James MacCleary.

A vocal constituency advocate in Parliament, MacCleary has been active on local issues — publicly attacking Brighton and Hove City Council's Sussex reorganisation plan as a "dog's breakfast", campaigning on sewage pollution in his area, calling for mandatory digital IDs to be scrapped, and proposing "hobby hubs" as a practical response to loneliness. In Parliament, his recent votes include opposing the Immigration and Asylum Bill at Second Reading — in line with the Liberal Democrats — and voting against planning regulations that would remove elected councillors from decisions on smaller housing developments, a position consistent with his local-democracy instincts.

His participation rate of 61% sits below the Commons average, though that figure can reflect ministerial absences or paired votes rather than disengagement. He has spoken in 124 debates, with defence and the economy each topping his speech topics — an unusual pairing for a Liberal Democrat backbencher. He has never voted against the Liberal Democrat whip. His stance data marks him well above his party average on financial regulation and whistleblower protection, and notably below it on welfare reform.

MacCleary holds no select committee seats. His deviations from party norms are modest rather than defining. The clearest picture here is of an MP who channels energy into constituency campaigning — sewage, local governance, community spaces — rather than parliamentary rebellion or legislative specialism. News sentiment data for the most recent 90 days is available across 11 articles but scores are neutral on average, suggesting steady local coverage without significant controversy.