East Hampshire.

Hinds stands out among Conservative MPs for twice backing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill against his party's majority -- at Second Reading in November 2024 and again at Third Reading in March 2025 -- supporting legislation to create a smoke-free generation by progressively raising the legal age for buying tobacco. Beyond that cross-party stance, his recent activity has been firmly oppositional: he voted to refer Keir Starmer to the Privileges Committee over the Mandelson appointment, opposed the government's power to direct pension fund investments, and consistently backed Lords amendments to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. Locally, he has been vocal on NHS provision, raising concerns about community hospital bed reductions and pushing for new hospital infrastructure in his constituency.

At 80% voting participation and 99.5% party alignment, Hinds is a reliable Conservative voice who deviates only occasionally and on specific grounds. His speech record -- 496 contributions across 130 debates -- puts him above the average backbencher for activity. Education dominates his speaking topics (66 contributions), followed by economy and jobs, social care, and fiscal policy, a pattern consistent with his background as a former Education Secretary.

His membership of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee explains a notable cluster of culture and community coverage in local news, though that coverage tends toward ceremonial engagements rather than advocacy. Where the news scores are higher, the stories are substantive: NHS funding, local government reorganisation, and rural policing reform. His opposition to merging police forces and to council reorganisation in Hampshire reflects a consistent thread -- scepticism of centralising reforms that reduce local control, which aligns with his 100% pro-Lords-scrutiny voting record.