Mid Bedfordshire: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Mid Bedfordshire is represented in the House of Commons by Blake Stephenson (Conservative). The 2024 count gave Blake Stephenson (Conservative) 16,912 votes and Maahwish Mirza (Labour) 15,591, a majority of 1,321. Turnout, counted as valid votes over the electorate, was 65.8% (49,621 of 75,457).
Key figures
What the figures show
On the official figures, Mid Bedfordshire has the 8th lowest economic inactivity rate of the 632 constituencies with this figure (9.9%), and the 8th highest employment rate of the 632 constituencies with this figure (87.8%).
The Annual Population Survey puts the employment rate for 16 to 64 year olds at 87.8% for April 2025 to March 2026, give or take 5.1 points. The economically inactive share was 9.9%.
DWP figures count 3,137 children under 16 in relative low income families after housing costs in 2024/25, 14.5% of children here against 26.0% across the UK. Before housing costs the share was 9.1% in 2024/25, from 9.0% in 2021/22.
Residents of Mid Bedfordshire earned more than jobs based there paid in April 2025: median full-time pay was £40,123 for workplace jobs and £44,969 for residents. A year before, the residents' median was £44,165. The residents' figure ranks 100th highest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
Homes in Mid Bedfordshire sold for a median £390,000 in the year to March 2026, from HM Land Registry records compiled by the ONS. That is up 39% on £280,000 ten years before. The highest March-year median in the series was £400,000, in the year to March 2023. It ranks 139th highest of 575 constituencies. The figure rests on 1,280 recorded sales.
Census 2021: 40,057 households, 286.7 people per square kilometre, 38.3% of workers based at home, 21.6% of adults retired.
Mid Bedfordshire had an estimated population of 107,279 in mid-2024, against 84,725 in 2014 (ONS). There were more children under 16 (21,677) than residents aged 65 and over (19,572).
4,905 business sites were registered in Mid Bedfordshire in March 2026 (4,900 a year before), and employed 39,000 people in 2024.
1,410 people were claiming unemployment-related benefits in September 2026, 2.1% of residents aged 16 to 64. A year earlier the count was 1,300.
MP
Blake Stephenson, Conservative
- MP for Mid Bedfordshire since 4 July 2024
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Blake Stephenson on this site
In Parliament
Hansard records these as Blake Stephenson's latest words in Parliament, from 22 October 2026 to 27 October 2026. Hansard search returns 331 spoken contributions by Blake Stephenson since 4 July 2024.
T4. Last year, more than 7,500 Eritrean nationals entered the UK illegally on small boats. Following talks to persuade Eritrea to accept the return of those illegal immigrants, the Eritrean embassy dismissed threats of visa sanctions as “a perfunctory political gimmick”.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Mr Twigg, you and the Committee members will be pleased to hear that this will be the shortest speech of the day. The new clause adds the Bill, once enacted, to the list of “the Immigration Acts”. It is a technical provision, and we do not oppose it.
New clause 33 makes the Immigration Services Commissioner’s penalties, refund orders and compensation orders enforceable as court orders across the United Kingdom, including in Northern Ireland. These are technical improvements and we support them.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
There are 21,000 serious foreign criminals still in the UK. Today, a foreign criminal jailed for four years or more cannot use family or long residence exceptions to avoid deportation.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
The Government’s management of local government reorganisation must have cost the taxpayer millions of pounds. Can my right hon.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 28 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blake Stephenson | Conservative | 16,912 | 34.1% | −26.4 |
| Maahwish Mirza | Labour | 15,591 | 31.4% | +10.9 |
| Dave Holland | Reform UK | 8,594 | 17.3% | |
| Stuart Roberts | Liberal Democrat | 4,068 | 8.2% | −4.3 |
| Cade Sibley | Green Party | 2,584 | 5.2% | +1.3 |
| Gareth Mackey | Independent | 1,700 | 3.4% | |
| Richard Brunning | Social Democratic Party | 172 | 0.3% |
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 34.1% | Labour 31.4% | 1,321 | 65.8% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Conservative 60.5% | Labour 20.5% | 20,509 | 71.5% |
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
Mid Bedfordshire covers wards in 2 local authority areas, listed by the number of wards in the constituency.
- Central Bedfordshire E06000056
- Bedford E06000055
Who has power over Mid Bedfordshire
Every body that makes decisions for Mid Bedfordshire, 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 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
- Mid Bedfordshire this page: Blake Stephenson (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 Mid Bedfordshire?
UK Parliament lists Blake Stephenson, Conservative, as the Member of Parliament for Mid Bedfordshire since the July 2024 general election.
What was the 2024 general election result in Mid Bedfordshire?
Blake Stephenson (Conservative) won with 16,912 votes, a majority of 1,321, on a turnout of 65.8% (House of Commons Library).
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Mid Bedfordshire?
2.1% of residents aged 16 to 64 in September 2026, 1,410 people, on the ONS claimant count.
What is the average house price in Mid Bedfordshire?
The median price paid was £390,000 in the year to March 2026 (ONS, from HM Land Registry sales).
What is the average salary in Mid Bedfordshire?
Median full-time pay of residents was £44,969 a year in April 2025 (ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings).
How many children in Mid Bedfordshire live in low income families?
DWP counts 3,137 (14.5% of under-16s) in relative low income after housing costs for 2024/25.
What is the population of Mid Bedfordshire?
The ONS estimate for mid-2024 is 107,279 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.