Widnes & Halewood / data
Derek Twigg · Labour Party · sitting since 01 May 1997 · every division, speech and committee appearance.
Since election
10585days
from 01 May 1997
Divisions
322
of 504 possible
Attendance
64%
182 absent / paired
Whip alignment
95%
vs party majority
Speeches
413
60 debates
Written Qs
86
86 answered
Committees
2
memberships
Expenses
£229k paid
FY 2024–2025 · 66 claims
Interests
1
1 category
A · Overview
Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted — engagement only, not direction.
| Issue | Volume | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Taxation | 66 | |
| Economy | 54 | |
| Employment | 31 | |
| Crime & Policing | 30 | |
| Education | 22 | |
| Constitution and Democracy | 21 | |
| Energy | 20 | |
| Welfare and Benefits | 20 |
Speech topics
Words spoken, by topic. Source: Hansard.
| Topic | Debates | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Defence | 16 | 3,143 |
| Economy Jobs | 18 | 2,954 |
| Fiscal Policy | 6 | 2,037 |
| Technology | 4 | 1,648 |
| Culture Community | 5 | 1,255 |
| Education | 3 | 1,051 |
| Crime | 4 | 663 |
| Social Care | 5 | 639 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09 Jul 2025 | Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill: Third ReadingMPs voted on whether to pass the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill at its final stage in the Commons. The Bill makes c… | Rebelled | No |
| 01 Jul 2025 | Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill: Second ReadingMPs voted on whether to give the Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill a Second Reading, allowing it to progress through Pa… | Rebelled | No |
| 01 Jul 2025 | Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill: Reasoned Amendment at Second ReadingMPs voted on a 'reasoned amendment' at the Second Reading of the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill — a procedural move… | Rebelled | Aye |
C · Speeches
| Date | Contribution | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Apr 2026 | Defence Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 404)Why do you think they said that then? Are you talking to them? | 13 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Defence Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 404)But you do not have the figure. | 7 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Defence Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 404)That was for 2024. | 4 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Defence Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 404)Given what the RAF Families Federation said, do you actually support the view that there remains a significant vulnerability? | 19 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Defence Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 404)What I am hearing is that you do not have any proof or evidence that confidence has increased in the way that service complaints are being dealt with. | 28 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Defence Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 404)What is the current figure? | 5 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Defence Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 404)What about you, General Walker? | 5 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Defence Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 404)This question is important, because one thing that came out of the Atherton report is that leadership from the top is crucial to turning this around. We need to be assured that you… | 96 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Defence Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 404)So you do not have the 2025 figures to hand now? | 11 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Defence Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 404)Can I ask a specific question? A key reason for maintaining the jurisdiction of the service justice system in relation to serious sexual offences was its ability to operate oversea… | 60 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Defence Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 404)That is clearly what we are interested in. You can put all the systems in place, but we need to know whether people feel confident in using the system. What proof do you have that … | 54 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Defence Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 404)You see what I am getting at. We are looking for credible evidence and data that there is confidence. Making complaints is one thing, but actually being satisfied that a complaint … | 55 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Defence Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 404)The RAF Families Federation suggested that we need to revisit the recommendation for an independent defence authority. Do you agree? | 20 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Defence Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 404)May I ask each of the service chiefs, who have mentioned the statistics on a number of issues, how the key performance indicator of 90% of service complaints being dealt with in a … | 77 |
| 14 Apr 2026 | Defence Committee — Oral Evidence (HC 404)You describe what you are doing, which is interesting, but my question was specifically about what proof you have that confidence has increased and is increasing in service complai… | 29 |
D · Written questions
Top departments
| Department | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Ministry of Defence | 45 | 52.3% |
| Department of Health and Social Care | 19 | 22.1% |
| Cabinet Office | 10 | 11.6% |
| Home Office | 5 | 5.8% |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 3 | 3.5% |
| Department for Education | 2 | 2.3% |
| Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | 1 | 1.2% |
| Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | 1 | 1.2% |
Most recent
| Date | Department | Question | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04 Mar 2026 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether data for Death Benefit nominations was migrated successfully from paper systems to the online Civil Service Pension Scheme system run by Capita. | Answered |
| 11 Feb 2026 | Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the capacity of (a) energy suppliers and (b) the National Grid to provide power for the cooling systems for proposed new A… | Answered |
| 10 Feb 2026 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who will pay the costs of resolving issues related to the administration of the Civil Service Pension scheme by Capita. | Answered |
| 10 Feb 2026 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether officials in his Department had discussions with MOD officials on the suitability of Capita to run government contracts prior to the award of the Civil Service pensions contract. | Answered |
