Josh Babarinde.

Named best new MP of the year by The Argus in February 2026 and elected Liberal Democrat party president in November 2025, Josh Babarinde has had an unusually high-profile first term — but his most distinctive parliamentary act is a pair of rebel votes against his own party. He voted against the Tobacco and Vapes Bill at both Second and Third Reading, bucking a near-unanimous Lib Dem position to back the generational smoking ban. That dissent stands out in an otherwise 99.5% party-line record.

Beyond that rebellion, Babarinde is an active parliamentarian. His 71% voting participation sits below the Commons average, but he has logged 280 contributions across 209 debates — a high speech rate. His voting record shows strong alignment with parliamentary scrutiny (93%), civil liberties (93%), and climate action (87%), and he backed all three climate votes in June 2026, including bringing international aviation and shipping within statutory carbon budgets. He is notably more supportive of assisted dying access than his party average (+17 percentage points) and less supportive of restrictions on it (-23 points). Crime, the local economy, local government, and social care dominate his speeches.

Constituency work features prominently in his coverage: he handled over 600 housing cases, campaigned successfully for a restored direct Eastbourne-to-London rail service, and has repeatedly raised SEND funding in Parliament. News volume over the past 90 days is high (104 articles), though average sentiment is neutral, driven largely by culture and community coverage rather than controversy. He holds no select committee seat. Voting data runs to July 2026.