North Durham.

A steady, loyal Labour MP, Akehurst has drawn most public attention for his vocal criticism of Israel's decision to ban two British MPs from entering the country. He condemned the move as "outrageous" in April 2025 -- a intervention Jewish News reported carried "real force" with the government minister involved. On the domestic front, he has tabled a private member's bill targeting anti-social off-road bikes in North Durham, and pushed separate legislation to force action on empty high-street shops, citing "deep shame and disappointment" at town centre decline in the constituency.

At 83% voting participation -- broadly in line with the Commons average -- Akehurst has voted with Labour on every single recorded division, making him a 100% party-line MP with no rebel votes. His stance profile reflects that loyalty: strongly aligned with workers' rights and progressive taxation, and firmly opposed to Lords amendments curbing government powers. He deviates from his party average on consumer protection (voting that way more consistently) and shows slightly less support than Labour colleagues on assisted-dying safeguards and disability benefits. His 172 contributions span economy, defence, social care and local government -- the Armed Forces Bill committee and his defence speech volume suggest a genuine interest in security policy.

Akehurst sits on the Finance Committee and the Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill, giving him scrutiny roles on two politically significant pieces of legislation. Local news coverage -- drawn from 88 articles over 90 days -- skews towards community and health issues rather than controversy, and the seven "MP performance" articles average a notably positive score. Data on his full speech record is available; voting data runs from July 2024.