Lab took this seat from Con after 4 consecutive elections.
Chris Vince
Labour and Co-operative PartyChris Vince is the Labour (Co-op) MP for Harlow, and has been an MP continually since 4 July 2024.
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Sign up freeCoverage of Harlow has been mixed for Chris across 40 recent articles.
Positive coverage
“Fuel, energy and wages: what the Government is doing to ease pressures” — East London and West Essex Guardian Series
Represented by Lab since 2024. Covers Harlow, Lower Nazeing and Roydon (Epping Forest). Population 109,941.
I voted for Brexit. Now I face a red tape nightmare to retire in Spain
inews.co.uk · 12 Apr 2026
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Sign up freeMedian Income▼
£29,900
per year (HMRC 2022-23)
Mean Income▼
£39,200
per year (HMRC 2022-23)
Businesses▼
5,065
VAT/PAYE registered (ONS 2024)
Schools▼
50
37 primary, 7 secondary, 6 other
Total Income Tax▼
£380m
from 60,000 taxpayers
Median Tax▼
£3,130
per taxpayer / year
Mean Tax
£6,360
per taxpayer / year
Source: HMRC Survey of Personal Incomes, tax year 2022-23. Allocated by taxpayer residence. Covers income tax only — excludes NI, VAT, and capital gains. Sample-based estimate (~8% confidence interval).
Attainment 8▼
38.9
average score (DfE)
GCSE Pass Rate▼
52.8%
5+ GCSEs 9-4 (DfE)
1 city, 2 towns, 5 villages, rural areas — 111,361 total population
Source: ONS Built-Up Areas (Census 2021) + data.police.uk — crime rates are per 1,000 population (last 3 months)
Source: data.police.uk — street-level crime data aggregated from LSOA to constituency
27 councillors across 10 wards · Last elections: May 2024
| Ward | Party | Councillor | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broad Oak The Hallingburys | Residents for Uttlesford | Geof Driscoll | May 2023 |
| Residents for Uttlesford | Neil Reeve | May 2023 | |
| Church Langley North Newhall | Conservative and Unionist Party | Andrew Edward Johnson | May 2024 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Dan Swords | May 2024 | |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Michael Edward Hardware | May 2024 | |
| Church Langley South Potter Street | Conservative and Unionist Party | Danielle Sophia Brown | May 2024 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | James Leppard | May 2024 | |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Nicky Purse | May 2024 | |
| Hatfield Heath | Conservative and Unionist Party | Mark Lemon | May 2023 |
| Latton Bush Stewards | Conservative and Unionist Party | Alastair Hunter Gunn | May 2024 |
| Labour Party | Luke Patrick Howard | May 2024 | |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Stacy Mariana Seales | May 2024 | |
| Little Parndon Town Centre | Labour Party | Chris Vince | May 2024 |
| Labour Party | Maggie Hulcoop | May 2024 | |
| Labour Party | Tony Durcan | May 2024 | |
| Passmores | Labour Party | Daniella Pritchard | May 2024 |
| Labour Party | Jake Shepherd | May 2024 | |
| Labour Party | Tony Edwards | May 2024 | |
| Roydon Lower Nazeing | Conservative and Unionist Party | Chris Whitbread | May 2024 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Richard Derek Bassett | May 2024 | |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Ronda Pugsley | May 2024 | |
| Rural East | Conservative and Unionist Party | Ian Douglas Hadley | May 2024 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Ray Balcombe | May 2024 | |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Richard Morgan | May 2024 | |
| Sumners Kingsmoor | Conservative and Unionist Party | Clive Thomas Souter | May 2024 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Emma Louise Marie Ghaffari | May 2024 | |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Russell Mark Perrin | May 2024 |
Source: DCLEAPIL v1.0 by Jason Leman, LEAP (Andrew Teale) & Democracy Club. CC BY-SA 4.0. Data last refreshed: 1 Apr 2026.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lab | 16,313 | 37.6% | |
| Con | 13,809 | 31.9% | |
| Ref | 9,461 | 21.8% | |
| Green | 2,267 | 5.2% | |
| LD | 1,350 | 3.1% | |
| Ind | 157 | 0.4% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2017 GEWon 2015 GEWon 2010 GE | Con | 27,510 | 63.5% |
| Lab | 13,447 | 31.0% | |
