Labour and Co-operative Party MP for Harlow.
A 100% party-line voter with 676 contributions across 455 debates, Chris Vince has been an active presence in the Commons since winning Harlow in July 2024 — but faces a divided verdict back home. His most recent votes back the government across the board: supporting the removal of academies' automatic preference in new school openings, streamlining planning decisions away from local councillors for smaller housing sites, and extending employment tribunal time limits to six months. He has not broken with Labour on a single recorded vote.
His participation rate of 91% sits above the Commons average, and his speech activity is substantial. Economy and jobs dominate his contributions, followed by social care, defence, and local government. His stance profile marks him as strongly aligned with workers' rights and progressive taxation, while sitting well below the Labour average on parliamentary scrutiny, civil liberties, and Lords oversight — consistent with a loyalist who backs the government's agenda without friction. The clearest deviation from his parliamentary colleagues is on assisted dying: he voted more permissively than most Labour MPs, sitting 31 percentage points above the party average on expanding access.
His constituency profile is mixed. He chairs the APPG on Young Carers and has lobbied successfully to protect the UKHSA facility for Harlow — coverage of both attracted positive local sentiment. However, his response to an M&S investment announcement drew sharp criticism from constituents who accused him of claiming credit for work done by the council, and a New Year message prompted comments describing him as invisible and unresponsive on local issues such as the loss of a GP surgery. He sits on the Education Committee. No rebel votes are on record.
Chris Vince is the Labour (Co-op) MP for Harlow, and has been an MP continually since 4 July 2024.
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
Moments where the whip was free, or where Vince broke ranks. Free votes are the truer signal of personal stance.
No rebellions or free votes recorded yet.
Source · Hansard
“Cross-government coordination on violence against women and girls is essential; previous strategies failed because other departments lacked buy-in and worked in silos.”
“Youth unemployment predates this government; cross-party consensus exists on embedding employment skills earlier in education, though the Opposition's red-tape argument misses stru…”
“Supports the government's review but emphasises the urgent need for continued practical support for unpaid carers who face barriers to employment in constituencies like Harlow.”
“While broadly supporting the reforms, expressed concern about judicial discretion and called for transparency, monitoring, and local court reopenings.”
Select, joint and other committees Vince currently sits on. Committee work is where much of the line-by-line scrutiny of bills and departments happens, away from the chamber.
| Committee | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|
| City of London (Markets) Bill | Chair | Select |
| City of London (Markets) Bill | Member | Select |
| Cheltenham Borough Council (Markets) Bill | Member | Select |
| Education Committee | Member | Select |
| General Cemetery Bill [HL] | Member | Select |
| Norwich Livestock Market Bill [HL] | Member | Select |
| Backbench Business Committee | Member | Select |
Source · UK Parliament Committees API
Vince chairs a committee — an elected position with real agenda-setting power over what gets scrutinised.
| Department | Qs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Social Care | 6 | 26.1% |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 3 | 13.0% |
| Department for Education | 2 | 8.7% |
| Home Office | 2 | 8.7% |
| Ministry of Defence | 2 | 8.7% |
| Treasury | 1 | 4.3% |
| Wales Office | 1 | 4.3% |
| Department for Business and Trade | 1 | 4.3% |
Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on coordinating the work of the Co-operative Development Unit across Government.
My department is working across Government to deliver our manifesto commitment to double the size of the co-operative and mutuals sector, following the commitment to establish a Co-operatives Development Unit in the Pride in Place Strategy.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of co-operative models on international development.
The Government is modernising its approach to development, moving from donors to investors, from delivering services to supporting systems, from providing grants to utilising our expertise, and from international interventions to supporting…read full →
Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help reduce the number of families in temporary accommodation in Harlow constituency.
We must tackle the root causes of homelessness and move away from a crisis response towards preventing homelessness in the first place to reduce the number of families in temporary accommodation. That’s why our National Plan to End Homeless…read full →
What recent progress the Defending Democracy Taskforce has made on protecting democratic institutions.
The Taskforce is driving forward a whole of government response to the threats to our democratic institutions.Recent progress includes developing new legislation to address the abhorrent harassment and intimidation experienced by elected re…read full →
Manchester Airport group 11 March 2026 |
Trustee of Razed Roof an Inclusive theatre company. This is an unpaid role.
Trustee of Razed Roof an Inclusive theatre company. This is an unpaid role.
Date interest arose: 5 July 2024
Date interest ended: 28 Janua… |
Trustee of Youth Concern Trust. This is an unpaid role.
Trustee of Youth Concern Trust. This is an unpaid role.
Date interest arose: 19 August 2024
(Registered 30 August 2024) |
Member of NEC of the Cooperative Party. This is an unpaid role.
Member of NEC of the Cooperative Party. This is an unpaid role.
(Registered 10 July 2024) |
Source · Members API · Last amended 14 Apr 2026
| Category | £ | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Staffing | 136,925 | 82.6% |
| Office Costs | 25,566 | 15.4% |
| MP Travel | 2,505 | 1.5% |
| Staff Travel | 845 | 0.5% |
| Total · 57 claims | 165,840 | 100% |
Source · IPSA · FY 24_25
Nothing tabled for Vince on the published Order Paper this week.
| Year | Constituency | Votes | Share | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Harlow | 16,313 | 37.6% | Won |
| 2019 | Hertford and Stortford | 14,092 | 23.4% | Lost |
| 2017 | Chelmsford | 16,953 | 29.8% | Lost |
| 2015 | Chelmsford | 9,482 | 17.6% | Lost |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris VinceWON | Lab | 16,313 | 37.6 |
Showing the MP’s own row only. Full result table: see Harlow →