Alex Sobel MP: votes, interests and costs
Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op)) is the MP for Leeds Central and Headingley, in the seat since 8 June 2017.
Offices and committees
UK Parliament records Alex Sobel as a current member of these 3 committees.
Committees
| Committee or post | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Human Rights (Joint Committee) | 9 September 2026 | Current |
| Liaison Committee (Commons) | 9 September 2026 | Current |
| Human Rights (Joint Committee) | 13 November 2024 | Current |
Earlier ministerial and shadow posts
| Post | Department | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 4 December 2021 | 5 September 2023 |
| Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) | Department for Culture, Media and Sport | 10 April 2020 | 4 December 2021 |
Earlier committees
| Committee or post | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee | 15 January 2024 | 30 May 2024 |
| Culture, Media and Sport Sub-committee on Online Harms and Disinformation | 15 January 2024 | 30 May 2024 |
| Shark Fins Bill | 9 November 2022 | 16 November 2022 |
| Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform Bill) | 2 November 2022 | 29 November 2022 |
| Highgate Cemetery Bill Committee | 21 June 2021 | 30 May 2024 |
| Highgate Cemetery Bill Committee | 16 June 2021 | 16 June 2021 |
| Monken Hadley Common Bill Unopposed Bill Committee | 16 June 2021 | 17 November 2020 |
| Environmental Audit Committee | 2 March 2020 | 22 February 2021 |
| Environmental Audit Committee | 11 September 2017 | 6 November 2019 |
| Backbench Business Committee | 11 September 2017 | 6 November 2019 |
Source: Parliament Members API, read 15 October 2026, SHA-256 a9f46b78ce9a.
Register of interests
The Register of Members' Financial Interests lists 11 entries for Alex Sobel: Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources (5), Miscellaneous (5), Donations and other support (including loans) for activities as an MP (1). The most recent was registered on 31 July 2026. Each entry is quoted as published, with its registration date; payments linked to an entry are listed under it.
Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust - £24,072.00
- How the donation was received: (b) Any other support not included in Category 2(a)
- Whether the benefit was monetary or in kind: In kind
- Description of the payment: Research services provided for two and a half days a week for up to a year between 17 August 2026 - 16 August 2027 (value stated is the maximum)
- Value of the benefit: £24,072.00
- Date on which the benefit was received: 2026-07-14
- Date on which the benefit was accepted: 2026-07-15
- End date, if the benefit was received over time: 2027-07-15
- Name of the donor: Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust
Music Publishers Association - £1,314.00
- Whether the benefit was via an All Parliamentary Group (APPG): Music
- Whether the benefit was monetary or in kind: In kind
- Description of the payment: One ticket and hospitality for the Ivor Novello Awards
- Value of the benefit: £1,314.00
- Date on which the benefit was received: 2026-05-21
- Date on which the benefit was accepted: 2026-05-21
- Name of the donor: Music Publishers Association
- Status of the donor: Company
Football Association Ltd - £500.00
- Whether the benefit was monetary or in kind: In kind
- Description of the payment: Two tickets and hospitality for the FA Cup Semi Final between Leeds Utd and Chelsea FC
- Value of the benefit: £500.00
- Date on which the benefit was received: 2026-04-26
- Date on which the benefit was accepted: 2026-04-26
- Name of the donor: Football Association Ltd
- Status of the donor: Company
- Name of the donor company: Football Association Ltd
Leeds United FC - £340.00
- Whether the benefit was monetary or in kind: In kind
- Description of the payment: Ticket for Leeds Utd v Brentford match
- Value of the benefit: £340.00
- Date on which the benefit was received: 2026-03-20
- Date on which the benefit was accepted: 2026-03-20
- Name of the donor: Leeds United FC
- Status of the donor: Company
- Name of the donor company: Leeds United FC
BPI - £3,432.00
- Whether the benefit was via an All Parliamentary Group (APPG): Music
- Whether the benefit was monetary or in kind: In kind
- Description of the payment: two tickets and hospitality for the Brit Awards at Co-op Live, Manchester
- Value of the benefit: £3,432.00
- Date on which the benefit was received: 2026-02-28
- Date on which the benefit was accepted: 2026-02-28
- Name of the donor: BPI
- Status of the donor: Company
Member of Executive Committee of the British Group of the Inter Parliamentary Union
- Date on which the interest arose, or became registrable: 2025-11-26
- The type of interest: Unpaid role
Trustee of Leeds International Aid Fund. This is an unpaid role.
- Date on which the interest arose, or became registrable: 2025-10-30
- The type of interest: Unpaid role
BPI - £660.00
- Whether the benefit was via an All Parliamentary Group (APPG): Music
- Whether the benefit was monetary or in kind: In kind
- Description of the payment: 2 floor tickets and dinner for the Mercury Music Prize at the Utilita Arena, Newcastle
- Value of the benefit: £660.00
- Date on which the benefit was received: 2025-10-16
- Date on which the benefit was accepted: 2025-10-16
- End date, if the benefit was received over time: 2025-10-16
- Name of the donor: BPI
Vice Chair of the Climate and Nature Crisis Caucus. This is an unpaid role.
