Melksham & Devizes / data
Brian Mathew · Liberal Democrats · sitting since 04 Jul 2024 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
659days
from 04 Jul 2024
Divisions
324
of 504 possible
Attendance
64%
180 absent / paired
Whip alignment
96%
vs party majority
Speeches
288
83 debates
Written Qs
105
97 answered
Committees
1
memberships
Expenses
£157k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 100 claims
Interests
4
3 categories
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 65 | |
| Economy | 58 | |
| Employment | 39 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 25 | |
| Crime & Policing | 25 | |
| Education | 23 | |
| Pensions | 20 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 18 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Defence | 23 | 7,275 |
| Health | 9 | 4,564 |
| Economy Jobs | 21 | 4,564 |
| Local Government | 11 | 4,522 |
| Culture Community | 13 | 3,782 |
| Fiscal Policy | 7 | 2,576 |
| Cost Of Living | 6 | 2,359 |
| Social Care | 8 | 2,248 |
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.
| Date | Division | Whip | MP voted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 24Vote on whether to prevent someone from qualifying as 'terminally ill' under the assisted dying bill solely because they have chosen to stop… | Free vote | Aye |
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Third ReadingMPs voted on the Third Reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill — the final Commons vote on whether to pass the assisted dyin… | Free vote | No |
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 94Vote on whether to prevent someone from qualifying as 'terminally ill' under the assisted dying bill solely because they have voluntarily st… | Free vote | No |
C · Speeches
| Date | Contribution | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Apr 2026 | Driver and Vehicle Licensing AgencyI thank my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole (Vikki Slade) for securing such an important debate. I was recently contacted by a young person in my constituency … TransportHealthCrime | 342 |
| 21 Apr 2026 | Topical QuestionsThe Foreign Secretary has made it clear that a ceasefire in Sudan is a key priority. In the light of the Berlin conference’s shortcomings, can she detail the diplomatic, economic a… DefenceEconomy JobsImmigration | 57 |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Strategic Defence Review: FundingHave the Government considered issuing defence bonds, as proposed by the Liberal Democrats, to ringfence capital for defence spending? If not, why not? DefenceFiscal PolicyEconomy Jobs | 23 |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Driving Test Waiting Times3. What steps she is taking to help reduce waiting times for driving tests. TransportEconomy Jobs | 14 |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Driving Test Waiting TimesYoung constituents in Melksham and Devizes who are waiting months for driving tests are resorting to paying premium prices for cancellation apps, often getting slots halfway across… TransportEconomy Jobs | 99 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | International Development Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1330)Perhaps I can lead on from that and you will see the possible connection here. Baroness Chapman, you might like to think about this too. Last Sunday was World Water Day, but yester… | 149 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | International Development Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1330)My question is about the UK’s international climate finance. There are two parts to it but it is one question. How confident are you that the UK can maintain its climate leadership… | 64 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | International Development Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1330)I have two questions, if I may. Starting with you, Foreign Secretary, what is your strategy to communicate the Government’s decisions on aid to the UK public? | 27 |
| 24 Mar 2026 | International Development Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1330)My question is very much related to that. How are we engaging with the ICJ to ensure that crimes against humanity are being recorded, that action will be taken, and that belligeren… | 56 |
| 19 Mar 2026 | Snare TrapsI and many others in my constituency of Melksham and Devizes, and no doubt across England, welcome the new animal welfare strategy for England, particularly the banning of snares, … EnvironmentAgriculture | 69 |
| 19 Mar 2026 | International DevelopmentYesterday, I and my colleagues on the International Development Committee met staff from Action Against Hunger, who had just returned from Lebanon, to hear about the horrors they h… DefenceEconomy JobsEnvironment | 150 |
| 19 Mar 2026 | Snare Traps2. What progress she has made on banning snare traps. EnvironmentAgriculture | 10 |
| 17 Mar 2026 | International Development Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1773)What is your assessment of the impact of remaining sanctions on the ability of humanitarian actors to deliver UK aid effectively? | 21 |
| 17 Mar 2026 | International Development Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1773)To dig down a bit, to what extent do remaining sanctions, including secondary sanctions on organisations and state-owned bodies doing business with Syria, affect long-term private … | 33 |
| 17 Mar 2026 | International Development Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 1773)In June 2025 the UK Government announced that they intended to keep the impact of sanctions amendments under review. What progress have you made ? | 25 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Social Care | 20 | 19.0% |
| Department for Transport | 19 | 18.1% |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 15 | 14.3% |
| Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | 14 | 13.3% |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 8 | 7.6% |
