Matt Bishop.

One rebel vote stands out on Matt Bishop's record: in December 2024 he broke with Labour to back a Liberal Democrat bill that would have replaced first-past-the-post with proportional representation — a notable early signal of independence from a new MP. Beyond that, his highest-profile recent work has been a campaign on hotel safety, after a constituent became the victim of a serious crime at a Travelodge. Bishop met with company leadership, introduced legislation targeting systemic safety failures, and called the situation "a fundamental breakdown" — coverage that ran on the BBC and in local outlets through early 2026. He has also organised SEND roundtables in the constituency and co-signed a cross-party letter demanding FA action on racism in football.

A 99.7% party-line voter otherwise, Bishop has voted consistently for progressive taxation, workers' rights and Lords reform — sitting above his party's average on NHS funding and public health votes by roughly 23 percentage points. His voting participation rate of 54% is below the Commons average, though this is common among newer MPs still establishing their workload. His 96 parliamentary contributions span 55 debates, with crime the dominant topic by some distance, followed by the economy and local government. He sits on the Justice Committee, which directly explains the crime focus.

Forest of Dean is a rural constituency with significant farming interests; Bishop supported the government's accelerated phase-out of direct farm subsidies in June 2026, a vote that will not have been universally popular locally. His stance profile shows low alignment with pro-business and civil liberties positions. News sentiment data for the most recent 90 days carries no meaningful score, limiting conclusions about local media tone.