A 100% party-line voter who nonetheless stood out in Westminster earlier this year, Rankin challenged the Tobacco and Vapes Bill on the floor of the House, conducting his own local mystery-shopping investigation and presenting evidence-based arguments — coverage in The Critic described him as an effective parliamentary critic. More recently he voted against the government's Draft Carbon Budget Order and the regulations extending climate targets to aviation and shipping, consistent with a voting record that shows only 35% alignment with pro-climate-action positions. On steel tariffs he joined Conservatives opposing the 50% import levy, arguing it would damage aerospace and engineering manufacturers dependent on specialist grades unavailable from UK mills. He has also pressed the Foreign Secretary to reimburse Windsor's council for state-visit costs borne by local taxpayers, and publicly declared himself "firmly against" Heathrow's third runway — a significant national infrastructure project directly affecting his constituency.
His participation rate of 67% sits below the Commons average, and he has no rebel votes on record, making him a disciplined opposition backbencher. Speeches cluster around economy and jobs, fiscal policy, crime, and health — 277 contributions across 102 debates. Voting data places him at 96% pro-business and 100% anti-tax-increases, while his 89% rating on armed-forces welfare sits 22 points above his party's average, suggesting a genuine interest in military personnel issues that exceeds the Conservative norm.
One earlier episode drew scrutiny: in February 2025 the BBC reported he had accepted free racecourse tickets shortly before speaking in their favour and opposing relevant gambling regulations — Rankin defended the gifts as appropriate, but the timing attracted criticism. He sits on the Scottish Affairs Committee, an assignment that does not obviously reflect his Windsor-centric speech topics. News sentiment over the past 90 days is broadly neutral across 54 articles.