Lab held for 6 consecutive elections.
MP News Approval i
+64
Debbie Abrahams
Labour PartyDebbie Abrahams is the Labour MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, and has been an MP continually since 13 January 2011.
MPs voted on the Third Reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill — the final Commons vote on whether to pass the assisted dying legislation in its amended form. Passing Third Reading sends the Bill to the House of Lords.
A closure motion was voted on to end debate and force an immediate vote on the matter under discussion. Closure motions are a procedural tool used to curtail further debate; passing one (288 Ayes vs 239 Noes) meant the House moved directly to a division on the substantive question.
Vote on whether to allow employers who opt out of providing assisted dying to also prohibit their employees from participating in assisted dying while working for them. This amendment to the Terminally Ill Adults Bill would let, for example, a religious hospice or care home prevent its staff from facilitating assisted dying even if the individual healthcare worker personally wished to do so.
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Sign up freeCoverage of Oldham East and Saddleworth has been predominantly positive for Debbie across 40 recent articles.
Positive coverage
“Oldham MP calls for draft law to scrap two-child benefit cap to go further - Oldham Times” — Oldham Times
“Andy Burnham set to be blocked from standing in Denton by-election - Saddleworth Independent -” — Saddleworth Independent -
Represented by Lab since 2024. Covers Oldham, Shaw (Oldham) and Lees. Population 110,688. Recorded crime is 100% below the national average.
Uppermill Band to give Mossley A Grand Day Out - Saddleworth Independent
Saddleworth Independent · 7 Apr 2026
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Sign up freeMedian Income▼
£26,500
per year (HMRC 2022-23)
Mean Income▼
£33,800
per year (HMRC 2022-23)
Businesses▼
3,345
VAT/PAYE registered (ONS 2024)
Schools▼
55
43 primary, 6 secondary, 6 other
Total Income Tax▼
£219m
from 47,000 taxpayers
Median Tax▼
£2,540
per taxpayer / year
Mean Tax
£4,670
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▼
45.1
average score (DfE)
GCSE Pass Rate▼
65.0%
5+ GCSEs 9-4 (DfE)
1 city, 4 towns, 3 villages — 109,378 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
8 councillors across 8 wards · Last elections: May 2024
| Ward | Party | Councillor | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandra | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | Zaheer Ali | May 2024 |
| Saddleworth North | Liberal Democrats | Garth Harkness | May 2024 |
| Saddleworth South | Conservative and Unionist Party | Max Woodvine | May 2024 |
| Saddleworth West Lees | Liberal Democrats | Mark Kenyon | May 2024 |
| Shaw | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | Lisa Adele Navesey | May 2024 |
| St James | Labour Party | Josh Charters | May 2024 |
| St Marys | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | Aisha Kouser | May 2024 |
| Waterhead | Independent Berwick Hills Resident | Naveed Tariq Chowhan | 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 GEWon Oldham East and Saddleworth By-election | Lab | 14,091 | 35.2% |
| Ref | 7,734 | 19.3% | |
| Con | 6,838 | 17.1% | |
| WPB | 4,647 | 11.6% | |
| LD | 3,386 | 8.4% | |
| Green | 1,490 | 3.7% | |
| Ind | 1,362 | 3.4% | |
| Ind | 517 | 1.3% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2024 GEWon 2017 GEWon 2015 GEWon Oldham East and Saddleworth By-election | Lab | 20,088 | 43.5% |
| Con | 18,589 | 40.3% | |
| Ind | 2,980 | 6.5% | |
| LD | 2,423 | 5.3% | |
| Ind | 1,073 | 2.3% | |
| Green | 778 | 1.7% | |
| Ind | 233 | 0.5% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2024 GEWon 2019 GEWon 2015 GEWon Oldham East and Saddleworth By-election | Lab | 25,629 | 54.5% |
| Con | 17,447 | 37.1% | |
| Ind | 2,278 | 4.8% | |
| LD | 1,683 | 3.6% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2024 GEWon 2019 GEWon 2017 GEWon Oldham East and Saddleworth By-election | Lab | 17,529 | 39.4% |
| Con | 11,527 | 25.9% | |
| Ind | 8,557 | 19.2% | |
| LD | 5,718 | 12.8% | |
| Green | 1,152 | 2.6% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2024 GEWon 2019 GEWon 2017 GEWon 2015 GE | Lab | 14,718 | 42.3% |
| LD | 11,160 | 32.1% | |
| Con | 4,481 | 12.9% | |
| Ind | 2,029 | 5.8% | |
| Ind | 1,560 | 4.5% | |
| Green | 530 | 1.5% | |
| Ind | 145 | 0.4% | |
| Ind | 96 | 0.3% | |
| Ind | 67 | 0.2% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lab | 14,186 | 31.9% | |
| LD | 14,083 | 31.6% | |
| Con | 11,773 | 26.4% | |
| Ind | 2,546 | 5.7% | |
| Ind | 1,720 | 3.9% | |
| Ind | 212 | 0.5% |
Debbie Abrahams 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.
