Sarah Champion.

A steady, engaged MP who chairs the International Development Committee — and has used that platform to land a notable blow on the government in recent months. Champion's committee published a report in March 2026 warning that aid cuts are reversing hard-won gains for women and girls globally, drawing sharp public criticism of government policy from an MP who otherwise votes 100% in line with Labour. That combination — loyal on the floor of the Commons, critical through the committee system — defines her parliamentary approach.

Her voting participation sits at 62%, below the Commons average, though committee chairs often carry workloads that reduce floor-vote attendance. Where she does vote, she backs workers' rights almost without exception (95% aligned) and supports progressive taxation in every recorded instance. She deviates from the Labour average on assisted dying, backing access more strongly than most of her colleagues (+31 percentage points above the party average), and on child welfare (+28pp), which reflects a long-standing specialism rooted in Rotherham's experiences of child sexual exploitation. She scores notably low on parliamentary scrutiny and Lords oversight measures, suggesting she consistently backs the government's preferred position on executive-versus-legislature questions. Her 138 speech contributions span defence, jobs, and the environment, with crime and social care also featuring regularly.

Locally, recent news coverage is broadly neutral. The most positive stories involve campaigning wins — pavement parking powers and Connect to Work employment funding for disabled people — alongside her pressure to protect anti-slavery policing budgets in South Yorkshire. No significant negative local coverage appears in the available data. Committee reports and local advocacy, rather than rebel votes, are the main way Champion makes her mark.