Won 2024 GE | LD | 2,397 | 5.5% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2019 GEWon 2015 GEWon 2010 GE | Con | 24,230 | 54.0% |
| Lab | 17,199 | 38.4% | |
| Ind | 1,787 | 4.0% | |
| LD | 970 | 2.2% | |
| Green | 660 | 1.5% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2019 GEWon 2017 GEWon 2010 GE | Con | 21,623 | 48.9% |
| Lab | 13,273 | 30.0% | |
| Ind | 7,208 | 16.3% | |
| Green | 954 | 2.2% | |
| LD | 904 | 2.0% | |
| Ind | 174 | 0.4% | |
| Ind | 115 | 0.3% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2019 GEWon 2017 GEWon 2015 GE | Con | 19,691 | 44.9% |
| Lab | 14,766 | 33.6% | |
| LD | 5,990 | 13.7% | |
| Ind | 1,739 | 4.0% | |
| Ind | 1,591 | 3.6% | |
| Ind | 101 | 0.2% |
Chris Vince has not appeared in national political news coverage tracked by our system. This is common for backbench MPs who focus on constituency-level work rather than national policy debates.
12 articles hidden as not sufficiently relevant to this constituency
A Harlow resident voting to leave the UK now faces significant bureaucratic and financial barriers to retiring to Spain, which did not exist before Brexit. The article explores how post-Brexit visa requirements and healthcare costs have fundamentally changed who can afford to relocate to Spain, with only wealthier retirees and remote workers now able to make the move.
Plans for 780 new homes near North Weald have been approved by Epping Forest District Council, triggering proposals for a new exit slip road at M11 junction 5 to manage increased traffic. The approval raises concerns about congestion on local roads including the A414 and existing junction 7, with worries that multiple concurrent developments (including a Google Data Centre and a rejected Harlow application for 1,340 homes at Latton Priory) could overwhelm the area's infrastructure.
UK fruit and vegetable prices are rising due to Middle East disruption affecting energy costs, with particular impact on the Lea Valley near Harlow, one of the UK's most important produce regions. Local growers like Valley Grown Salads near Harlow report gas costs have surged by 90%, threatening the sustainability of the domestic crop industry without financial support.
A major development partnership between Places for People and Barratt Redrow will deliver up to 8,500 new homes as part of the Gilston Garden Town project affecting Harlow and surrounding areas. The scheme includes redevelopment of Harlow town centre with new Arts & Cultural Quarter, upgraded bus station, and Broad Walk redesign, representing a significant infrastructure and housing investment for the constituency.
Chris Vince, MP for Harlow, outlines Government measures to address cost-of-living pressures affecting constituents, including fuel price transparency, pension increases, wage rises, energy price cap reductions, and expanded childcare and breakfast club schemes. The article frames these policies as responses to global uncertainty stemming from Middle East conflicts affecting energy and commodity prices.
Developers Places for People and Barratt Redrow have unveiled plans for an 8,500-home 'new town' near Gilston and Harlow on the Essex-Hertfordshire border, including 1,950 affordable homes set within extensive green spaces. The project, after 20 years of development and legal challenges, is positioned as a blueprint for modern garden towns with integrated infrastructure and community-led planning.
Stansted Airport's Community Fund has distributed £240,000 to 80 organisations across Essex and Hertfordshire in the past year, including a grant to Harlow Steelband. The funding supports youth clubs, sports organisations, and charities within a 10-mile radius of the airport.
NatWest is closing 37 branches across the UK, with the Harlow branch confirmed to close on 21 May 2026. The closures are part of a broader shift toward digital banking, though the bank says it will replace many with Post Office banking hubs.
Housing developers Places for People and Barratt Redrow have announced a joint venture to build 8,500 homes in six interconnected villages on the outskirts of Gilston, on Harlow's northern edge, with planning permission already granted and enabling works underway. The development will include nearly 2,000 affordable homes, commercial space, and extensive green space.
