Lab held for 5 consecutive elections.
MP News Approval i
+21
Richard Burgon
Labour PartyRichard Burgon is the Labour MP for Leeds East, and has been an MP continually since 7 May 2015.
MPs voted on whether to accept or reject a change made by the House of Lords to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Without debate excerpts, the specific content of Lords Amendment 106 cannot be determined, but the vote represents the Commons deciding whether to keep or overturn a Lords modification to this wide-ranging children's legislation.
MPs voted on whether to accept or reject a change made by the House of Lords to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Without debate excerpts, the specific content of Lords Amendment 38 cannot be determined, but the vote decided whether the Commons would override the Lords' modification to this legislation covering children's welfare and schools.
MPs voted on whether to accept the remaining Lords amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, a wide-ranging policing and criminal justice bill. This was a package vote covering multiple Lords changes, some of which the government accepted, others it rejected and replaced with alternative provisions, including on civil liberties issues such as freedom of expression and religion.
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Sign up freeCoverage of Leeds East has been predominantly positive for Richard across 40 recent articles.
Positive coverage
“Richard Burgon’s petition calling for wealth tax, not disability cuts, attracts over 40,000 signatures - Left Foot Forward” — Left Foot Forward
“'As much as the United States would wish otherwise, Cuba is not alone'” — Morning Star
Critical coverage
“Cocaine With The Castros - Conservative Angle” — Brigitte Gabriel
“Cocaine With The Castros” — The Daily Wire
A safe Lab seat, won with 47% of the vote in 2024. Covers Leeds, Garforth and Swillington. Population 108,588. Recorded crime is 74% above the national average. Median income £25K (below average).
I Joined the Nuestra América Aid Convoy to Show Cuba It's Not Alone | Jeremy Corbyn
Novara Media · 27 Mar 2026
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Sign up freeMedian Income▼
£25,000
per year (HMRC 2022-23)
Mean Income▼
£30,500
per year (HMRC 2022-23)
Businesses▼
3,365
VAT/PAYE registered (ONS 2024)
Schools▼
39
34 primary, 4 secondary, 1 other
Total Income Tax▼
£194m
from 52,000 taxpayers
Median Tax▼
£2,260
per taxpayer / year
Mean Tax
£3,700
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▼
39.8
average score (DfE)
GCSE Pass Rate▼
55.6%
5+ GCSEs 9-4 (DfE)
1 city, 2 towns, 1 village — 111,729 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
5 councillors across 5 wards · Last elections: May 2024
| Ward | Party | Councillor | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross Gates Whinmoor | Labour Party | James Gibson | May 2024 |
| Garforth Swillington | Garforth and Swillington Independents Party | Sarah Jane Field | May 2024 |
| Gipton Harehills | Green Party of England and Wales | Mothin Ali | May 2024 |
| Killingbeck Seacroft | Labour Party | David John Jenkins | May 2024 |
| Temple Newsam | Labour Party | Helen Elizabeth Mary Hayden | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2019 GEWon 2017 GEWon 2015 GE | Lab | 18,610 | 47.3% |
| Ref | 7,345 | 18.6% | |
| Con | 6,898 | 17.5% | |
| Green | 3,506 | 8.9% | |
| LD | 1,445 | 3.7% | |
| Ind | 664 | 1.7% | |
| Ind | 519 | 1.3% | |
| Ind | 222 | 0.6% | |
| Ind | 179 | 0.5% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2024 GEWon 2017 GEWon 2015 GE | Lab | 19,464 | 49.8% |
Won Hartlepool By-election | Con | 13,933 | 35.7% |
| Ind | 2,981 | 7.6% | |
| LD | 1,796 | 4.6% | |
| Green | 878 | 2.3% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2024 GEWon 2019 GEWon 2015 GE | Lab | 25,428 | 61.4% |
| Con | 12,676 | 30.6% | |
| Ind | 1,742 | 4.2% | |
| LD | 739 | 1.8% | |
| Green | 434 | 1.1% | |
| Ind | 422 | 1.0% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2024 GEWon 2019 GEWon 2017 GE | Lab | 20,530 | 53.8% |
| Con | 7,997 | 20.9% | |
| Ind | 7,256 | 19.0% | |
| LD | 1,296 | 3.4% | |
| Green | 1,117 | 2.9% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lab | 19,056 | 50.4% | |
| Con | 8,763 | 23.2% | |
| LD | 6,618 | 17.5% | |
| Ind | 2,947 | 7.8% | |
| Ind | 429 | 1.1% |
Richard Burgon 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.
18 articles hidden as not sufficiently relevant to this constituency
Jeremy Corbyn describes his participation in a humanitarian aid convoy to Cuba, delivering medical equipment and medicines to hospitals and solidarity centers while criticizing the US blockade as inhumane. Richard Burgon MP is mentioned as accompanying Corbyn to present aid at the Cuba Cancer Hospital during this international solidarity mission.
Labour MPs Richard Burgon and Karl Turner have issued strong criticisms of the government's handling of Morgan McSweeney's phone theft scandal, with Burgon submitting Parliamentary Written Questions and Turner calling McSweeney a 'lying bastard.' The controversy centres on allegations that McSweeney faked the phone theft to cover up messages related to the Peter Mandelson hiring scandal.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has expressed regret over appointing Lord Mandelson as US ambassador, acknowledging it was a mistake given Mandelson's links to Jeffrey Epstein. The controversy has deepened following revelations about a stolen mobile phone belonging to former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, with Leeds East MP Richard Burgon raising parliamentary questions about whether proper procedures were followed in reporting the theft.
