Claire Young.

Elected in 2024, Claire Young has been most visible recently on two planning votes that reveal a consistent position: she backed regulations removing the automatic preference for academies when opening new schools, but voted against rules requiring planning officers — rather than elected councillors — to decide smaller housing applications. That second vote puts her on the side of local democratic accountability over central streamlining of housebuilding, a stance that runs through her record. She also voted against the new 50% steel import tariff, arguing it would harm downstream manufacturers in aerospace and engineering who cannot source specialist grades from UK producers.

Young votes with the Liberal Democrats on every recorded division — a 100% party-line record — but her participation rate of 73% sits below the Commons average. Her strongest policy alignments are with parliamentary scrutiny (93%) and Lords oversight (96%), and she deviates from her party colleagues most sharply on the private school VAT levy, supporting it more consistently than three-quarters of Lib Dem MPs. Her speeches concentrate heavily on economy and jobs, local government, energy, and cost of living. She sits on the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee, which aligns with her strong pro-climate voting — backing all three climate instruments that came before the Commons in June 2026.

Outside the chamber, her local press coverage highlights constituency casework on Yate station facilities, Royal Mail delays, fleecehold fees on new housing estates, AI's impact on local jobs, and dairy sector pressures — a mix of infrastructure, consumer protection, and economic concerns. News sentiment over the past 90 days is broadly neutral across 20 articles, with transport coverage slightly more positive. No rebel votes are on record, and her profile is that of an engaged but conventionally loyal first-term MP with a specialist interest in energy policy.