Liberal Democrats MP for Tiverton and Minehead since (elected). An MP continuously since .
Parliament recordVoting recordWritten questionsEarly day motions
Entries on this tracker
234
Each filed under the party they sat for that day
Register entries
8
As currently published
Declared while sitting for Lib Dem
£6,426.99
5 of 8 entries state an amount
| Party | Office | Area | Period | Began | Ended | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lib Dem | MP | Tiverton and Minehead | – present | elected | — | Party history |
Parliament's party history for this member: Liberal Democrat ( – present).
Every entry the member has in the Register of Members' Financial Interests, as Parliament currently publishes it. The wording and values are the member's own declarations; nothing here has been assessed by this site.
Totals add only the entries that declare an amount received: payments for work, donations, gifts, and funded visits (register categories 1.1, 2, 3, 4 and 5). Ongoing employment is listed but not added, because its figure is a rate rather than a sum received. Each entry is dated by when the benefit happened, not when it was registered, and placed under the party the member sat for on that date. A member who changed party therefore has a separate total for each.
| Date | Category | Entry | Declared value | Sitting for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4. Visits outside the UK | International visit to Ukraine between 10 September 2026 and 15 September 2026UK Friends of Ukraine Ltd | £664.75 | Lib Dem | Register record | |
| 8. Miscellaneous | Appointed as Director of Whistleblowers UK. This is an unpaid role. | — | Lib Dem | Register record | |
| 4. Visits outside the UK | International visit to Malawi between 23 May 2026 and 01 June 2026Results UK | £2,920.35 | Lib Dem | Register record | |
| 4. Visits outside the UK | International visit to Ukraine between 19 February 2026 and 25 February 2026UK Friends of Ukraine | £398 | Lib Dem | Register record | |
| 4. Visits outside the UK | International visit to Ukraine between 10 September 2025 and 15 September 2025UK Friends of Ukraine | £768.04 | Lib Dem | Register record | |
| 6. Land and property | Property in Bampton | — | Lib Dem | Register record | |
| date registered | 1. Employment and earnings | District Councillor - Mid Devon District Council | — | Lib Dem | Register record |
| 3. Gifts, UK sources | The National Liberal Club - £1,675.85 | £1,675.85 | Lib Dem | Register record |
While the Budget provides some welcome support for high streets, so many businesses in Tiverton and Minehead tell me that excessive costs, regulation and red tape remain a drag on growth. Does the Minister agree that lasting economic growth will require not just short-term support but fundamental reform of business rates and tax administration so that businesses can invest, expand and create jobs with confidence?
I am delighted to hear that the hon. Gentleman, a medical professional, recognises the importance of primary care. We spend a fraction of what the NHS spends on chronic care on primary care. Just last night, I hosted a reception for the Independent Pharmacies Association, which I know will be grateful for his words.
I thank my fellow co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group on farming for giving way. The bottom line is that SEND provision in rural areas is only as good as a child’s ability to reach it. Would the hon. Member agree?
The Government are right to talk about national resilience and preparedness—about where we keep our torches, among other things. I do not wish to catastrophise, but national resilience starts with something fundamental: producing food. That means supporting our farmers. Does the Minister agree that if food is not being produced, this country will quickly discover how fragile resilience really is?
I thank the Minister for her statement. I, too, am on the Public Accounts Committee, and as the hon. Member for North Cotswolds (Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown) mentioned, we have done our best to get reasonable responses from Capita. My constituent Jane has been failed time and again by Capita; there has been a five-year delay to her pension payments, poor communication, an unexplained suspension of her pension, and now an outrageous demand that she repay £8,000 because of Capita’s mistake, not hers. Will the Minister condemn that treatment and reassure my constituent that the Government will ensure that she is treated fairly following those serious errors? Will they ensure that Capita, as a contractor acting on behalf of the state, is properly held to account for its failures? That has not happened so far.
