Liberal Democrats MP for Honiton and Sidmouth.
Richard Foord broke from his party twice on the same day in June 2025, voting for additional safeguards and devolution protections during the Report Stage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill — both times against the Liberal Democrat majority. Those two rebel votes are the clearest signal of independent judgement in an otherwise tightly party-aligned record. Beyond Westminster, he has been a visible local campaigner: raising flood-funding at PMQs in January 2026, launching a petition against weakened flood-protection rules, challenging housebuilding plans without accompanying rail investment, and writing to NHS leadership over the future of five East Devon community hospitals. His seat on the Foreign Affairs Committee drew national attention in April 2026, when he publicly articulated concerns about international law in the context of reported US requests for UK base access during possible strikes on Iran.
At 57% voting participation, Foord sits below the Commons average, though constituency and committee work can account for some of that absence. Where he does vote, he is a 99.4% party-line voter — making those assisted-dying deviations stand out. His stance profile shows strong alignment with parliamentary scrutiny (92%), Lords oversight (100%), and climate action (85%), while he parts company with most Liberal Democrats on workers' rights (23% aligned) and progressive taxation (18%). He speaks frequently on defence and economy — 146 and 155 contributions respectively — and outpaces his party average on armed forces welfare by 18 percentage points, consistent with his background as a former army officer.
That military career — he served in the British Army before entering Parliament at the 2022 by-election — directly informs his Foreign Affairs Committee work and his interventions on defence and international law. His higher-than-party-average score on assisted-dying restrictions (50% vs the party's 36%) helps explain those June 2025 rebel votes: he favoured tighter safeguards rather than opposing the Bill outright. Local news coverage over the past year has been consistently positive in tone, focused on housing, flooding, health, and environment. Longer-term news sentiment data is insufficient to identify any trend.
Richard Foord is the Liberal Democrat MP for Honiton and Sidmouth, and has been an MP continually since 23 June 2022.
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 Foord broke ranks. Free votes are the truer signal of personal stance.
| Date | Bill / motion | Vote | Whip |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: New Clause 2 | Yes | Freevs party |
| 13 Jun 2025 | Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: New Clause 1 | Yes | Freevs party |
Source · Hansard
“Recognised ponies' role in biodiversity management but criticised the Conservative Party for cynically creating a shadow petition to gather voter data rather than addressing overgr…”
“Nature-based solutions, particularly marine-based carbon capture through seagrass beds, deserve equal focus alongside engineered removal technologies as part of a broad portfolio a…”
“South West Water has failed to meet commitments on sewage discharge and phosphate removal; the River Otter faces unacceptable ecological damage and residents deserve transparency, …”
“Seeks clarification on whether the prohibited purpose test is designed to protect NGOs and organisations like the ICRC that must engage with state actors.”
Select, joint and other committees Foord currently sits on. Committee work is where much of the line-by-line scrutiny of bills and departments happens, away from the chamber.
| Committee | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign Affairs Committee | Member | Select |
Source · UK Parliament Committees API
Committee seats are where backbenchers shape legislation and hold departments to account. Foord sits on one.
| Department | Qs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Social Care | 13 | 17.1% |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 11 | 14.5% |
| Department for Work and Pensions | 10 | 13.2% |
| Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | 6 | 7.9% |
| Department for Education | 5 | 6.6% |
| Department for Transport | 5 | 6.6% |
| Ministry of Defence | 4 | 5.3% |
| Treasury | 4 | 5.3% |
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will (a) publicly condemn the (i) human rights situation and (ii) use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia and (b) make representations to her Saudi counterpart on (A) those issues and (B) instances of under-18s being given the death penalty.
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 11 December 2025 in response to Question 97116. The UK continues to oppose the use of capital punishment in all circumstances.
What recent estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of fraud in relation to (a) Pension Credit and (b) the Winter Fuel Allowance.
The Department publishes yearly estimates of fraud and error in the benefit system. The latest estimates for Pension Credit are available in section 9: Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2024 to 2025 estimates - GOV.UK.Es…read full →
Whether his Department's policy of considering the legal basis and policy rationale when approving foreign nations’ use of UK military bases for operational purposes also applies to the use of the military base at Diego Garcia.
Yes, the United States' (US) operational use of Diego Garcia is governed by an Exchange of Notes between the UK and the US.I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided on 19 December to Question 99134, where I confirmed that this Govern…read full →
Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure levels of flood recovery funding reflects the cumulative impact of successive named storms on the same communities.
In exceptional circumstances, government support may be provided for incidents of severe flooding via the Flood Recovery Framework (Framework). In thinking about activating recovery support the government considers many factors – such as th…read full →
A member of the Advisory Council for the Council on Geostrategy, an independent A member of the Advisory Council for the Council on Geostrategy, an independent non-profit organisation that generates new geostrategic thin… |
Source · Members API · Last amended 18 Apr 2024
| Category | £ | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Staffing | 229,477 | 76.2% |
| Accommodation | 32,822 | 10.9% |
| Office Costs | 31,273 | 10.4% |
| MP Travel | 4,676 | 1.6% |
| Staff Travel | 2,673 | 0.9% |
| Total · 99 claims | 301,258 | 100% |
Source · IPSA · FY 24_25
Nothing tabled for Foord on the published Order Paper this week.
| Year | Constituency | Votes | Share | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Honiton and Sidmouth | 23,007 | 45.4% | Won |
| 2017 | North Somerset | 5,982 | 9.7% | Lost |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard FoordWON | LD | 23,007 | 45.4 |
Showing the MP’s own row only. Full result table: see Honiton and Sidmouth →