Central Devon.

Mel Stride's most visible recent activity has been his role as Shadow Chancellor, where he has challenged the government's tax record repeatedly in the Commons -- most recently in April 2026, when he called Rachel Reeves "reckless" and argued she was raising taxes faster than any comparable developed economy. He also voted with most Conservative MPs to refer Keir Starmer to the Privileges Committee over the Peter Mandelson appointment, and has consistently backed Lords amendments that restrain government power -- including on the English Devolution Bill and the Pension Schemes Bill, where he opposed a reserve ministerial power to direct pension fund investments. On assisted dying, he twice broke with the Conservative majority to back the Terminally Ill Adults Bill, at Second and Third Reading.

At Westminster, Stride is a 98.9% party-line voter, but his participation rate of 55% sits below the Commons average. His speeches cluster heavily around economic and fiscal themes -- economy and jobs, fiscal policy, and cost-of-living together account for nearly half his 265 contributions across 49 debates. His stance profile confirms the pattern: strongly pro-business and anti-tax-increases, and notably harder on welfare than his own party average (8% aligned versus the Conservative average of 31%). He holds no select committee seats.

Locally, his coverage over the past 90 days spans cost-of-living, crime, and community issues. Standout actions include challenging Lloyds over a branch closure in Okehampton and visiting a dementia day care organisation. Economy coverage carries a modestly positive score, suggesting his fiscal criticism is landing in the press. No committee activity is recorded, so his parliamentary footprint is primarily through chamber speeches and frontbench opposition work.