The article discusses a major scandal involving Prince Andrew's connections to Jeffrey Epstein and allegations of sexual abuse with minors, leading to his arrest in February 2025. Richard Burgon, Labour MP for Leeds East, is quoted calling for an independent inquiry into the royal family's knowledge of Andrew's links and advocating for a national debate about abolishing the monarchy.
A conservative opinion piece criticising a delegation of left-wing activists, including Labour MP Richard Burgon, who visited Cuba as part of the Nuestra América Convoy to deliver humanitarian aid. The author argues the delegation is naive about Cuba's dictatorship and accuses them of hypocrisy for supporting an authoritarian regime.
Over 100 MPs, including Leeds East MP Richard Burgon, have signed an early day motion opposing Donald Trump's Cuba oil blockade, calling it collective punishment of civilians. Burgon, who recently visited Cuba delivering humanitarian aid, has called for the UK government to match its UN votes against the blockade with concrete action, including emergency humanitarian support.
The article criticises the 'Nuestra America Convoy' to Cuba, including Belfast rap trio Kneecap and Labour MP Richard Burgon, for hypocritical 'radical chic' activism while staying in luxury hotels and contributing little to Cuba's severe economic crisis. The author argues the convoy engaged in 'poverty tourism' and performative solidarity rather than genuine aid.
The article examines internal Labour Party tensions, particularly frustration among left-wing MPs with Keir Starmer's leadership. Richard Burgon is mentioned as one of 25 MPs who signed a statement calling for the party to 'end the factional agenda and restore party democracy,' amid concerns about trigger ballots and NEC elections.
Richard Burgon, the Labour MP for Leeds East, has publicly criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his handling of the Peter Mandelson scandal, declaring Starmer's position 'untenable' and predicting he will not lead the party into the next General Election. This represents significant internal Labour party discord with direct commentary from the constituency's own MP.
The article reports on mixed reactions from Labour MPs to the government's Budget, with Richard Burgon praising the scrapping of the two-child limit but calling for more ambitious taxation of wealth rather than workers. Burgon explicitly welcomes the mansion tax and pledges to push the government further on cost-of-living measures, positioning himself as an advocate for Leeds East constituents facing stagnating living standards.
Labour MPs, including Leeds East's Richard Burgon, are calling on the Government to scrap the two-child benefit cap in the upcoming budget to tackle child poverty and the cost of living crisis. The article highlights that Burgon, who previously had the Labour whip withdrawn for voting to remove the cap, is actively campaigning for this policy change which would benefit constituents in Leeds East.
Leeds East MP Richard Burgon criticises the Labour Party's truncated deputy leadership election timeline, claiming it prevents left-wing candidates from standing and broader debate on policy. He argues the rushed 80 MP nomination threshold by Thursday is designed to exclude candidates supporting a wealth tax, Gaza ceasefire, and opposition to disability cuts.
Richard Burgon, MP for Leeds East, reflects on the first anniversary of July 2024 violence in Harehills, praising residents for coming together in solidarity despite the disorder. The article highlights community resilience, the role of local organisations like youth charity CATCH, and condemns external actors who attempted to exploit the unrest.
Richard Burgon, MP for Leeds East, publicly declares he will vote against the government's disability benefits bill despite minor concessions, arguing the cuts still devastate disabled people by stripping £3.5bn in support. He calls for the bill to be scrapped entirely and proposes alternative funding through a wealth tax, positioning himself as defending vulnerable constituents against what he characterizes as an inhumane policy.
Richard Burgon, MP for Leeds East, has launched a petition backed by over 50,000 people calling for the government to implement a wealth tax instead of cutting welfare benefits. The article details his opposition to government welfare reforms and his pledge to vote against them in Parliament, reflecting broader Labour backbench resistance to the policy.
Richard Burgon, Labour MP for Leeds East, has launched a petition with over 40,000 signatures opposing government cuts to disability benefits, proposing a 2% wealth tax on assets over £10 million as an alternative. The campaign highlights the constituency MP's active opposition to welfare reforms and advocacy for vulnerable constituents facing benefit reductions.
Richard Burgon, Leeds East MP, addressed the Leeds Trades Union Council's AGM to discuss his representation of trade unionists in the constituency. The article covers his recent whip restoration after suspension for voting against government policy on the two-child benefit cap and winter fuel allowance, his commitment to resisting weakening of employment rights legislation, and his agreement to formalize regular parliamentary reporting to union bodies.
Richard Burgon MP argues for comprehensive sanctions against Israel in response to ICC arrest warrants and ICJ rulings on war crimes and illegal occupation. He details a letter he coordinated with 60+ parliamentarians urging the UK government to suspend arms transfers, implement travel bans, boycott settlements, and revoke trade partnerships with Israel.
This article announces the 2024 general election results for Leeds East constituency, where incumbent Labour MP Richard Burgon sought re-election. The piece provides context about the election timing, boundary changes, and directs readers to find the declared results.
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