Folkestone & Hythe / data
Tony Vaughan · Labour Party · sitting since 04 Jul 2024 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
659days
from 04 Jul 2024
Divisions
419
of 504 possible
Attendance
83%
85 absent / paired
Whip alignment
100%
vs party majority
Speeches
205
58 debates
Written Qs
86
77 answered
Committees
2
memberships
Expenses
£231k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 169 claims
Interests
27
4 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Economy | 86 | |
| Taxation | 83 | |
| Crime & Policing | 46 | |
| Employment | 44 | |
| Education | 34 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 27 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 26 | |
| Defence and Foreign Affairs | 21 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Local Government | 6 | 9,197 |
| Social Care | 12 | 8,329 |
| Immigration | 12 | 7,267 |
| Health | 9 | 5,730 |
| Crime | 10 | 5,489 |
| Economy Jobs | 11 | 4,599 |
| Transport | 2 | 3,792 |
| Cost Of Living | 6 | 3,369 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Apr 2026 | Maternity CommissionerCertainly, the petition is clear that without expert, national-level oversight, there is no way of turning that thicket of different guidance and frameworks into a coherent, enforc… HealthSocial Care | 310 |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Maternity CommissionerI beg to move, That this House has considered e-petition 751174 relating to a Maternity Commissioner. It is a privilege to serve under your chairship, Sir Alec. The petition calls … HealthSocial Care | 1,062 |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Maternity CommissionerI thank my hon. Friend for his intervention, and I echo his comments about the petitioner Louise Thompson and her advocacy on this issue. The petitioners’ analysis is that there ha… HealthSocial Care | 291 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Justice Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1771)In terms of how we do it, the consultation is trying to talk about particular duties around driving cultural change. The Bar Council has expressed views about an expansionist agend… | 69 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Justice Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1771)That is very helpful. | 4 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Justice Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1771)That is very helpful. Lastly and relatedly, in your time as chair of the KCA, there have been improvements in diversity, particularly for women applicants, but the position of blac… | 70 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Justice Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1771)Hi. My name is Tony Vaughan. I am a barrister with a practising certificate, an associate tenant at Doughty Street Chambers. I was appointed King’s Counsel last year. I draw attent… | 41 |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Justice Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1771)Thank you for your answers so far, Ms Shah. Under the Legal Services Act 2007, one regulatory objective that the LSB has to oversee is encouraging an independent and diverse legal … | 115 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Justice Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 469)Can you tell us a little more about that? Quite a lot of people in the criminal justice system have neurodiversity, and the failure to deal with that has often led to the problems. | 34 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Justice Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 469)Thank you, all of you, for your evidence so far. I want to ask about commissioned rehabilitative services. Aside from in Greater Manchester, these are commissioned centrally. The o… | 97 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Justice Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 469)Chris, the challenge in Greater Manchester is slightly different. Could you say something generally about resources, but also about joint working and information sharing between pr… | 36 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Justice Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 469)Can you tell us a little more about that? Quite a lot of people in the criminal justice system have neurodiversity, and the failure to deal with that has often led to the problems. | 34 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Justice Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 469)Good afternoon. My name is Tony Vaughan. I am the Member of Parliament for Folkestone and Hythe. I have a practising certificate as a barrister. I am an associate tenant of Doughty… | 93 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Justice Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 469)Good afternoon. My name is Tony Vaughan. I am the Member of Parliament for Folkestone and Hythe. I have a practising certificate as a barrister. I am an associate tenant of Doughty… | 93 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | Justice Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 469)Chris, the challenge in Greater Manchester is slightly different. Could you say something generally about resources, but also about joint working and information sharing between pr… | 36 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Social Care | 17 | 19.8% |
| Home Office | 13 | 15.1% |
| Department for Education | 10 | 11.6% |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 10 | 11.6% |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 8 | 9.3% |
| Department for Transport | 6 | 7.0% |
| Treasury | 6 | 7.0% |
| Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | 5 | 5.8% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Apr 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to increase road safety. | Pending |
| 23 Apr 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help reduce the number of driving test appointments wasted due to candidates failing to attend. | Pending |
