Bridget Phillipson.
Labour Party MP for Houghton and Sunderland South.
31 May 2026
Aligned with their council.
The Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson is the Labour MP for Houghton and Sunderland South, and has been an MP continually since 6 May 2010. She currently holds the Government posts of Secretary of State for Education, and Minister for Women and Equalities.
By issue — what do they vote on most?
Top eight by total divisions voted, this parliament. Volume measures engagement, not direction — see Notable Votes for free-vote moments and rebellions.
Source · The Public Whip · Hansard
Notable votes — free votes & rebellions.
Moments where the whip was free, or where Phillipson broke ranks. Free votes are the truer signal of personal stance.
| Date | Bill / motion | Vote | Whip |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Third Reading | No | Freevs party |
| 16 May 2025 | Closure motion | No | Freevs party |
| 16 May 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill Report Stage: Amendment (a) to New Clause 10 | Yes | Freevs party |
Words spoken, by topic.
Source · Hansard
Recent contributions.
Topical Questions
“The government will protect trans people from discrimination under the Equality Act whilst ensuring women and workers feel safe; the EHRC code of practice will be laid before Parli…”
Special Educational Needs Support
“The current SEND system fails families and needs reform; the government's £4 billion investment and three-tier framework will provide earlier, targeted support and break the advers…”
Educational Capacity
“Government is providing £2.5bn capital funding for school places and using surplus capacity for nurseries and SEND bases; schools should work with local authorities on closures.”
Falling School Rolls
“Government is actively supporting schools through targeted funding, demographic planning frameworks, school-based nurseries, and investment in social housing; changes to allow bett…”
Bluesky is the only social platform we ingest at the row level. The strip below is computed by classifying each post for substance (vs reposts, social mentions, scheduling) and then by tone (critical / measured / supportive) per target.
Most criticises
Most supports
Recent substantive posts.
| When | Topic | Tone | Excerpt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 May | Education | celebratory | “Labour is opening up access to subjects that have been the preserve of a privileged few for too long. We're investing in school sport and overhauling the syste…” |
| 21 May | Education | angry | “Across the country, free breakfast clubs are saving parents £450 and boosting children’s life chances. Will Reform councils back Nigel Farage in his attempt to…” |
| 20 May | Education | celebratory | “This government is overhauling a broken SEND system that failed children. We want every child to have the right support in local schools, without having to figh…” |
Phillipson holds no select-committee seat this session. New 2024-intake MPs typically wait one term before being appointed.
Top departments asked.
No tabled questions yet.
Most recent.
Register of interests.
Jim Murphy 16 October 2025 |
89Up Ltd 4 October 2025 to 25 October 2025 |
Labour First 6 October 2025 to 23 October 2025 |
Baron Sainsbury of Turville (David Sainsbury ) 17 October 2025 |
Fast Foster & Company Ltd 14 October 2025 |
Source · Members API · Last amended 18 Nov 2025
IPSA expenses.
| Category | £ | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Staffing | 234,592 | 84.4% |
| Office Costs | 28,205 | 10.1% |
| Accommodation | 6,622 | 2.4% |
| MP Travel | 5,035 | 1.8% |
| Staff Travel | 2,418 | 0.9% |
| Total · 215 claims | 277,953 | 100% |
Source · IPSA · FY 24_25
Nothing tabled for Phillipson on the published Order Paper this week.
| Year | Constituency | Votes | Share | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Houghton and Sunderland South | 18,837 | 47.0% | Won |
| 2019 | Houghton and Sunderland South | 16,210 | 40.7% | Won |
| 2017 | Houghton and Sunderland South | 24,665 | 59.5% | Won |
| 2015 | Houghton and Sunderland South | 21,218 | 55.1% | Won |
| 2010 | Houghton and Sunderland South | 19,137 | 50.3% | Won |
2024 — full result, Houghton and Sunderland South.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridget PhillipsonWON | Lab | 18,837 | 47.0 |
Showing the MP’s own row only. Full result table: see Houghton and Sunderland South →
Sources, methods & last update
The Public Whip
Updated 31 May 2026
23 Jul 2024 → 14 May 2026
0 tabled · 0 answered
None recorded
13 entries
£277,953 · FY 24_25
Refreshed daily
DCLEAPIL