A six-year-old girl from Harlow, Ruby Trussler, died from sepsis in October 2024 after being admitted to Princess Alexandra Hospital. Her sister is now campaigning for mandatory annual sepsis training for all healthcare professionals across the country, highlighting gaps in sepsis recognition and treatment protocols.
Hospital security bosses across Essex, including Harrow, report that over 70 thefts occurred in 2025 involving money, devices, and medical equipment. Both East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust and Mid and South Essex Hospital Trust emphasize security as a top priority, citing staff presence and CCTV coverage as preventative measures.
The article examines what local businesses want from Essex councils ahead of May 2026 elections, featuring commentary from the Greater Essex Business Board and local companies including Wright's flour mill in Harlow. Key concerns include infrastructure maintenance, skills development, and the perceived lack of council engagement with business compared to past decades.
Essex Police are searching for a father and son, both named James Connors, wanted for multiple offences including firearm possession and theft. The younger Connors is wanted in connection with a shop theft in Harlow in November 2025.
A man has been charged with theft following a reported theft of a dinner service from Next at Queensgate Centre in Harlow on March 1. Lee Wade, 53, from Harlow, will appear at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on May 15.
Local council elections in the East of England on 7 May 2026 will test public opinion with a significant shift in the political landscape. Harlow Council, currently with a wafer-thin Conservative majority after Reform won a by-election in May 2025, faces partial elections ahead of its merger with Epping Forest and Uttlesford to form a new West Essex unitary authority in 2027.
As Essex prepares for 2026 local elections, residents in Harlow express mixed feelings about the country's direction, with concerns about roads, the economy, cost of living, and housing availability dominating conversations. The article highlights Harlow's status as a politically representative town and notes that control of the district council hinges on closely contested wards, with the Conservatives defending a majority of just one.
A PE teacher at Stewards Academy in Harlow, Charlotte Venables, was found to have physically dragged a pupil across a changing room floor in 2022 but was allowed to continue teaching. A Teaching Regulation Agency panel ruled against a prohibition order, citing her remorse and the exceptional nature of the case, though the incident raised serious safeguarding concerns.
Essex hospitals reported 73 thefts in 2025, with 12 incidents at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow. Items stolen included money, electronics, and medical equipment from staff, patients and relatives across five hospital sites.
A PE teacher at Stewards Academy in Harlow was found to have used inappropriate force against a Year 8 pupil by dragging her across a changing room floor, but was spared a classroom ban after a Teaching Regulation Agency hearing concluded the incident was isolated and out of character. The case raises concerns about safeguarding and physical conduct standards in local schools.
A family has paid tribute to seven-year-old Summer Grant, who died ten years ago when a bouncy castle at Harlow Town Park was blown 300 metres down a hill during windy weather on Easter Saturday 2016. The tragedy occurred at Thurstons Fun Fair, and the operators were later convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence.
Police are appealing for a mystery letter writer to come forward with information about the 2012 Barn Mead fire in Harlow that killed Dr Sabah Usmani, their five children, and left Dr Abdul Shakoor as the sole survivor. Nearly 14 years on, Operation Shakespeare remains unsolved despite over 70 officers and extensive evidence collection.
UK supermarkets face potential shortages of cucumbers and tomatoes due to surging gas prices following the Iran War, with Harlow-based Valley Grown Salads warning of severe production challenges. Local growers in the Lea Valley are considering reducing output or exiting crops entirely due to unaffordable energy costs, while Labour leadership has indicated limited support for cost-of-living measures.
A former PE teacher at Stewards Academy in Harlow was allowed to continue teaching after a Teaching Regulation Agency panel ruled against a prohibition order following a 2022 incident in which she allegedly dragged a pupil across a changing room floor. The panel found the incident was 'entirely out of character' and that the teacher had shown exceptional remorse and remediation.
Essex Police are searching for a 20-year-old man with links to Harlow in connection with a serious assault that occurred in the constituency on 1 March, and a recall to prison. The appeal seeks public assistance in locating the suspect.
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