| 23 Apr 2026 | Department for Transport | To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of driving tests terminated on the grounds of public safety. | Pending |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether proposed SEND reforms include provision for education other than in school. | Pending |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the merits of ending the NHS' Federated Data Platform contract with Palantir. | Pending |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to reduce livestock crime. | Pending |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether additional funding for the Targeted Plus group will be ring fenced. | Pending |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of a variable pace transitional arrangement with different commencement dates for dynamic alignment for the UK… | Pending |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to reduce fly tipping in rural areas. | Answered |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Treasury | To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to financially support hospitality businesses that are dealing with the loss of business rates relief and an increase in their rateable value at the same time. | Answered |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Treasury | To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the merits of increasing the Business Rates discount to twenty percent for hospitality venues. | Answered |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Treasury | To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the merits of delaying the Business Rates revaluation for hospitality businesses. | Answered |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how Specialist Resource Provisions fit within new school bases proposed in SEND reforms. | Answered |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many ECAA Indefinite Leave to Remain applications are pending. | Answered |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking to help support the end of the civil war in Sudan. | Answered |
E · Committees
| Committee | Role | House | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justice CommitteeSelect | Member | Commons | 27 Oct 2025 | present |
| Petitions CommitteeSelect | Member | Commons | 28 Oct 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 | 124 | 21,338 | 9.2% |
| Accommodation | 26 | 20,515 | 8.9% |
| Staffing | 4 | 180,273 | 78.1% |
| Miscellaneous | 1 | 280 | 0.1% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 2,977 | 1.3% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 5,498 | 2.4% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | Accommodation | 9 | 17,702 |
| Rent | Office Costs | 4 | 5,557 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 43 | 4,239 |
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 1 | 3,000 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 10 | 2,309 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 14 | 2,017 |
| Training - staff | Staffing | 3 | 1,717 |
| Utilities | Office Costs | 11 | 1,643 |
| Insurance - buildings | Office Costs | 1 | 1,521 |
| Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Office Costs | 15 | 1,288 |
| Hotel - London | Accommodation | 3 | 943 |
| Council tax | Accommodation | 1 | 733 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Website hosting and design | IONOS CLOUD LTD [200011725-9770] | 38 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -1,365 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -2,885 | Paid |
| 29 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Gas | 268 | Paid |
| 29 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Electricity | 102 | Paid |
| 25 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 3,125 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 2,383 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 450 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 300 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 184 | Paid |
| 17 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Cleaning services | Cleaning Services | 20 | Paid |
| 17 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Landline phone & internet - installation & equipment purchase | Internet | 0 | Repaid |
| 17 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Office furniture | 0 | Repaid |
| 10 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | PAYPAL VISTAPRINTB [200011725-4278] | 29 | Paid |
| 04 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Internet | 46 | Paid |
| 03 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | 75 | Paid |
| 03 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | 65 | Paid |
| 03 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Water | 49 | Paid |
| 03 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Website hosting and design | IONOS CLOUD LTD [200011725-2021] | 38 | Paid |
| 03 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Utilities | Water | 21 | 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 earnings22 entries
14 Apr 2026
Payment: £1,486.04 All work carried out prior to July 2024
Received on: 26 March 2026. Hours: none since my election.
Ultimate payer: confidential, confidential
(Registered 27 March 2026)
07 Jan 2025
Role, work or services: Legal services
Payer: Garden Court Chambers (Barristers' chambers), 57-60 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3LJ
Additional information: All payments from Garden Court Chambers are for work done before 2020, and will be listed below.
(Registered 16 December 2024)
16 Aug 2024
Role, work or services: Barrister
Payer: Legal Aid Agency (Legal services provided by me to a lay client, who is assisted by the Agency.), 102 Petty France, London SW1H 9AJ
Additional information: Any payments will be listed below.
(Registered 3 August 2024)
10 Mar 2026
Payment: £770.13 All work carried out prior to July 2024
Received on: 11 February 2026. Hours: 2 hrs hours worked is approximate.
