Official portrait of James MacCleary

James MacCleary

Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes, since 4 July 2024

Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Defence)

James MacCleary is the Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes, and has been an MP continually since 4 July 2024. He currently undertakes the role of Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Defence).

Scorecard

61.0% Attendance Below the median of MPs who vote
351 Votes cast out of 575 divisions
224 No vote recorded absent, abstaining, paired or unable to attend
1 Against their own party divisions where they voted the other way to most Liberal Democrat MPs
7 Interests declared none at £5,000 or more
126 Debates spoken in 565 written questions tabled

Ranked 495 of 638 MPs for attendance. The median of MPs who vote is 72.3%. Ministers and front-benchers vote less often than backbenchers for reasons of office rather than absenteeism, and Parliament does not publish reasons for any absence — the ranking is a starting point for a question, not an answer to one.

Voting record

575 divisions since they took their seat, newest first.

DateQuestionTheir voteResult
13 Jun 2025 Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment (b) to New Clause 14 No 233–254
11 Jun 2025 Draft Contracts for Difference (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 2025 deferred division No 350–176
10 Jun 2025 Planning and Infrastructure Bill: Third Reading No 306–174
10 Jun 2025 Planning and Infrastructure Bill Report Stage: New Clause 114 Aye 78–309
10 Jun 2025 Planning and Infrastructure Bill Report Stage: New Clause 85 No vote 107–314
10 Jun 2025 Planning and Infrastructure Bill Report Stage: New Clause 22 Aye 73–312
10 Jun 2025 Data (Use and Access) Bill: Motion to insist on disagreement to LA49 and make (a) to (e) in lieu No 304–189
9 Jun 2025 Planning and Infrastructure Bill Report Stage: Amendment 69 Aye 180–307
9 Jun 2025 Planning and Infrastructure Bill Report Stage: Amendment 15 Aye 73–323
9 Jun 2025 Planning and Infrastructure Bill Report Stage: New Clause 43 Aye 167–334
9 Jun 2025 Planning and Infrastructure Bill Report Stage: New Clause 39 No vote 113–335
4 Jun 2025 Product Regulation and Metrology Bill [Lords]: Third Reading No vote 264–99
4 Jun 2025 Product Regulation and Metrology Bill [Lords] Report Stage: Amendment 24 Aye 164–273
4 Jun 2025 Product Regulation and Metrology Bill [Lords] Report Stage: Amendment 16 No 100–339
4 Jun 2025 Product Regulation and Metrology Bill [Lords] Report Stage: New Clause 4 Aye 171–274
3 Jun 2025 Motion to Disagree with the Lords in their Amendment 49F (Data Use and Access Bill) No 317–185
3 Jun 2025 Armed Forces Commissioner Bill: Government amendment (a) in lieu of Lords Amendments 2 and 3 No vote 329–101
3 Jun 2025 Armed Forces Commissioner Bill: Motion to disagree with Lords Amendment 3 No 315–184
3 Jun 2025 Armed Forces Commissioner Bill: Motion to disagree with Lords Amendment 2 No 319–180
22 May 2025 Data Use and Access Bill: motion to disagree to Lords Amendment 49D No 195–124
21 May 2025 Opposition Day: Immigration No vote 83–267
21 May 2025 Opposition Day: Business and the economy No vote 88–253
16 May 2025 Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill Report Stage: Amendment (a) to New Clause 10 No 243–279
16 May 2025 Closure motion Aye 288–239
14 May 2025 Data (Use and Access) Bill CCLM: motion to insist Commons Amendment 52 Aye 366–98

Declared financial interests

Quoted in full from the Register of Members' Financial Interests. Entries where the largest figure is £5,000 or more are marked. A declaration is not a wrongdoing — the register exists precisely so that these things are visible.

1. Employment and earnings

Role, work or services: Councillor
Until: 7 May 2026.
Payer: East Sussex County Council, County Hall, Lewes BN7 1UE
(Registered 1 August 2024; updated 20 September 2025 and 19 May 2026)

On the register since 3 Jun 2026

Remuneration: £719.50 a month
Until: 7 May 2026.
Hours: 30 hrs a month Estimated depending on meetings and casework
(Registered 1 August 2024; updated 20 September 2025 and 19 May 2026)

On the register since 3 Jun 2026

Role, work or services: District Councillor
Until: 7 May 2026.
Payer: Lewes District Council, 6 High Street, Lewes, BN7 2AD
(Registered 1 August 2024; updated 5 May 2026 and 19 May 2026)

On the register since 3 Jun 2026

Remuneration: £416.83 a month
From: 2 May 2023. Until: 7 May 2026.
Hours: 20 hrs a month Hours worked is an estimate
(Registered 1 August 2024; updated 5 May 2026)

On the register since 19 May 2026

3. Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources

Name of donor: National Liberal Club Ltd
Address of donor: 1 Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2HE
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Honorary membership until the end of 2025, as a new Liberal Democrat MP, value £1,578.50
Date received: 2 September 2024 to 31 December 2025
Date accepted: 2 September 2024
Donor status: company, registration 01355034
(Registered 13 October 2024)

On the register since 9 Feb 2026

4. Visits outside the UK

Name of donor: Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
Address of donor: 63 Eccleston Square, London SW1V 1PH
Estimate of the probable value (or amount of any donation): Flights, accommodation and transfers, value £889.45
Destination of visit: Italy
Dates of visit: 24 October 2025 to 26 October 2025
Purpose of visit: To attend the Economic and Finance Conference by invitation
(Registered 16 December 2025)

On the register since 6 Jan 2026

8. Miscellaneous

Director of Newhaven Fishing Community Interest Company. This is an unpaid role.
Date interest arose: 1 September 2024
(Registered 3 October 2024)

On the register since 9 Feb 2026

The same register on parliament.uk →

Debates

126 debates contributed to in total. The ten most recent:

Money declared to them

No donations to this member appear on the Electoral Commission's register for this Parliament. Only donations above the statutory thresholds have to be declared, and the match is made on name — search the register directly if you are checking a specific one.

Where the public money goes — contracts and donations →


Sources: Commons Votes API, Members API and the Register of Members' Financial Interests, all published by Parliament under the Open Parliament Licence; donations from the Electoral Commission's register. This member's register and debate record were last refreshed 4 Aug 2026. How every figure is worked out →

Machine-readable: JSON for this MP.

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