Official portrait of Sir John Whittingdale

Sir John Whittingdale

Conservative MP for Maldon, since 9 April 1992

The Rt Hon Sir John Whittingdale is the Conservative MP for Maldon, and has been an MP continually since 9 April 1992.

Scorecard

59.7% Attendance Below the median of MPs who vote
342 Votes cast out of 575 divisions, plus 1 as teller
232 No vote recorded absent, abstaining, paired or unable to attend
0 Against their own party divisions where they voted the other way to most Conservative MPs
10 Interests declared 2 at £5,000 or more
679 Debates spoken in 85 written questions tabled

Ranked 515 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
15 Jul 2026 Draft Code of Practice on Electronic and Workplace Ballots for Statutory Trade Union Ballots deferred division No 330–109
15 Jul 2026 Draft Trade Unions (Permissible Means of Voting) and Employment Rights (Unfair Dismissal) (Amendment) Order 2026 deferred division No 330–109
14 Jul 2026 Public Office (Accountability) Bill Report Stage: Amendment 19 Aye 104–412
14 Jul 2026 Public Office (Accountability) Bill Report Stage: Amendment 199 Aye 102–409
14 Jul 2026 Public Office (Accountability) Bill Report Stage: Amendment 3 No vote 93–323
13 Jul 2026 Immigration and Asylum Bill: Second Reading No vote 264–90
13 Jul 2026 Immigration and Asylum Bill: Reasoned Amendment to Second Reading Aye 97–358
8 Jul 2026 Draft Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026 deferred division No vote 283–182
8 Jul 2026 Draft Supply of Machinery (Safety) (Amendment etc.) and the EU Machinery Regulation (Enforcement etc. in Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026 deferred division No vote 317–103
8 Jul 2026 Draft Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 (Establishment of Schools) (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2026 deferred division No vote 369–102
7 Jul 2026 Opposition Day: Early release of prisoners No vote 115–0
6 Jul 2026 National Security (State Threats) Bill: motion to agree to Lords Amendment 1 No vote 394–85
1 Jul 2026 Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill Committee: New Clause 5 Aye 177–308
1 Jul 2026 Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill Committee: New Clause 4 Aye 173–282
1 Jul 2026 Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill Committee: New Clause 2 No vote 80–281
1 Jul 2026 Draft Employment Tribunals Extension of Jurisdiction (England and Wales) (Amendment) Order 2026 deferred division No 318–107
1 Jul 2026 Draft Employment Tribunal (Extension of Time Limits) (Miscellaneous Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2026 deferred division No 322–107
24 Jun 2026 Draft Climate Change Act 2008 (Credit Limit) Order 2026 No vote 330–93
24 Jun 2026 Draft Climate Change Act 2008 (International Aviation and International Shipping) Regulations 2026 No vote 329–94
24 Jun 2026 Draft Carbon Budget Order 2026 No vote 332–94
24 Jun 2026 Customs (Tariff and Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 4) Regulations 2026 deferred division No vote 323–160
23 Jun 2026 Opposition Day: Puberty blockers Aye 112–283
23 Jun 2026 Opposition Day Motion: Defence spending and readiness - Prime Minister's Amendment No 294–110
23 Jun 2026 Opposition day: Defence spending and readiness Aye 108–307
22 Jun 2026 Armed Forces Bill Report Stage: Amendment 11 Aye 171–322

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.

3. Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources

Name of donor: Betting & Gaming Council
Address of donor: Kings Building, 16 Smith Square, London SW1P 3HQ
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Two tickets and hospitality at Ascot Races, value £1,920
Date received: 18 June 2026
Date accepted: 18 June 2026
Donor status: company, registration 12213577
(Registered 2 July 2026)

On the register since 14 Jul 2026

Name of donor: NBC Universal International
Address of donor: Central Saint Giles, St Giles High Street, London WC2H 8NU
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Two tickets with hospitality to the EE BAFTA Film Awards, value £4,400
Date received: 22 February 2026 to 22 February 2026
Date accepted: 22 February 2026
Donor status: company, registration 04415234
(Registered 3 March 2026)

On the register since 10 Mar 2026

Name of donor: BPI (British Recorded Music) Ltd
Address of donor: Unit 4/4a, Tileyard Studios, Tileyard Road, London N7 9AH
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Two tickets with hospitality to the BRIT Awards at Manchester Co-Op Live, value £3,430
Date received: 28 February 2026 to 28 February 2026
Date accepted: 28 February 2026
Donor status: company, registration 01132389
(Registered 4 March 2026)

On the register since 10 Mar 2026

4. Visits outside the UK

£6,421

Name of donor: Great Britain China Centre
Address of donor: Kings Building, 16 Smith Square, London SW1P 3HQ
Estimate of the probable value (or amount of any donation): Flights, accommodation and hospitality, value £6,421
Destination of visit: China (Yangzhou, Ninjang and Beijing)
Dates of visit: 24 May 2026 to 29 May 2026
Purpose of visit: To attend the 14th UK-China Senior Leadership Forum in Yangzhou and to meet members of the National People's Congress and Chinese Government.
(Registered 9 June 2026)

On the register since 16 Jun 2026

£6,155

Name of donor: Doha Forum
Address of donor: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Almirqab Tower, West Bay, Doha Qatar
Estimate of the probable value (or amount of any donation): Flights (£5,555), accommodation and hospitality (£600), value £6,155
Destination of visit: Qatar (Doha)
Dates of visit: 5 December 2025 to 8 December 2025
Purpose of visit: To participate in the Doha Forum 2025 on diplomacy and dialogue including meetings with Qatari Ministers, and Ministers and Parliamentarians of other participating countries, in my capacity as a Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
(Registered 18 December 2025)

On the register since 6 Jan 2026

5. Gifts and benefits from sources outside the UK

Name of donor: Embassy of the State of Qatar
Address of donor: 1 South Audley Street London W1K 1NB
Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Two tickets to the Qatar Goodwood Festival 2025 and to the Goodwood Regency Ball including hospitality and accommodation for one night, value £1,200
Date received: 31 July 2025
Date accepted: 31 July 2025
Donor status: other
(Registered 5 August 2025)

On the register since 2 Sep 2025

6. Land and property portfolio with a value over £100,000 and where indicated, the portfolio provides a rental income of over £10,000 a year

Type of land/property: Residential property (flat)
Number of properties: 1
Location: London
Rental income: Yes
(Registered 8 October 2012)

On the register since 18 Apr 2024

8. Miscellaneous

A Member of the Executive Committee of the British Group of the Inter Parliamentary Union. This is an unpaid position.
Date interest arose: 27 November 2025
(Registered 29 November 2025)

On the register since 2 Dec 2025

Member of the Board of the Conservative Party. This is an unpaid position.
Date interest arose: 18 July 2024
(Registered 29 November 2025)

On the register since 2 Dec 2025

10. Family members engaged in lobbying the public sector on behalf of a third party or client

Name: Alice Whittingdale
Relationship: Daughter
Role: Senior Consultant
Name of employer: Hanover Communications
(Registered 7 August 2023)

On the register since 18 Apr 2024

The same register on parliament.uk →

Debates

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


Sources: Commons Votes API, Members API and the Register of Members' Financial Interests, all published by Parliament under the Open Parliament Licence. This member's register and debate record were last refreshed 3 Aug 2026. How every figure is worked out →

Machine-readable: JSON for this MP.

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