| 10 Feb 2026 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Minister signed off the decision to award the Civil Service Pensions contract to Capita. | Answered |
| 02 Feb 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to Question 101725 tabled by the hon. Member for Widnes and Halewood on 2 January 2026. | Answered |
| 02 Feb 2026 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to Question 106941 tabled by the hon. Member for Widnes and Halewood on 20 January 2026. | Answered |
| 02 Feb 2026 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to Question 106942 tabled by the hon. Member for Widnes and Halewood on 20 January 2026. | Answered |
| 20 Jan 2026 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what action he is taking to decrease the time taken to provide information and payments in respect of the Civil Service Pension Scheme. | Answered |
| 20 Jan 2026 | Cabinet Office | To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what is the current waiting time for information on pension lump sums requested by members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme. | Answered |
| 02 Jan 2026 | Home Office | To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to her oral answer of 17 November 2025, Official Report column 524, what steps she will take to stop asylum seekers who have committed crimes and are deported making a new asylu… | Answered |
| 12 Dec 2025 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the underspend and overspend was for (a) Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit and (b) Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit for the (i) Royal Navy, (ii) Army and (iii) RAF as at 1 November… | Answered |
| 03 Dec 2025 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his estimate is for carrying out the necessary repairs for the fleet of MAN Logistic Support Vehicles; and how long will it be before the whole fleet is back in service. | Answered |
| 03 Dec 2025 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, where were the Army's MAN Logistic Support Vehicle built; and what is the age of the vehicles. | Answered |
| 03 Dec 2025 | Ministry of Defence | To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost in (a) time and (b) resource to (i) the Army and (ii) his Department of dealing with problems with the Ajax vehicle. | Answered |
E · Committees
| Committee | Role | House | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defence CommitteeSelect | Member | Commons | 21 Oct 2024 | present |
| Panel of ChairsSelect | Member | Commons | 30 Jul 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staffing | 1 | 179,687 | 78.4% |
| Office Costs | 52 | 13,977 | 6.1% |
| Accommodation | 2 | 26,560 | 11.6% |
| MP Travel | 0 | 6,988 | 3.0% |
| Staff Travel | 0 | 1,954 | 0.9% |
Top itemised cost types
| Cost type | Category | Claims | Paid (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pooled staffing services | Staffing | 1 | 4,600 |
| Stationery & printing | Office Costs | 30 | 2,382 |
| Council tax | Accommodation | 1 | 973 |
| Software & applications | Office Costs | 1 | 720 |
| Utilities | Accommodation | 1 | 705 |
| Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Office Costs | 13 | 580 |
| Waste disposal, confidential waste & rubbish collection | Office Costs | 5 | 503 |
| Insurance - contents | Office Costs | 1 | 269 |
| Advertising and contact cards | Office Costs | 1 | 38 |
| Landline phone & internet - installation & equipment purchase | Office Costs | 1 | 31 |
Most recent
| Date | Category | Description | Paid (£) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Waste disposal, confidential waste & rubbish collection | ECOSHRED [200011725-5518] | 64 | Paid |
| 21 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline | 64 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 150 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 139 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 139 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 139 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 102 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 59 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 26 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 16 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 14 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 9 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 5 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 4 | Paid |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Office Costs Stationery & printing | Banner March 2025 | 3 | Paid |
| 18 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Waste disposal, confidential waste & rubbish collection | ECOSHRED | 254 | Paid |
| 10 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline | 64 | Paid |
| 10 Feb 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - installation & equipment purchase | Landline | 31 | Paid |
| 15 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline | 36 | Paid |
| 01 Jan 2025 | Office Costs Landline phone & internet - rental & usage | Landline | 93 | 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.
8. Miscellaneous1 entry
05 Aug 2025
Member of the Executive of the British American Parliamentary Group (BAPG). This is an unpaid role.
Date interest arose: 30 October 2024
(Registered 17 July 2025)
H · Ward results
Most recent winning councillor in each ward — 12 wards, 12 councillor seats.
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Votes | Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appleton | Eddie Jones | Labour Party | 826 | 02 May 2024 |
| Bankfield | Tony McDermott | Labour Party | 810 | 02 May 2024 |
| Birchfield | Angela Heather Ball | Labour Party | 878 | 02 May 2024 |
| Central West Bank | Pamela Wallace | Labour Party | 476 | 02 May 2024 |
| Ditton Hale Village Halebank | Mike Wharton | Labour Party | 799 | 02 May 2024 |
| Farnworth | Angela McInerney | Labour Party | 1,046 | 02 May 2024 |
| Halewood North | Alan Flute | Labour Party | 1,300 | 02 May 2024 |
| Halewood South | Edna Finneran | Labour Party | 978 | 02 May 2024 |
| Halton View | Rob Polhill | Labour Party | 802 | 02 May 2024 |
| Highfield | Andrea Wall | Labour Party | 1,042 | 02 May 2024 |
| Hough Green | Sandra Marie Baker | Labour Party | 748 | 02 May 2024 |
| Whiston Cronton | Terry Byron | Labour Party | 1,026 | 02 May 2024 |
I · Demographics
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population (2021 Census) | 96,188 | Electorate 70,161 (2024) |
| Median age | 42 | years |
| Degree-educated | 25.3% | level 4 or above |
| Ethnicity (White) | 96.1% | 2021 Census ethnic group |
| Owner-occupied | 65.9% | households |
| Private-rented | 13.4% | households |
| Social-rented | 20.6% | households |
| Employment rate | 57.2% | 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.