Derbyshire Dales.

A steady Labour loyalist with a local reputational problem hanging over him. Whitby has voted with his party on every recorded division -- a 100% party-line record across 463 votes -- but faces persistent criticism in Derbyshire for failing to resign from his Derby city council seat despite promising to do so "when the time is right" over nine months ago. Local coverage has been sharply negative on this, with constituents calling for his resignation and a formal petition submitted. On the plus side, he has used his seat on the Environmental Audit Committee to raise pharmaceutical pollution in the Peak District, drawing positive local coverage in February 2026.

His parliamentary record is active: a 90% participation rate sits above the Commons average. He speaks most frequently on economy and jobs, local government, social care, and health, with a consistent pattern of pro-workers'-rights and progressive-taxation votes. The only clear deviations from his party involve assisted dying -- he is notably more cautious than the average Labour MP on both safeguarding provisions and end-of-life autonomy, and more opposed to assisted dying outright, suggesting a principled rather than tribal position on that issue. He scores near-zero on pro-parliamentary-scrutiny and pro-Lords-scrutiny measures, reflecting consistent support for government over institutional checks.

Whitby took the seat in July 2024, flipping what had been a safe Conservative constituency held by Sir Patrick McLoughlin for 33 years. His early local advocacy on holiday lets drew positive coverage, but the council role controversy has dominated sentiment since mid-2025. Recent news across 57 articles in the past 90 days is broadly neutral. Full voting history is available from July 2024; no data predates his election.