Christchurch / data
Sir Christopher Chope · Conservative and Unionist Party · sitting since 01 May 1997 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
10585days
from 01 May 1997
Divisions
245
of 504 possible
Attendance
49%
259 absent / paired
Whip alignment
100%
vs party majority
Speeches
261
58 debates
Written Qs
200
200 answered
Committees
4
memberships
Expenses
£249k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 95 claims
Interests
5
3 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 80 | |
| Economy | 51 | |
| Crime & Policing | 29 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 22 | |
| Pensions | 18 | |
| Education | 16 | |
| Energy | 14 | |
| Defence and Foreign Affairs | 13 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | 1 | — |
| Crime | 8 | 8,871 |
| Health | 6 | 7,748 |
| Local Government | 8 | 6,259 |
| Economy Jobs | 14 | 5,469 |
| Culture Community | 5 | 3,330 |
| Education | 3 | 2,532 |
| Mp Performance | 4 | 2,159 |
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.
| Date | Division | Whip | MP voted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Nov 2024 | Draft Windsor Framework (Non-Commercial Movement of Pet Animals) Regulations 2024Vote on whether to approve new rules implementing the Windsor Framework's Northern Ireland pet travel scheme, which requires pet owners trav… | Free vote | No |
C · Speeches
| Date | Contribution | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Apr 2026 | Energy Security and Net Zero Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 735)Do you think we should stop our policy of de-industrialisation at the moment because we know that just around the corner you have these advanced nuclear technologies that can actua… | 65 |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Energy Security and Net Zero Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 735)Would you suggest that these big data centres should in the short term rely upon gas, for example, with a view to being able to embrace the advanced nuclear technologies in the lon… | 48 |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Procedure Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1526)Perhaps I can jog your memory. The question was: “To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards’ review into Labour Together i… | 54 |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Procedure Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1526)One of the distinctions between those two sorts of questions is that if you fail to answer a named day question by the specified date, then you provide a holding answer. It always … | 134 |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Energy Security and Net Zero Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 735)The price of net zero for many people is too high because it leads to de-industrialisation. To what extent do you think advanced nuclear technologies can enable us to counter the n… | 40 |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Energy Security and Net Zero Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 735)One of the issues at the moment is around AI and the demands that AI imposes upon the electricity grid. Do you think that we should be encouraging AI data centres to be dependent u… | 46 |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Energy Security and Net Zero Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 735)What upgrades or new infrastructure would the national grid require to support this deployment? | 14 |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Energy Security and Net Zero Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 735)This is one for Alastair: should advanced reactors primarily connect to industrial users through private wire arrangements or be integrated into the national grid? | 24 |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Energy Security and Net Zero Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 735)Is there a role for Government in this? | 8 |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Procedure Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1526)Can I ask you both whether you use named day WPQs in a different way from ordinary WPQs, and what criteria you apply? | 23 |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Procedure Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1526)My final question is this. Do you both think that it would be desirable to reintroduce the practice of identifying when a holding answer was given to a named day question? | 31 |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Procedure Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1526)You probably will not need me to point out that you did not get an answer to that question in the end. Instead of yes or no, the answer extended to seven lines. If you read them th… | 166 |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Energy Security and Net Zero Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 735)Following on from that, can you tell us what you think the main challenges are in linking AMR developers with end users? How can we address those? | 27 |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Local Government ReorganisationEighty-four per cent of the people in Christchurch voted against being forced into a unitary merger with Bournemouth and Poole, and they are still living with the consequences of t… Local GovernmentHousingEconomy Jobs | 78 |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Topical QuestionsCan the Secretary of State tell us what the Government are doing to address the problem of number plate fraud? Number plates are being falsely registered to wrong addresses by the … TransportLocal GovernmentEconomy Jobs | 70 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Social Care | 71 | 35.5% |
| Treasury | 46 | 23.0% |
| Home Office | 19 | 9.5% |
| Ministry of Justice | 13 | 6.5% |
| Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | 10 | 5.0% |
| Department for Education | 6 | 3.0% |
| Department for Transport | 6 | 3.0% |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 5 | 2.5% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Mar 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the current estimate of the time for resolution of applications for visas under the family route. | Answered |
