North Down.

North Down's MP has been voting against the government -- and against the grain of fellow independents -- with notable frequency in recent months. In April, Alex Easton voted against the government on five separate occasions across the Crime and Policing Bill and Pension Schemes Bill, consistently siding with Lords amendments that the Commons majority rejected. He also voted to refer Prime Minister Starmer to the Privileges Committee over the Mandelson appointment, and opposed carrying over the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill -- a vote with direct significance for his constituency.

Easton's participation rate of 44% is well below the Commons average, meaning he votes in fewer than half the divisions held. When he does vote, the pattern is distinctive: he backs parliamentary and Lords scrutiny at a high rate (93% and 83% respectively), opposes tax increases consistently, and deviates sharply from other independents on public ownership and anti-centralisation measures -- voting against rail nationalisation and against local devolution provisions where his peers broadly support them. His 126 speech contributions span economy, social care, health, and defence, suggesting broad engagement rather than a narrow specialism. He sits on no select committees.

Outside Westminster, Easton drew local coverage for opposing a hotel development at Bangor Castle on community access grounds, and raised funds for North Down charities by climbing Kilimanjaro. His Brexit-sovereignty alignment stands 74 percentage points above fellow independents, which -- combined with his opposition to the Troubles Legacy Bill -- places him closer to unionist positions than his independent label implies. News data covers the past 90 days but debate transcripts are limited for some votes, so the precise reasoning behind several divisions cannot be confirmed from available records.