25 articles hidden as not sufficiently relevant to this constituency
Uppermill Band, a local brass band from the Saddleworth area, is performing live soundtracks to Wallace and Gromit films at The Vale in Mossley on May 9, following the success of previous performances. The event offers three showings and aims to bring accessible live music to the community.
JW Lees managing director William Lees-Jones won Business Leader of the Year at the 2026 Publican Awards. The Middleton-based brewery, which operates 50+ pubs across the region, criticised government inheritance tax changes affecting family businesses.
The DWP is celebrating the migration of 1.9 million people from legacy benefits (ESA and Housing Benefit) to Universal Credit, but the article criticises the policy for leaving 360,000+ vulnerable people without adequate support and forcing disabled people into poverty. The article highlights that many claimants have failed to migrate successfully, face reduced benefits, and mental health professionals have warned of risks including destitution and death.
The Department of Work and Pensions continues to send unlawful repayment bills to carers despite a damning review finding its guidance was illegal. Debbie Abrahams, chair of the Commons work and pensions select committee, has called out the DWP's 'torrent of missteps' and delayed repayment plans, with another inquiry now being considered.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned antisemitic attacks in Golders Green and praised interfaith solidarity between Jewish and Muslim communities at a Downing Street Eid event. Labour MP Debbie Abrahams raised concerns about goods from illegal Israeli settlements being sold in the UK.
Saddleworth Parish Council has reinstated and awarded the Spirit of Saddleworth Awards, honouring 11 individuals and 5 groups for their voluntary contributions to the local community. The awards recognise diverse contributions ranging from business support and youth services to environmental conservation and arts volunteering.
The DWP faces a new inquiry over delays in providing redress to thousands of carers wrongly issued overpayment bills. Debbie Abrahams, chair of the Commons work and pensions select committee, is threatening a fresh investigation into what she describes as a 'torrent of missteps' by the welfare department.
A new parliamentary report reveals that mortality rates in the north of England are 15% higher than the rest of the country, with disability rates 50% higher and an annual economic cost of £18bn. Debbie Abrahams, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, is hosting a parliamentary event to launch the report and advocate for closing the regional health gap as a national priority.
The article reports on the death of Phil Woolas, former MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth (1997-2010), who died from glioblastoma at age 66. Current MP Debbie Abrahams pays tribute to her predecessor, highlighting his significant legacy including work on Gurkha rights, ministerial service, and his long-standing charitable work with The Ace Centre in Oldham.
Phil Woolas, former Labour MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth (1997-2010) and New Labour minister, has died aged 66 after battling glioblastoma. He was succeeded in the seat by current MP Debbie Abrahams following a 2011 by-election triggered by his election being voided due to electoral law breaches.
Debbie Abrahams, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, has welcomed the government's draft law to scrap the two-child benefit cap but calls it merely a 'down payment' on tackling child poverty. As Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, she argues the policy will lift 450,000-500,000 children out of poverty but emphasises this represents only 10% of all children in poverty, calling for a whole-system government approach.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, has been blocked by Labour's national executive committee from standing in the Denton by-election. Debbie Abrahams, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, has publicly expressed strong support for Burnham and called on the NEC to reconsider, praising his political record and personal mentorship.
The government's lifting of the two-child benefit cap will directly benefit around 4,910 children in Oldham East and Saddleworth constituency, helping lift them out of poverty. MP Debbie Abrahams has welcomed the change but called for a more comprehensive Child Poverty Strategy to address broader issues including the benefit cap.
Debbie Abrahams, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, has welcomed the government's scrapping of the two-child benefit cap as part of the Budget 2025, calling it a 'positive start' to tackling child poverty. She and fellow committee chair Helen Hayes emphasise the policy will lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty and highlight that most poor children come from working families, though they note further action through a comprehensive Child Poverty Strategy is needed.
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