Blake Stephenson.

A Conservative backbencher elected in July 2024, Stephenson has built a visible local record while voting almost entirely with his party. His one rebel vote came in November 2024, when he backed Sir Gavin Williamson's amendment to strip Church of England bishops from the Lords as part of the hereditary peers bill — a position his party rejected. More recently he has voted against Labour's planning delegation regulations, the extension of employment tribunal time limits, and machinery safety rules tied to the Windsor Framework, consistent with the Conservative opposition line throughout.

At 72% participation he sits below the Commons average, though his 99.8% party alignment makes him one of the more loyal Conservative MPs. His voting record is strongly pro-business and anti-tax, and he is noticeably more sceptical of criminal justice reform, welfare expansion, and assisted dying than the typical Conservative MP. His 241 contributions across 139 debates cover economy and jobs most heavily, followed by fiscal policy, social care, and local government — with environment and housing also featuring regularly. He sits on both the Environmental Audit Committee and the Public Accounts Committee.

The broader context is partly shaped by his predecessor, Nadine Dorries, whose near-total absence from Mid Bedfordshire generated sustained criticism. Stephenson has since introduced a ten-minute rule bill on flood-risk housebuilding, championed the Universal Studios Bedford development through ministerial lobbying and parliamentary debates, and hosted over 55 constituency surgeries in his first year. Recent news coverage in the past 90 days is broadly neutral across health, business, housing, and transport issues.