David Baines.

Baines made headlines in June 2025 by voting against the assisted dying bill at Third Reading — one of five rebel votes on the legislation that day. His dissent was consistent: he backed amendments designed to tighten the bill's eligibility criteria, including one that would have prevented self-starvation from qualifying a person as terminally ill, while voting against the final bill passing to the Lords. His stance runs well above the Labour average on end-of-life autonomy and assisted dying safeguards, suggesting a principled rather than arbitrary objection. Beyond that, he has attracted positive local coverage for championing a campaign to better recognise injured veterans — inspired by St Helens constituent Andy Reid MBE — and for publicly demanding the long-delayed Hillsborough Law be enacted without further delay.

At 66% voting participation, Baines votes less frequently than the Commons average, though the pattern is not unusual for newer MPs balancing constituency work. Where he does vote, he is a 96.4% party-line MP. His speeches — 65 contributions across 48 debates — concentrate on economy and jobs, education, social care, and cost of living, territory that maps closely onto his membership of the Work and Pensions Committee. He scores 0% on pro-business and anti-employer-NI-increase stances, and backs progressive taxation in every relevant vote.

Much of the negative press attached to his constituency concerns his predecessor, Conor McGinn, who faces serious criminal allegations from his time as MP — none of this reflects on Baines. Local news over the past 90 days is broadly neutral across crime, health, and community topics. Voting data covers his full term since July 2024; speech records are similarly complete.