- Date on which the interest arose, or became registrable: 2025-07-15
- The type of interest: Unpaid role
A visiting Parliamentary Fellow at St Anthonys College, Oxford. This is an unpaid role.
- Date on which the interest arose, or became registrable: 2023-12-04
- The type of interest: Unpaid role
A director (unpaid) of Transform Labour Ltd (formally Transform Europe (Campaign) Ltd). This is a dormant company, limited by guarantee, which applied for dissolution on 28 June 2023.
- Date on which the interest arose, or became registrable: 2019-07-02
- The type of interest: Unpaid role
Source: Register of Members' Financial Interests API, read 28 October 2026. The register entry on UK Parliament.
Business costs (IPSA)
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority publishes Alex Sobel's 2024-25 staffing spend as £235,780 (budget £250,820). In 2023-24 it was £233,576. Office costs came to £30,277 of a £33,020 budget. IPSA publishes each budget, the amount spent and the amount left (the remaining amounts are in IPSA's files); no total across budgets is published, so none is given here.
| IPSA figure | 2024-25 | 2023-24 | 2022-23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staffing: spent | £235,780.30 | £233,575.84 | £218,824.18 |
| Office costs: spent | £30,276.96 | £30,221.51 | £26,334.92 |
| Accommodation: spent | £36,006.73 | £31,922.03 | £31,200.00 |
| Winding-up: spent | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| Travel and subsistence (no cap): spent | £26,129.94 | £15,485.22 | £15,478.35 |
| Other costs (no cap): spent | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
Budgets set for 2024-25: office costs £33,020, staffing £250,820, accommodation £42,650 (Standard non-London area budget; Standard budget for renting a property in the London area, with an uplift to cover the cost of two dependants).
IPSA's CSVs for 2024-25, 2023-24, 2022-23, read 15 October 2026; constituency as IPSA lists it: Leeds Central and Headingley BC.
Staff roles listed by IPSA, 2024-25
Office Manager/Senior Caseworker (permanent full time), Parliamentary Assistant (permanent full time), Administrative Officer/Comms Officer (permanent full time), Senior Caseworker (permanent full time), Constituency Support Officer (permanent part time), Constituency/Parliamentary Assistant (permanent full time), Caseworker (permanent full time), Constituency Assistant (casual), Constituency Assistant (fixed term part time), Parliamentary Assistant (fixed term full time) (IPSA CSV)
IPSA annual publications · All MPs' 2024-25 costs (table and CSV)
Votes in the Commons
The Commons Votes API records 418 votes by Alex Sobel in divisions since 4 July 2024. Of these, 53 were votes on statutory instruments or procedural motions, which are not listed below. The latest 30 votes on bills and motions are below, from 14 July 2026 to 21 October 2026. The most recent, on 21 October 2026, was a No on "Opposition day motion: Support for British farmers".
Source: Commons Votes API, read 26 October 2026. Only divisions in which a vote is recorded for the MP are counted. The full list on UK Parliament.
Written questions
Alex Sobel has tabled 291 written questions since 4 July 2024, according to the Written Questions API. Departments in the latest 10: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; Department for Energy Security and Net Zero; Home Office; Department of Health and Social Care.
Local Government: Audit
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reinstating mandatory independent external audits of local authorities.
Clean Energy: Prices
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she accepts the conclusion in ADE: Demand's No Home Left Behind that low-income households are effectively paying five times more than wealthier families for clean heat; and what imme …
Migrants: Employment
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of a) the levels of incorrect Negative Verification Notices being issued in cases where the Employer Checking Service database has not updated in time to …
Migrants: Employment
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will consider introducing a standalone physical or digital document to demonstrate proof of Section 3C status.
Ultrasonics: Regulation
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions her Department has had with the Health and Care Professions Council on the creation of a dedicated statutory register for sonographers.
Ultrasonics: Regulation
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the absence of statutory regulation for sonographers on patient safety.
Ultrasonics: Regulation
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress she has made on the review of statutory regulation for sonographers; and when she expects to publish the findings of that review.
Heat Networks
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of the ADE: Heat Networks Cost of Heat Research recommendation for a targeted electricity discount.
Heat Networks
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the ADE: Heat Networks Cost of Heat Research, what estimate her Department has made of the potential cost impact on consumers of not capturing heat wasted from data centres …
Heat Networks
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the findings of the ADE: Heat Networks Cost of Heat Research, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to create a level playing field on carbon for the heat network …
Source: Written Questions API, read 15 October 2026, SHA-256 365ea5f0ce67. Question wording as listed by the API, which gives the opening words of longer questions. All questions by Alex Sobel.
2024 general election
The House of Commons Library records a majority of 8,422 for Alex Sobel in Leeds Central and Headingley in July 2024, from 15,853 votes on a turnout of 44.8%. Result as published: Lab hold.
Commons Library results, read 14 October 2026 · Leeds Central and Headingley figures
Built 15 October 2026 from official records; register entries and votes are re-read on a rolling schedule. This page sets out what the record shows and gives no rating of the MP. Official UK Parliament page · All MPs · Something wrong? Tell us.