Braintree: MP, 2024 result and local figures
The MP for Braintree is Sir James Cleverly (Conservative), returned on 4 July 2024. On 4 July 2024 James Cleverly (Conservative) won 17,414 votes, 35.5% of the valid vote; Matthew Wright (Labour) came second with 13,744. Turnout, counted as valid votes over the electorate, was 63.1% (49,028 of 77,673); the winning margin was 3,670 votes.
Key figures
What the figures show
81.9% of residents aged 16 to 64 were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, on the Annual Population Survey estimate (95% confidence interval ±7.2 points). The economically inactive share was 18.1%.
Full-time employees living in Braintree had median pay of £41,389 a year in April 2025; for jobs based in the constituency the median was £38,875. A year before, the residents' median was £40,648. The residents' figure ranks 197th highest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
Braintree had an estimated population of 108,544 in mid-2024, against 101,296 in 2014 (ONS). Children under 16 numbered 19,190; people aged 65 and over, 23,288.
Homes in Braintree sold for a median £342,250 in the year to March 2026, from HM Land Registry records compiled by the ONS. That is up 41% on £242,000 ten years before. The highest March-year median in the series was £346,000, in the year to March 2025. It ranks 199th highest of 575 constituencies. The figure rests on 1,322 recorded sales.
5,145 business sites were registered in Braintree in March 2026 (5,095 a year before), and employed 32,000 people in 2024.
In 2024/25, 22.5% of children under 16 in Braintree (4,318) lived in relative low income families once housing costs are taken off, says the DWP; the UK figure is 26.0%. Before housing costs the share was 14.7% in 2024/25, from 13.3% in 2021/22.
1,755 people were claiming unemployment-related benefits in September 2026, 2.7% of residents aged 16 to 64. That is up from 1,610 twelve months before.
At the 2021 Census there were 43,166 households and 201.5 residents per square kilometre; 28.0% of workers mainly worked from home and 23.5% of residents aged 16 and over were retired.
MP
Sir James Cleverly, Conservative
- MP for Braintree since 4 July 2024
- In the House of Commons since 7 May 2015
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Sir James Cleverly on this site
In Parliament
The 5 most recent spoken contributions by Sir James Cleverly in Hansard, from 7 September 2026 to 26 October 2026, quoted from the official report. Hansard search returns 175 spoken contributions by Sir James Cleverly since 4 July 2024.
The asylum accommodation centre at Wethersfield has blighted the local community and made it impossible for people to sell their homes. The number of pupils in the primary school is declining, putting the school’s future in question.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Q5. Last week, the Prime Minister was kind enough to pay me a compliment, so let me return the favour. When he was Mayor of Greater Manchester, the Greater Manchester police had more police officers than before he was appointed.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
The national planning policy framework is 130 pages long. The London plan is over 500 pages long. The mayor’s guidance to the London plan is over 2,000 pages long.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
On 26 March, I said that people will ask whether these reforms are an act of gross gerrymandering and political opportunism, or gross incompetence and stupidity. I think today we recognise that it is both. The right hon.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Increased energy costs, increased material costs, the increased cost of employing people, particularly young people, the increased cost of bureaucracy and business taxes are all pushing up the cost of building and squeezing the viability of projects.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 26 October 2026. Up to two items per debate; remarks under 40 characters are left out. All contributions in Hansard.
General election, 4 July 2024
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change in share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Cleverly | Conservative | 17,414 | 35.5% | −31.9 |
| Matthew Wright | Labour | 13,744 | 28.0% | +9.8 |
| Richard Thomson | Reform UK | 11,346 | 23.1% | |
| Kieron Franks | Liberal Democrat | 2,879 | 5.9% | −3.8 |
| Paul Thorogood | Green Party | 2,878 | 5.9% | +5.4 |
| David Heather | Independent | 767 | 1.6% |
Result summary as published: Con hold. Change in share is in percentage points against the notional 2019 result on the new boundaries. Source: House of Commons Library, election results (data, read 14 October 2026).
Results on these boundaries
| Date | Election | First | Second | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 July 2024 | General election | Conservative 35.5% | Labour 28.0% | 3,670 | 63.1% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Conservative 67.5% | Labour 18.2% | 25,466 | 68.3% |
Only results on the constituency boundaries first used at the 2024 general election are shown. The 2019 figures are the House of Commons Library's notional estimates of how votes cast in 2019 would have fallen on these boundaries, not a result that was declared. Source: House of Commons Library, constituency results.
Councils
Braintree covers wards in 2 local authority areas, listed by the number of wards in the constituency.
- Braintree E07000067
- Uttlesford E07000077
Who has power over Braintree
Every body that makes decisions for Braintree, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Parish, town and community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 4: County councils, combined authorities and metro mayors
- Essex County Council county council
- Essex Police police force
- NHS Essex Integrated Care Board NHS
- East of England in official figures
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
England has no devolved parliament of its own: its laws are made by the UK Parliament.
Level 6: National government
- Braintree this page: Sir James Cleverly (Conservative) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
| Figure | Period | Publisher | Read | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | mid-2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimants as a share of residents aged 16 to 64 | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimant count | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Employment rate, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of residents | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of people working here | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median house price | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Homes sold | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, after housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, before housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Business sites (local units) | March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| People employed by businesses here | 2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Economically inactive, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Households | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents per square kilometre | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Workers mainly working from home | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents aged 16+ who are retired | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
"Data" is the file or query each figure was read from (its SHA-256 is in the link title); "area" shows the same table for this constituency alone.
Common questions
Who is the MP for Braintree?
UK Parliament lists Sir James Cleverly, Conservative, as the Member of Parliament for Braintree since the July 2024 general election.
What was the 2024 general election result in Braintree?
James Cleverly (Conservative) won with 17,414 votes, a majority of 3,670, on a turnout of 63.1% (House of Commons Library).
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Braintree?
2.7% of residents aged 16 to 64 in September 2026, 1,755 people, on the ONS claimant count.
What is the average house price in Braintree?
The median price paid was £342,250 in the year to March 2026 (ONS, from HM Land Registry sales).
What is the average salary in Braintree?
Median full-time pay of residents was £41,389 a year in April 2025 (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings).
How many children in Braintree live in low income families?
DWP counts 4,318 (22.5% of under-16s) in relative low income after housing costs for 2024/25.
What is the population of Braintree?
The ONS estimate for mid-2024 is 108,544 residents.
Built 14 October 2026 from official records; how these pages are compiled. This page lists what the record shows and gives no verdict on the MP or the area. Link moved or figure wrong? Tell us.