Labour and Co-operative Party MP for Burnley.
A steady government loyalist, Oliver Ryan has spent recent weeks voting with Labour on defence — backing the government's position on the Armed Forces Bill and supporting the PM's amended motion on defence spending over the opposition's version. He has no rebel votes since entering parliament in 2024, making him a 100% party-line voter. His most visible recent advocacy has been local: raising Burnley railway station's condition directly at Prime Minister's Questions in March 2026, securing a ministerial meeting commitment from Keir Starmer, and backing a college bid for an advanced manufacturing hub in the constituency.
Ryan participates in 82% of votes — slightly below the Commons average — and has contributed to 83 debates, with economy and jobs the dominant theme, followed by defence, fiscal policy, and social care. His stance data shows strong alignment with Labour on workers' rights and progressive taxation, but low scores on parliamentary scrutiny, civil liberties, and pro-business measures, suggesting he votes consistently with the government's programme rather than with cross-party reform instincts. One notable divergence from his parliamentary colleagues: he is more supportive of assisted dying access than the average Labour MP — around 31 percentage points above the party — and less inclined toward restrictions on it.
Ryan sits on no select committees. His news coverage, largely in the Burnley Express, reflects a consistent local focus — cavity wall insulation compensation, youth unemployment, and anti-racism messaging — rather than national profile-building. The high volume of recent news articles (96 in 90 days) carries near-zero average sentiment score, meaning most coverage is routine local reporting rather than strongly positive or negative. Parliamentary speech data runs to May 2026.
Oliver Ryan is the Labour (Co-op) MP for Burnley, and has been an MP continually since 4 July 2024.
Top eight by total divisions voted, this parliament. Volume measures engagement, not direction — see Notable Votes for free-vote moments and rebellions.
Source · The Public Whip · Hansard
Moments where the whip was free, or where Ryan broke ranks. Free votes are the truer signal of personal stance.
No rebellions or free votes recorded yet.
Source · Hansard
“Defends the regulations as delivering £2 billion in savings while enabling investment in support for sick and disabled people and shifting assessments from virtual to face-to-face …”
“The UK must pressure Israel to halt west bank annexation and settlement expansion, which threatens Palestinian statehood.”
“Women with pelvic mesh and endometriosis have felt ignored and abandoned; this strategy must ensure they are now heard and recognised by the health service.”
“Defends government's winter fuel policy against Conservative criticism, noting the 2017 Conservative manifesto had also proposed removing the benefit.”
Ryan holds no select-committee seat this session. New 2024-intake MPs typically wait one term before being appointed.
| Department | Qs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Social Care | 7 | 20.6% |
| Department for Education | 5 | 14.7% |
| Home Office | 5 | 14.7% |
| Ministry of Justice | 4 | 11.8% |
| Department for Transport | 3 | 8.8% |
| Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | 3 | 8.8% |
| Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government | 2 | 5.9% |
| Department for Work and Pensions | 2 | 5.9% |
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Pakistani counterpart regarding (a) the detention conditions, (b) welfare and (c) access to medical care of former Prime Minister Imran
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 6 March in response to Question HL14686.
What information she holds on the involvement of Pakistani state actors in the surveillance, intimidation and physical harassment of Pakistani diaspora members residing in the UK.
The first duty of Government is to keep our country safe. Any attempt by a foreign state to intimidate, harass or harm individuals in the UK will never be tolerated, irrespective of where the threat emanates.We do not routinely comment on i…read full →
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations her Department has made to the Government of Pakistan regarding the trial of civilians in military courts since February 2024.
The UK is concerned by the use of military courts for civilians in Pakistan. We regularly raise our concerns with the Government of Pakistan and urge it to uphold its international obligations, including the right to a fair trial and due pr…read full →
With reference to the Civil Justice Council’s review of litigation funding to strengthen protections for consumers, whether she plans to extend Financial Conduct Authority regulation to cover portfolio-based liti
The Government welcomes the Civil Justice Council’s (CJC) review and is carefully considering all its recommendations.As announced on 17 December 2025, the Government’s priority is to implement the CJC’s two primary recommendations: to clar…read full →
Anthony George Watson 17 October 2025 |
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Name of donor: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Address of donor: c/o Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, 30 Charles Street, London W1J 5DZ
Estimate… |
Source · Members API · Last amended 4 Nov 2025
| Category | £ | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Staffing | 165,000 | 70.4% |
| Office Costs | 29,737 | 12.7% |
| Accommodation | 21,460 | 9.2% |
| MP Travel | 9,793 | 4.2% |
| Staff Travel | 5,365 | 2.3% |
| Total · 201 claims | 234,356 | 100% |
Source · IPSA · FY 24_25
Nothing tabled for Ryan on the published Order Paper this week.
| Year | Constituency | Votes | Share | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Burnley | 12,598 | 31.7% | Won |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oliver RyanWON | Lab | 12,598 | 31.7 |
Showing the MP’s own row only. Full result table: see Burnley →