Labour Party MP for Rother Valley.
A steady Labour loyalist, Jake Richards has nonetheless carved out a distinctive profile on male suicide prevention — raising the issue at PMQs, securing government backing, and establishing an All-Party Parliamentary Group linked to support organisations in Maltby, Dinnington, and Kiveton Park. In September 2025 he was appointed to a government role, which local press covered favourably. His recent votes follow the Labour line: supporting the 50% steel tariff to protect local steel jobs, backing planning reforms that shift small housing decisions from councillors to officers, and voting for all three climate measures in June 2026.
Richards votes with Labour on every recorded division — a 100% party-line record across 413 votes — and participates at 72%, modestly below the Commons average. His speeches are dominated by crime (69 contributions) and social care (48), with health a consistent third. His stance profile shows strong alignment with fiscal responsibility and housing development, but low scores on parliamentary scrutiny, local democracy, and pro-business measures, suggesting he backs the government's centralising instincts. He sits notably above the Labour average on assisted-dying access (+31 percentage points) and below on child welfare (-47 percentage points), though the child welfare figure may reflect absences rather than opposition.
Recent local news — covering crime, the economy, and transport — scores neutrally on balance. Richards holds no select committee seat. The news items about fracking and Alexander Stafford relate to his predecessor, not to Richards himself, and should be disregarded when assessing his record. Overall, he is an engaged local MP with a clear personal campaign on male mental health, but no recorded rebellions and limited independent parliamentary footprint beyond that cause.
Jake Richards is the Labour MP for Rother Valley, and has been an MP continually since 4 July 2024. He currently holds the Government posts of Assistant Whip, and Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice).
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 Richards broke ranks. Free votes are the truer signal of personal stance.
No rebellions or free votes recorded yet.
Source · Hansard
“Early release of some offenders is necessary to prevent prison system collapse; exclusions of serious offenders risk creating the very crisis that forced emergency measures; robust…”
“Presented the statutory instrument as maintaining coherent legal aid access for reformed anti-social behaviour measures and national security orders, with clarifications ensuring l…”
“Knife crime requires a comprehensive, cross-government approach combining education, early intervention, targeted enforcement, and weapon bans; custodial sentences play a role but …”
“Committed to reviewing sentencing guidelines for attacks on NHS staff, meeting constituents on specific cases, and managing foreign national offenders safely through international …”
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.
Richards holds no select-committee seat this session. New 2024-intake MPs typically wait one term before being appointed.
| Department | Qs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Treasury | 6 | 30.0% |
| Home Office | 4 | 20.0% |
| Department for Education | 3 | 15.0% |
| Department of Health and Social Care | 2 | 10.0% |
| Department for Transport | 1 | 5.0% |
| Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | 1 | 5.0% |
| Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | 1 | 5.0% |
| Ministry of Justice | 1 | 5.0% |
What progress he has made on implementing 24/7 mental health text lines.
Mental health crisis text services are an important part of delivering accessible and effective mental health support across the country. NHS England has confirmed that integrated care boards have plans to have 24 hour a day, seven day a we…read full →
How many people have been granted entry clearance to the UK under the (a) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, (b) Afghan citizens resettlement scheme and (c) Afghanistan Response Route.
From 2021 to the end of June 2025, there have been around 36,000 arrivals under the Afghan Resettlement Programme, of which 13,200 were through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, 19,000 through Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy …read full →
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the Armed Forces Covenant Duty across his Departmental responsibilities.
The Department is supportive of the extension of the Armed Forces Covenant. A key benefit of the Department having a legal duty to have due regard to the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant is greater awareness and consistency of the un…read full →
What assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending the Armed Forces Covenant Duty across her Departmental responsibilities.
The Home Office greatly values the contribution of all service personnel and remains committed to upholding its moral obligations under the Armed Forces Covenant.The Department already embeds the principles of the Covenant, specifically wit…read full →
Role, work or services: Legal services provided before my election to Parliament Role, work or services: Legal services provided before my election to Parliament
Payer: Deka Chambers (Barrister Chambers), 5 Norwich Stree… |
Google UK Ltd 27 June 2025 |
Associate member of Deka Chambers.
Associate member of Deka Chambers.
(Registered 4 August 2024) |
Name: Steve Richards
Name: Steve Richards
Relationship: Father
Role: Freelance
(Registered 3 August 2024) |
Source · Members API · Last amended 23 Oct 2025
| Category | £ | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Staffing | 139,102 | 74.2% |
| Office Costs | 29,299 | 15.6% |
| Accommodation | 11,163 | 6.0% |
| MP Travel | 5,694 | 3.0% |
| Staff Travel | 1,209 | 0.6% |
| Total · 148 claims | 187,382 | 100% |
Source · IPSA · FY 24_25
Nothing tabled for Richards on the published Order Paper this week.
| Year | Constituency | Votes | Share | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Rother Valley | 16,023 | 38.5% | Won |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jake RichardsWON | Lab | 16,023 | 38.5 |
Showing the MP’s own row only. Full result table: see Rother Valley →