| 11 Mar 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what has been the cost to his Department of assessing claims under the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme in each of the last four years for which information is available. | Answered |
| 11 Mar 2026 | House of Commons Commission | To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will publish the details of the 12 asbestos incidents in the Palace of Westminster to which reference is made on page 25 o… | Answered |
| 11 Mar 2026 | House of Commons Commission | To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, what works are currently being undertaken to remove or isolate asbestos in the Palace of Westminster; and how many operatives are engaged in… | Answered |
| 11 Feb 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will reinstate the right to remain of a Christchurch constituent who has been classified as an overstayer pending review of his case, with reference 1212-0001-5632-8110/00. | Answered |
| 10 Feb 2026 | Treasury | To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential cost exempting repairs enjoyed by museums and galleries from VAT to include listed places of worship to the Exchequer. | Answered |
| 10 Feb 2026 | Treasury | To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many UK businesses at the most recent date for which information is available have had their Government Gateway access restricted on the grounds that their accounts may have been compromised by fr… | Answered |
| 03 Feb 2026 | Department for Culture, Media and Sport | To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, for what reason the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund is open to applications from places of worship which are not listed; and whether the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund is op… | Answered |
| 03 Feb 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Minister plans to respond to the email from the hon. Member for Christchurch dated 26 November 2025 on the use of civil enforcement powers by local authorities. | Answered |
| 03 Feb 2026 | Treasury | To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the annual cost to the Exchequer is of the exemption from VAT on repairs enjoyed by museums and galleries. | Answered |
| 21 Jan 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many awards had been made under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme for claims arising from Covid-19 vaccines as at 31 December 2025. | Answered |
| 19 Jan 2026 | Treasury | To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will publish the analysis carried out by HMRC which was used as evidence to conclude that removing the requirement to charge VAT on local authority sports and leisure activities would not signi… | Answered |
| 14 Jan 2026 | Treasury | To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2026 to question 101320, whether the hon. Member's representation was written or oral. | Answered |
| 14 Jan 2026 | Treasury | To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2026 to question 101321, whether the hon. Member's representation was written or oral. | Answered |
| 14 Jan 2026 | Treasury | To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2026 to question 101322, whether the hon. Member's representation was written or oral. | Answered |
E · Committees
| Committee | Role | House | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Procedure CommitteeSelect | Member | Commons | 04 Nov 2024 | present |
| Energy Security and Net Zero CommitteeSelect | Member | Commons | 21 Oct 2024 | present |
| Modernisation CommitteeSelect | Member | Commons | 09 Sept 2024 | present |
| Panel of ChairsSelect | Member | Commons | 30 Jul 2024 | present |
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 | 81 | 21,152 | 8.5% |
| Accommodation | 4 | 3,198 | 1.3% |
| Staffing | 3 | 219,334 | 88.0% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 3,693 | 1.5% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 1,864 | 0.7% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | Office Costs | 3 | 6,750 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 34 | 5,076 |
| Utilities | Accommodation | 4 | 3,198 |
| Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | Office Costs | 1 | 2,285 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 11 | 1,934 |
| Website hosting and design | Office Costs | 4 | 1,860 |
| Newspapers, journals, magazines | Office Costs | 11 | 1,808 |
| Bought-in services | Staffing | 3 | 1,500 |
| Utilities | Office Costs | 11 | 845 |
| Insurance - buildings | Office Costs | 1 | 219 |
| Postage & couriers | Office Costs | 1 | 128 |
| Mobile telephone - contract & usage | Office Costs | 3 | 125 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Other fuel | 789 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Other fuel | 763 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Insurance - buildings | higos annual bill shared with upstairs flat-my share | 219 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Business rates | christchurch business improvement district levy | 123 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Gas | 118 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Gas | 110 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Gas | 86 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Gas | 65 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Gas | 56 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Gas | 48 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Gas | 42 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Gas | 35 | Paid |
| 29 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Maintenance, Redecorations & Repairs | decorating and repair -37 bargates | 2,285 | Paid |
| 29 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | office rent -37 Bargates | 2,250 | Paid |
| 29 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Website hosting and design | website services for chrischope.com -march | 500 | Paid |
| 29 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Water | 252 | Paid |
| 29 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Newspapers, journals, magazines | monthly subscription to times | 67 | Paid |
| 25 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Utilities | Gas | 1,394 | Paid |
| 23 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | 5 reams of copy paper | 28 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Website hosting and design | annual website fee for chrischope.com | 360 | 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.