Ultimate payer: confidential, confidential
(Registered 24 February 2026)
10 Mar 2026
Payment: £4,436.10
Received on: 17 February 2026. Hours: 11.5 hrs work completed between 04/07/2025 - 12/09/2025.
Ultimate payer: Confidential, Confidential
(Registered 24 February 2026)
03 Feb 2026
Payment: £1,131 all work carried out prior to July 2024
Received on: 7 January 2026. Hours: 3 hrs approximate.
Ultimate payer: confidential, confidential
(Registered 31 January 2026)
06 Jan 2026
Payment: £2,462.56 All work carried out prior to July 2024
Received on: 17 December 2025. Hours: 8 hrs approximate hours worked.
Ultimate payer: confidential, confidential
(Registered 22 December 2025)
18 Nov 2025
Payment: £9,378.39 All work completed prior to 4th July 2024
Received on: 4 November 2025. Hours: 35 hrs number of hours is approximate.
Ultimate payer: confidential, confidential
(Registered 17 November 2025)
21 Oct 2025
Payment: £37.49 this payment is for work carried out prior to July 2024
Received on: 26 September 2025. Hours: 0.3 hrs estimated working time of 20 minutes.
Ultimate payer: Confidential, Confidential
(Registered 15 October 2025)
17 Sept 2025
Payment: £1,431 work completed on 11/08/2025
Received on: 22 August 2025. Hours: 3 hrs.
Ultimate payer: confidential, confidential
(Registered 15 September 2025)
02 Sept 2025
Payment: £152.64 All work carried out prior to July 2024
Received on: 5 August 2025. Hours: 0.5 hrs.
Ultimate payer: confidential, confidential
(Registered 13 August 2025)
02 Sept 2025
Payment: £381.60
Received on: 21 July 2025. Hours: 1 hr total amount of time worked is 48 minutes on 02/07/25.
Ultimate payer: confidential, confidential
(Registered 13 August 2025)
02 Sept 2025
Payment: £1,869.84 All work carried out prior to July 2024
Received on: 4 August 2025. Hours: 9 hrs.
Ultimate payer: confidential, confidential
(Registered 13 August 2025)
05 Aug 2025
Payment: £1,131
Received on: 27 June 2025. Hours: 3 hrs 21/4/25 1.5hours 23/4/25 1.5hours.
Ultimate payer: confidential, confidential
(Registered 16 July 2025)
01 Jul 2025
Payment: £11,925 Payment for work carried out prior to 4th July 2024
Received on: 12 June 2025. Hours: 60 hrs All work carried out prior to 4th July 2024.
Ultimate payer: Confidential, Confidential
(Registered 23 June 2025)
17 Jun 2025
Payment: £3,271.17 Payment for work carried out prior to 4th July 2024
Received on: 29 May 2025. Hours: none since my election.
Ultimate payer: confidential, confidential
(Registered 4 June 2025)
03 Jun 2025
Payment: £202.20
Received on: 9 May 2025. Hours: none since my election.
Ultimate payer: confidential, confidential
(Registered 19 May 2025)
03 Jun 2025
Payment: £868.71
Received on: 7 May 2025. Hours: none since my election.
Ultimate payer: confidential, confidential
(Registered 19 May 2025)
03 Jun 2025
Payment: £2,457.58
Received on: 25 April 2025. Hours: none since my election.
Ultimate payer: confidential, confidential
(Registered 19 May 2025)
03 Jun 2025
Payment: £224.51
Received on: 24 April 2025. Hours: none since my election.
Ultimate payer: confidential, confidential
(Registered 19 May 2025)
03 Jun 2025
Payment: £4,017.14 For work done before 4 July 2024
Received on: 23 April 2025. Hours: none since my election.