| Department for Education | 6 | 5.7% |
| Cabinet Office | 5 | 4.8% |
| Ministry of Defence | 5 | 4.8% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Apr 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a public inquiry into the effects of diethylstilbestrol. | Pending |
| 22 Apr 2026 | Department of Health and Social Care | To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what training healthcare professionals are given on the impacts of diethylstilbestrol. | Pending |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if the Department will undertake a formal review of how local authorities assess young people who present as homeless under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. | Pending |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how the Department monitors local authority performance in supporting young people facing homelessness. | Pending |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Department plans to undertake a formal review to understand why the rate of young people presenting as homeless has continued to rise. | Pending |
| 20 Apr 2026 | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Department is taking to ensure consistency in how local authorities interpret and apply statutory duties to young people presenting as homeless. | Pending |
| 15 Apr 2026 | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help support victims of the humanitarian situation in Sudan. | Pending |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Department for Education | To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the tender for the new School Sport Partnerships Network will be released, and what steps are being taken to ensure continuity of provision for schools and young people. | Pending |
| 10 Apr 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for care workers to switch sponsorship via Undefined Certificate of Sponsorship have been submitted to date. | Answered |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether missions launching from RAF Fairford are strictly for the purposes of defence. | Answered |
| 26 Mar 2026 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential risks of allowing US strikes on Iran from RAF Fairford to local communities. | Answered |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support partner governments and organisations whose WASH4Health Programme has been cancelled. | Answered |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much of the UK's International Development Association contribution will be spent on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene programmes. | Answered |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of the UK's planned multilateral development financing will be spent on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programmes. | Answered |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the cancellation of the WASH4Health Programme on i) supporting women and girls and ii) tackling global… | Answered |
E · Committees
| Committee | Role | House | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Development 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 | 76 | 19,545 | 12.4% |
| Accommodation | 9 | 16,040 | 10.2% |
| Staffing | 1 | 114,353 | 72.7% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 3,566 | 2.3% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 3,702 | 2.4% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | Accommodation | 9 | 16,040 |
| Rent | Office Costs | 10 | 11,574 |
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 1 | 2,450 |
| Pooled staffing services | Office Costs | 1 | 2,450 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 2 | 2,040 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 32 | 1,310 |
| Equipment - purchase | Office Costs | 6 | 915 |
| Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Office Costs | 15 | 652 |
| Advertising and contact cards | Office Costs | 4 | 402 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 4 | 194 |
| Mobile telephone - contract & usage | Office Costs | 1 | 5 |
| Postage & couriers | Office Costs | 1 | 2 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 May 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | [***] 60279134:1 is a duplicate of 60278064:1 | 0 | Repaid |
| 01 Apr 2025 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 2,440 | Paid |
| 01 Apr 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 1,800 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -1,800 | Paid |
| 31 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | 2024-25 [***] rent pro-rata | -2,440 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 150 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Subscription to Canva online design software | 100 | Paid |
| 14 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | 50 | Paid |
| 08 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | 30 | Paid |
| 04 Mar 2025 | Accommodation Rent | Rent | 2,440 | Paid |
| 04 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Rent | Rent | 1,800 | Paid |
| 01 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | Venue hire, meetings & surgeries | 90 | Paid |
| 01 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Advertising and contact cards | WILTSHIRE PUBLICATIONS | 89 | Paid |
| 28 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Equipment - purchase | Office furniture | 110 | Paid |
| 21 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | highlighters for constituency office | 5 | Paid |
| 09 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | A6 notebooks | 78 | Paid |
| 09 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | jotters | 13 | Paid |
| 09 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Jotters for constituency office | 11 | Paid |
| 08 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | pens, desk pad planners, A4 notebooks for constituency office | 112 | Paid |
| 08 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | printer paper | 69 | 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.
3. Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources1 entry
25 Mar 2025
Name of donor: National Liberal Club
Address of donor: National Liberal Club, 1 Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2HE
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Complimentary Honorary Membership, value £1,280
Date received: 11 September 2024 to 31 December 2025
Date accepted: 11 September 2024
Donor status: other (Members Club)
(Registered 13 March 2025)
4. Visits outside the UK1 entry
29 Apr 2025
Name of donor: AIM Congress Abu Dhabi
Address of donor: ADNEC, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Estimate of the probable value (or amount of any donation): Flights, standard class (£1,019.12), dinner (£120.00), four nights accommodation (£912.96), Estimated, value £2,052.08
Destination of visit: United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi)
Dates of visit: 4 April 2025 to 9 April 2025
Purpose of visit: To give a talk on supply chains in Africa to the AIM Congress
(Registered 25 April 2025)
8. Miscellaneous2 entries
16 Dec 2025
Unitary Councillor on Wiltshire Council (unpaid since 1 May 2025 and previously registered under Category 1).
Date interest ended: 1 May 2025
(Registered 2 August 2024; updated 3 December 2025)
18 Nov 2025
Wiltshire Council Councillor, (previously registered under Category 1)
Date interest ended: 1 May 2025
(Registered 2 August 2024; updated 10 November 2025)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 19 wards, 19 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowerhill | Nick Holder | Conservative and Unionist Party | 799 | 06 May 2021 |
| Box Colerne | Brian Mathew | Liberal Democrats | 1,260 | 06 May 2021 |
| Bradford On Avon North | Tim Trimble | Liberal Democrats | 1,000 | 06 May 2021 |
| Bradford On Avon South | Sarah Gibson | Liberal Democrats | 1,591 | 06 May 2021 |
| Bromham Rowde Roundway | Laura Mayes | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,118 | 06 May 2021 |
| Calne South | Sam Pearce-Kearney | Liberal Democrats | 938 | 06 May 2021 |
| Devizes East | Kelvin James Nash | Conservative and Unionist Party | 779 | 06 May 2021 |
| Devizes North | Iain Wallis | Conservative and Unionist Party | 558 | 06 May 2021 |
| Devizes Rural West | Tamara Reay | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,065 | 06 May 2021 |
| Devizes South | Simon David Jacobs | Conservative and Unionist Party | 879 | 06 May 2021 |
| Holt | Trevor Carbin | Liberal Democrats | 995 | 06 May 2021 |
| Melksham East | Mike Sankey | Conservative and Unionist Party | 335 | 06 May 2021 |
| Melksham Forest | Jack Oatley | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 519 | 06 May 2021 |
| Melksham South | Jon Hubbard | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | 670 | 06 May 2021 |
| Melksham Without North Shurnhold | Philip Alford | Conservative and Unionist Party | 890 | 06 May 2021 |
| Melksham Without West Rural | Jonathon Seed | Conservative and Unionist Party | 870 | 06 May 2021 |
| The Lavingtons | Dominic Muns | Conservative and Unionist Party | 935 | 06 May 2021 |
| Urchfont Bishops Cannings | Philip Whitehead | Conservative and Unionist Party | 834 | 06 May 2021 |
| Winsley Westwood | Johnny Kidney | Conservative and Unionist Party | 1,198 | 06 May 2021 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 94,569 | Electorate 73,482 (2024) |
| Median age | 47 | years |
| Degree-educated | 34.3% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 96.2% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 71.6% | households |
| Private-rented | 12.9% | households |
| Social-rented | 15.5% | households |
| Employment rate | 57.6% | 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.