7. (i) Shareholdings: over 15% of issued share capital1 entry
18 Apr 2024
Name of company or organisation: Carclew Limited
(Updated 20 June 2017)
8. Miscellaneous3 entries
14 Apr 2026
Director of Carclew Limited, a small private company which provides business consultancy services but excludes advice on parliamentary or public affairs (previously registered under Category 1 and updated 20 June 2017).
(Registered 1 April 2026)
18 Apr 2024
Joint Treasurer of the British-American Parliamentary Group. This is an unpaid role.
Date interest arose: 12 July 2023
(Registered 31 January 2024)
18 Apr 2024
Retired barrister.
(Updated 1 June 2015)
9. Family members employed and paid from parliamentary expenses1 entry
18 Apr 2024
Name: Christine Chope
Relationship: Spouse
Role: Secretary
Working pattern: Full time
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 10 wards, 19 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burton Grange | David Anthony Flagg | Christchurch Independents | 652 | 04 May 2023 |
| Burton Grange | Simon McCormack | Christchurch Independents | 727 | 04 May 2023 |
| Christchurch Town | Michael John Tarling | Liberal Democrats | 1,456 | 04 May 2023 |
| Christchurch Town | Mike Cox | Liberal Democrats | 1,619 | 04 May 2023 |
| Commons | Margaret Phipps | Christchurch Independents | 1,757 | 04 May 2023 |
| Commons | Vanessa Ricketts | Christchurch Independents | 1,574 | 04 May 2023 |
| Ferndown North | Cathy Lugg | Conservative and Unionist Party | 955 | 02 May 2024 |
| Ferndown North | Mike Parkes | Conservative and Unionist Party | 794 | 02 May 2024 |
| Ferndown South | Hannah Hobbs-Chell | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 621 | 02 May 2024 |
| Ferndown South | Julie Lorraine Robinson | Conservative and Unionist Party | 684 | 02 May 2024 |
| Highcliffe Walkford | Andy Martin | Christchurch Independents | 2,810 | 04 May 2023 |
| Highcliffe Walkford | David Francis Martin | Christchurch Independents | 2,450 | 04 May 2023 |
| Mudeford Stanpit West Highcliffe | Lesley Margaret Dedman | Christchurch Independents | 2,004 | 04 May 2023 |
| Mudeford Stanpit West Highcliffe | Paul Alan Hilliard | Christchurch Independents | 1,784 | 04 May 2023 |
| St Leonards St Ives | Barry Peter Goringe | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,160 | 02 May 2024 |
| St Leonards St Ives | Ray Bryan | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,236 | 02 May 2024 |
| West Moors Three Legged Cross | Andy Skeats | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,054 | 02 May 2024 |
| West Moors Three Legged Cross | David Shortell | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,056 | 02 May 2024 |
| West Parley | Andrew Charles Parry | Conservative and Unionist Party | 564 | 02 May 2024 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 89,373 | Electorate 71,060 (2024) |
| Median age | 54 | years |
| Degree-educated | 29.6% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 96.9% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 78.1% | households |
| Private-rented | 12.1% | households |
| Social-rented | 9.8% | households |
| Employment rate | 47.8% | 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.