Ultimate payer: confidential, confidential
(Registered 19 May 2025)
16 Aug 2024
Role, work or services: Barrister
Payer: Doughty Street Chambers (Legal services), 54 Doughty Street, London WC1N 2LS
(Registered 10 July 2024)
2. (b) Any other support not included in Category 2(a)3 entries
14 Apr 2026
Name of donor: The Refugee, Asylum and Migration Policy Project (RAMP)
Address of donor: The Courtyard, High Street, Ascot SL5 7HP
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Research services provided for 2 days per week (value stated is maximum), value £9,945
Date received: 1 April 2026 to 31 December 2026
Date accepted: 1 April 2026
Donor status: company, registration 12373468
(Registered 1 April 2026)
24 Feb 2026
Name of donor: The Refugee, Asylum and Migration Policy Project (RAMP)
Address of donor: The Courtyard, High Street, Ascot SL5 7HP
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Research services provided for 2 days per week, value £5,561.11
Date received: 14 January 2026 to 31 March 2026
Date accepted: 14 January 2026
Donor status: company, registration 12373468
(Registered 9 February 2026)
24 Feb 2026
Name of donor: The Refugee, Asylum and Migration Policy Project (RAMP)
Address of donor: The Courtyard, High Street, Ascot SL5 7HP
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Research services provided for 2 days per week, value £20,438.89
Date received: 1 April 2025 to 13 January 2026
Date accepted: 1 April 2025
Donor status: company, registration 12373468
(Registered 9 February 2026)
4. Visits outside the UK1 entry
01 Jul 2025
Name of donor: The Refugee, Asylum, Migration and Policy (RAMP) Project
Address of donor: The Courtyard, 69 High Street, Ascot, Berks SL5 7HP
Estimate of the probable value (or amount of any donation): Transportation and food (£260), translation costs (£175), value £435
Destination of visit: France (Calais)
Dates of visit: 12 June 2025 to 12 June 2025
Purpose of visit: To learn more about UK/French cooperation to tackle Channel crossings
(Registered 24 June 2025)
8. Miscellaneous1 entry
04 Sept 2024
Professional status as barrister with valid practicing certificate.
Date interest arose: 5 July 2024
(Registered 7 August 2024)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 9 wards, 21 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broadmead | Belinda Walker | Labour Party | 454 | 04 May 2023 |
| Cheriton | Mike Blakemore | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,018 | 04 May 2023 |
| Cheriton | Polly Blakemore | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,078 | 04 May 2023 |
| Cheriton | Rebecca Tamsin Shoob | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,219 | 04 May 2023 |
| East Folkestone | Adrian Ashley Lockwood | Labour Party | 962 | 04 May 2023 |
| East Folkestone | Connor Andrew McConville | Labour Party | 1,030 | 04 May 2023 |
| East Folkestone | Jackie Meade | Labour Party | 1,098 | 04 May 2023 |
| Folkestone Central | Abena Akuffo-Kelly | Labour Party | 1,058 | 04 May 2023 |
| Folkestone Central | Laura Davison | Labour Party | 1,211 | 04 May 2023 |
| Folkestone Central | Liz McShane | Labour Party | 981 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hythe | Anita Jones | Green Party of England and Wales | 2,971 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hythe | Jim Martin | Green Party of England and Wales | 2,930 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hythe | Rich Holgate | Green Party of England and Wales | 2,826 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hythe Rural | Jeremy Speakman | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,055 | 04 May 2023 |
| Hythe Rural | John Wing | Green Party of England and Wales | 1,103 | 04 May 2023 |
| New Romney | David Wimble | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 653 | 04 May 2023 |
| New Romney | Paul David Thomas | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 680 | 04 May 2023 |
| Sandgate West Folkestone | Gary Fuller | Liberal Democrats | 1,190 | 04 May 2023 |
| Sandgate West Folkestone | Tim Prater | Liberal Democrats | 1,408 | 04 May 2023 |
| Walland Denge Marsh | Alan Martin | Conservative and Unionist Party | 618 | 04 May 2023 |
| Walland Denge Marsh | Clive Goddard | Conservative and Unionist Party | 868 | 04 May 2023 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 93,577 | Electorate 70,056 (2024) |
| Median age | 47 | years |
| Degree-educated | 27.0% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 92.4% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 64.9% | households |
| Private-rented | 23.8% | households |
| Social-rented | 11.3% | households |
| Employment rate | 51.5% | 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.