Manuela Perteghella.

Perteghella has been most visible recently fighting for constituents who fell through the cracks of Covid-era financial support — leading parliamentary debate and calling for a government apology on their behalf. In votes, she backed removing the automatic preference for academies when opening new schools, and opposed new planning regulations that would shift decisions on smaller housing applications from elected councillors to planning officers, a position consistent with her strong record on local democratic accountability. She has no rebel votes against the Liberal Democrats.

At 66% voting participation, she falls below the Commons average, though first-term MPs with heavy local caseloads sometimes trade chamber time for constituency work. Her voting profile is firmly opposition-minded: she scores just 7% alignment with the government agenda and 13% on fiscal responsibility measures — both reflecting the Lib Dem stance rather than personal dissent. Where she consistently pushes hardest is parliamentary and Lords scrutiny (95% on both), climate action (81%), and welfare (84%). She speaks most often on economy and jobs, local government, social care, and cost of living.

Her committee seats on Education and Environmental Audit give her platforms that match two recurring preoccupations in her public record: she has written publicly on the SEND crisis and holds environmental interests reflected in her climate voting. Local news coverage over the past 90 days has centred heavily on culture, heritage, and crime rather than her parliamentary work, suggesting a gap between constituency press and Westminster activity. Her academic background as an Italian literature professor occasionally surfaces in language-related debates, though it is not the dominant frame for her advocacy.