East of England · England · 74,522Boundary · 2023

Suffolk Coastal

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Dispatch
Apr 2026

A marginal seat — won by just 1,070 votes (2.2%) in 2024. Covers Felixstowe, Woodbridge and Leiston. Population 88,207, notably older (median age 51 vs 41 nationally). Recorded crime is 47% below the national average.

A first-term MP making national headlines, Jenny Riddell-Carpenter has built her most visible profile around school road safety. After a Felixstowe boy wrote to the Prime Minister, she raised the issue at PMQs and secured a direct commitment from the PM to install a pedestrian crossing -- a rare piece of tangible constituency casework reaching the highest level. She has since introduced a private member's bill on school road safety and run a sustained "Safer at the Gates" campaign. Beyond transport, she has positioned herself as a voice for rural Labour politics, leading the Labour Rural Research Group and publishing research on rural economic challenges -- notable given Suffolk Coastal's character as a largely rural, traditionally Conservative seat.

Her parliamentary engagement sits at 81%, slightly below the Commons average, but she votes with Labour in 99.7% of divisions -- a near-perfect party-line record with one exception: she backed a new clause on the assisted dying bill providing for ministerial guidance and devolution provisions, placing her somewhat more supportive of assisted dying access than the average Labour MP. Her stance profile shows strong alignment with workers' rights and progressive taxation, consistent opposition to Lords amendments, and low alignment with pro-business positions. Speeches cluster around economy, local government, health, and social care -- topics directly relevant to rural constituencies.

395
Commons votes
This parliament
£28k
Median income
HMRC · 2024
74.5k
Electorate
2024 GE

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§ 06This week in Westminster.Live · today’s sittingOrder Paper · refreshed daily

Riddell-Carpenter’s scheduled Commons activity this week — whipped divisions, oral questions, debates — drawn from the House of Commons Order Paper.

§ 07The record, at a glance.411 divisions voted

Two readings of the same data. Issue volume shows where Riddell-Carpenter has cast the most ballots — a proxy for engagement, not direction. Notable votes are the moments where the whip was free or where they broke ranks.

Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted · cumulative this Parliament
Taxation
88
Economy
81
Employment
51
Crime & Policing
40
Education
37
Welfare and Benefits
25
Notable votes
Free votes and rebellions — moments the MP’s own judgment matters more than the whip
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: New Clause 213 Jun 2025 · free vote
Aye
§ 08The local picture.13 wards

Constituencies are not uniform. Below — the local council make-up, key facts worth knowing, and the neighbouring seats on either side.

WardCouncillorVotesParty
Aldeburgh LeistonKatie Graham1,961Green Pa
Aldeburgh LeistonSarah Caroline Whitelock1,896Green Pa
Aldeburgh LeistonTom Daly2,086Green Pa
DebenJames Phillip Mallinder773Conserva
Eastern FelixstoweJan Candy1,838Liberal
Eastern FelixstoweMark Jepson1,722Conserva
Eastern FelixstoweSeamus Bennett2,288Liberal
Kelsale YoxfordJulia Ewart752Liberal
Martlesham Purdis FarmEdward Duncan Thompson1,229Liberal
Martlesham Purdis FarmMark Anthony Clive Packard1,094Liberal
MeltonRachel Smith-Lyte890Green Pa
Orwell VillagesLee Reeves1,492Liberal
Population (2021 Census)
88,207
Electorate 74,522 · 2024 register
Median income
£27,800
HMRC SPI 2024
Households renting privately
17.0%
England average 20.0%
Schools
46
35 primary · 3 secondary
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More constituency data is being added, including local issue analysis and historical trends. Learn about our methodology. View data sources & attribution.