I am pleased to be able to speak in my party’s Opposition day debate; I am less pleased about the context in which it takes place. Both Conservative and Labour Governments have failed to deliver an effective post-Brexit farm payment system. The consequences have been severe, not only for the viability of British farms but, ultimately, for our nation’s food security. The most recent example is the farce of the SFI window 2. After almost a year without access to the sustainable farming incentive, farmers were given little warning of its return, only for the scheme to slam shut in under six hours. A budget of just £233 million was never going to touch the sides. What is most damning is that this outcome was entirely foreseeable. A first come, first served application process, combined with inadequate funding, was always <span id="1209" class="column-number" data-column-number="1209"></span>going to create a scramble. In that scramble, those with greater resources, more sophisticated systems and stronger connectivity enjoyed a clear advantage.
I was about to comment on the fact that my farmers on Exmoor were immediately put at a disadvantage, because they have limited broadband and limited connectivity. I was contacted by a farming family from West Bagborough who were in complete despair. They made the self-evident point that farmers cannot simply abandon the working day at a moment’s notice and spend hours online desperately trying to secure support before the window closes. Farmers have endured a perfect storm: inheritance tax, soaring energy costs, bluetongue, drought and now this latest SFI debacle. Farmers’ trust in the Government was already on the floor, and this recent episode has undermined whatever scintilla of trust remained. Once again, farmers have been left with the impression that Whitehall neither understands nor appreciates the realities of farming. What remains particularly frustrating is the ongoing lack of certainty. Farmers still do not know the shape of SFI27: what it will contain, when it will begin and what level of support it will provide. The farmers of Tiverton and Minehead are not interested in hearing about jam tomorrow; they need to know what support is available today.
I wholeheartedly agree. In fact, we discussed it at the Public Accounts Committee just last week. Farmers cannot operate in the dark; they need certainty. Farming is not a short-term enterprise. Decisions taken today affect planting, stocking, investment and land management years into the future. On the Public Accounts Committee last week, we examined the resilience of the UK’s food supply chain to disruption, and the session reinforced what many of us have long argued, which is that food security is national security. As co-chair of the APPG on farming, I heard the same message in our meeting with representatives from across the sector on Monday. That is why it should never be lost on us that farmers are on the frontline of climate change. They see changing weather patterns, degraded soils and seasonal <span id="1210" class="column-number" data-column-number="1210"></span>disruption before anyone else. The woodlands, wetlands and grasslands they manage are essential to our biodiversity and natural environment. Farmers are famously stoic and resilient, yet even the strongest shoulders can carry only so much. The financial pressures, the uncertainty, the long days, the drought, the extreme heat, bluetongue and now the recent SFI disappointment have combined into an overwhelming burden for many. For some, that burden has led them to take their own lives. I conclude with a simple message to the farmers of Tiverton and Minehead: “I am with you.” What my farmers and I want to know is whether this Labour Government are with them.
I have many veterans in my constituency, some of whom have come to talk to me, and I would like to quote from one, a chap called Michael Kingscote: “There must come a point at which the country says to those who served: ‘You did your duty. The state sent you there. The state must not abandon you decades later.’” I believe that is the very point.
Last Friday I visited a community pharmacy in Tiverton, and it was announced on Monday that an application for another pharmacy in my constituency had been turned down. Currently I have three pharmacies in Tiverton when I actually need four. Does the hon. Member agree that we really need to grasp this nettle and make sure we have enough pharmacies on our high streets?
Held . Recorded result: LD Gain. Majority 3,507. 47,491 votes cast from an electorate of 72,087. Parties are as each candidate stood at the time.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rachel Gilmour | Liberal Democrat | 18,326 | 38.6% |
| Ian Liddell-Grainger | Conservative | 14,819 | 31.2% |
| Fred Keen | Reform UK | 7,787 | 16.4% |
| Jonathan Barter | Labour | 4,325 | 9.1% |
| Laura Buchanan | Green Party | 2,234 | 4.7% |
| Seat | Dates |
|---|---|
| Tiverton and MineheadElected 1 time | – present |
| Committee | Dates |
|---|---|
| Licensing Hours Extensions Bill | – |
| Public Accounts Committee | – present |
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