Rosie Duffield.

One of Westminster's more independent voices, Rosie Duffield has spent recent months voting against fellow independents on national security and defence. In June 2026 she backed three amendments to the National Security (State Threats) Bill — including New Clause 3, which would have added oversight provisions to protect judicial review — and voted for a motion on defence spending, all contrary to the independent majority position. Earlier this year she voted to refer Keir Starmer to the Privileges Committee over the Mandelson appointment, opposed government subsidy cuts for farmers, and backed the Lords' position on smaller pension schemes. She sits to the left of her former party on civil liberties (90% aligned) but well to the right on fiscal policy and housing development (both near 0%).

Her parliamentary participation is low — around 30% of votes, well below the Commons average — though she has been active at the dispatch box, making 54 contributions across 31 debates since her last recorded speech in June 2026. Her speeches cluster around health, social care, the economy, and crime, consistent with her seat on the Women and Equalities Committee. She deviates sharply from independent peers on progressive taxation, criminal justice reform, and housing development, where she votes against the group norm by 40-plus percentage points.

The essential backdrop is her September 2024 resignation from Labour, citing what she called "sleaze, nepotism and greed," just 85 days after winning re-election with an increased majority. That departure shapes everything: she now operates without a party whip, caucus resources, or government access. Local news coverage over the past 90 days is broadly neutral, with the bulk of articles touching on health, community, and crime rather than her parliamentary work directly.