James Cleverly.

A former Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary now back on the backbenches, Cleverly has settled into a disciplined opposition role — voting with the Conservative party line on every recorded division. His recent activity includes backing the Reasoned Amendment to block the Immigration and Asylum Bill, opposing regulations that rolled back academy school freedoms, and voting against planning delegation rules that would remove elected councillors from smaller housing decisions. In the news, he has been vocal on two local issues: pushing for the A120 dualling project after the government axed it (calling the decision "shocking"), and demanding the closure of an asylum centre on the Uttlesford border while meeting regularly with farmers opposed to the government's agricultural policy.

In the Commons, Cleverly has spoken in 79 debates — 168 contributions in total — with defence, the economy, and local government his most frequent topics, followed closely by immigration, crime, and housing. His participation rate of 66% sits below the Commons average. The stance data shows near-total alignment with pro-business and anti-tax positions, strong support for Lords and parliamentary scrutiny, and consistent opposition to progressive taxation. He sits slightly to the right of his party average on assisted dying and trade union rights, and somewhat more favourably on climate action and local democracy than the typical Conservative MP.

Cleverly holds no committee seats, so his influence operates through chamber speeches and public advocacy rather than formal scrutiny roles. His high speech volume on defence likely reflects his former ministerial experience. News coverage over the past 90 days spans 14 articles, with crime and transport generating the most pieces — though average sentiment scores are near neutral, suggesting routine rather than controversial local coverage.