Richard Holden.

Holden votes with the Conservative whip every time — a 100% party-line record across 393 votes — but his most notable recent activity has been as a reliable opposition voice on immigration, local democracy, and crime. He backed the reasoned amendment attempting to block the government's Immigration and Asylum Bill at Second Reading, opposed planning regulations that remove councillor oversight of smaller housing applications, and supported the opposition's motion criticising Labour's early prisoner release scheme. He also voted against regulations rolling back academy freedoms in schools. Before he arrived in Basildon and Billericay, Holden served as Conservative Party chairman ahead of the 2024 general election; at the time, his move from North West Durham to this Essex seat drew sharp criticism from local Conservative members and negative coverage in The Guardian, Sky News, and The Independent, with accusations that he was parachuted into a safer seat against the wishes of the local association.

His parliamentary participation sits at 69%, below the Commons average. Voting patterns show strong alignment with pro-business (95%), anti-tax (100%), parliamentary scrutiny (89%), and tough-on-crime (89%) positions. He deviates from his own party average by being noticeably more supportive of civil liberties and whistleblower protections. His 334 contributions across 184 debates are spread across economy and jobs, local government, fiscal policy, transport, and health — a broad spread rather than a single specialist focus. He holds no select committee roles.

Local news coverage over the past 90 days is largely neutral, spanning crime, housing, transport, and local government. One positive exception: Holden met with school leaders over dangerous parking outside a Basildon primary school, calling publicly for bollards and crossings. No rebel votes appear in the data, and no committee work is recorded.