Weald | Will Russell | Conservative and Unionist Party | 727 | 02 May 2024 |
| Herongate Ingrave West Horndon | Adrian Charles Baldock | Conservative and Unionist Party | 660 | 02 May 2024 |
| Herongate Ingrave West Horndon | Fiona Elizabeth Marsh | Conservative and Unionist Party | 639 | 02 May 2024 |
| Herongate Ingrave West Horndon | Sheila Patricia Murphy | Conservative and Unionist Party | 701 | 02 May 2024 |
| Ingatestone Fryerning Mountnessing | Darryl Michael Sankey | Liberal Democrats | 999 | 02 May 2024 |
| Ingatestone Fryerning Mountnessing | Hugh Maurice Gorton | Liberal Democrats | 818 | 02 May 2024 |
| Ingatestone Fryerning Mountnessing | Lesley Anne Wagland | Conservative and Unionist Party | 809 | 02 May 2024 |
| Ongar | Jaymey McIvor | Conservative and Unionist Party | 828 | 02 May 2024 |
| Ongar | Mary Elaine Dadd | Conservative and Unionist Party | 911 | 02 May 2024 |
| Ongar | Paul Stefan Keska | Conservative and Unionist Party | 827 | 02 May 2024 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 100,826 | Electorate 75,352 (2024) |
| Median age | 43 | years |
| Degree-educated | 33.3% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 89.8% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 72.7% | households |
| Private-rented | 15.6% | households |
| Social-rented | 11.6% | households |
| Employment rate | 59.9% | 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.