Catherine McKinnell MP: votes, interests and costs
Catherine McKinnell (Labour) is the MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North, in the seat since 6 May 2010. Current post: Minister of State (Ministry of Justice), held since 21 July 2026.
Offices and committees
Current post held by Catherine McKinnell, as recorded by UK Parliament:
Ministerial and shadow posts
| Post | Department | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minister of State (Ministry of Justice) | Ministry of Justice | 21 July 2026 | Current |
Committees
| Committee or post | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Public Accounts Committee | 27 October 2025 | Current |
Earlier ministerial and shadow posts
| Post | Department | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minister of State (Education) | Department for Education | 8 July 2024 | 6 September 2025 |
| Shadow Minister (Education) (Schools) | Department for Education | 6 September 2023 | 30 May 2024 |
| Shadow Attorney General | Attorney General's Office | 14 September 2015 | 11 January 2016 |
| Shadow Minister (Treasury) | HM Treasury | 18 March 2013 | 14 September 2015 |
| Shadow Minister (Education) | Department for Education | 7 October 2011 | 18 March 2013 |
| Shadow Solicitor General | Attorney General's Office | 8 October 2010 | 7 October 2011 |
Earlier committees
| Committee or post | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill | 15 January 2025 | 11 February 2025 |
| School Attendance (Duties of Local Authorities and Proprietors of Schools) Bill | 24 April 2024 | 1 May 2024 |
| Pension Schemes (Conversion of Guaranteed Minimum Pensions) Bill | 26 January 2022 | 2 February 2022 |
| Liaison Committee (Commons) | 20 May 2020 | 6 September 2023 |
| Petitions Committee | 29 January 2020 | 6 September 2023 |
| Treasury Sub-Committee | 14 September 2017 | 6 November 2019 |
| Petitions Committee | 11 September 2017 | 6 November 2019 |
| Treasury Committee | 11 September 2017 | 6 November 2019 |
| Petitions Committee | 14 March 2016 | 3 May 2017 |
| Education, Skills and the Economy Sub-Committee | 9 March 2016 | 3 May 2017 |
| Education Committee | 1 February 2016 | 3 May 2017 |
| Political and Constitutional Reform Committee | 12 July 2010 | 8 November 2010 |
Source: Parliament Members API, read 15 October 2026, SHA-256 bf5eab44647f.
Register of interests
The Register of Members' Financial Interests lists 8 entries for Catherine McKinnell: Miscellaneous (3), Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources (3), Land and property (within or outside the UK) (1), Visits outside the UK (1). The most recent was registered on . Each entry is quoted as published, with its registration date; payments linked to an entry are listed under it.
Property in Northumberland
- Location of the land or property: Northumberland
- Details about the ownership arrangements: Joint owner
- The number of properties this interest relates to: 2
- Country in which the land or property is located: United Kingdom
- The type of property: Residential
Solicitor (currently non-practising).
- The type of interest: Other
BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Ltd - £900.00
- Whether the benefit was monetary or in kind: In kind
- Description of the payment: 2 tickets for the Mercury Prize 2026
- Value of the benefit: £900.00
- Date on which the benefit was received: 2026-10-22
- Date on which the benefit was accepted: 2026-10-22
- Name of the donor: BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Ltd
- Status of the donor: Company
- Name of the donor company: BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Ltd
UK Music Limited - £732.00
- Whether the benefit was monetary or in kind: In kind
- Description of the payment: Ticket with hospitality to the 71st Ivor Novello Awards
- Value of the benefit: £732.00
- Date on which the benefit was received: 2026-05-21
- Date on which the benefit was accepted: 2026-05-21
- Name of the donor: UK Music Limited
- Status of the donor: Company
- Name of the donor company: UK Music Limited
International visit to United States between 30 November 2025 and 05 December 2025
- Purpose of the visit: Cross-party delegation to strengthen transatlantic relations and to discuss UK-US foreign policy priorities, challenges and opportunities with members of Congress and policymakers
- Date Member left the UK: 2025-11-30
- Date Member returned to the UK: 2025-12-05
Husband is a member of the Hospitality Sector Council, a forum to facilitate cooperation between the hospitality sector and Government. This is an unpaid role.
- Date on which the interest arose, or became registrable: 2025-11-03
- The type of interest: Unpaid role
Chair of the RAF Association Commons and Lords Branch. This is an unpaid role.
- Date on which the interest arose, or became registrable: 2024-09-05
- The type of interest: Unpaid role
BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Ltd - £330.00
- Whether the benefit was monetary or in kind: In kind
- Description of the payment: Ticket for the Mercury Prize 2025
- Value of the benefit: £330.00
- Date on which the benefit was received: 2025-10-16
- Date on which the benefit was accepted: 2025-10-16
- Name of the donor: BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Ltd
- Status of the donor: Company
- Name of the donor company: BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Ltd
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 Catherine McKinnell's 2024-25 staffing spend as £235,221 (budget £250,820). The figure for 2023-24 was £198,335. IPSA lists office spending of £37,885 in the same year. 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 | £235,221.33 | £198,335.43 | £184,784.94 |
| Office costs: spent | £37,885.43 | £29,139.97 | £27,783.00 |
| Accommodation: spent | £23,415.14 | £23,053.81 | £21,298.44 |
| Winding-up: spent | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| Travel and subsistence (no cap): spent | £15,138.45 | £11,473.54 | £9,919.56 |
| Other costs (no cap): spent | £520.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
Budgets set for 2024-25: office costs £39,020, staffing £250,820, accommodation £49,330 (Standard non-London area budget, and a start-up supplement of £6,000; Standard non-London area budget; Standard budget for renting a property in the London area, with an uplift to cover the cost of three dependants).
IPSA's CSVs for 2024-25, 2023-24, 2022-23, read 15 October 2026; constituency as IPSA lists it: Newcastle upon Tyne North BC.
Staff roles listed by IPSA, 2024-25
Administrative Manager (permanent full time), Senior Parliamentary Assistant (permanent full time), Constituency Support Manager (permanent full time), Parliamentary Assistant (fixed term part time), Office Manager/Senior Parl Assistant (permanent full time), Communications Officer (permanent full time), Policy Assistant (fixed term full time), Constituency Support Officer (permanent full time), Intern (fixed term part time), Office Manager (permanent full time) (IPSA CSV)
IPSA annual publications · All MPs' 2024-25 costs (table and CSV)
Votes in the Commons
Catherine McKinnell is recorded voting in 421 divisions since 4 July 2024, according to the Commons Votes API. Of these, 52 were votes on statutory instruments or procedural motions, which are not listed below. The 30 most recent on bills and motions are listed here. On 21 October 2026 Catherine McKinnell voted No on "Opposition day motion: Support for British farmers".
Source: Commons Votes API, read 28 October 2026. Only divisions in which a vote is recorded for the MP are counted. The full list on UK Parliament.
Written questions
Catherine McKinnell has tabled 29 written questions since 4 July 2024, according to the Written Questions API. The latest 10 were addressed to Ministry of Defence, Department for Education, Department of Health and Social Care and 1 other departments.
Defence: Supply Chains
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the Defence Investment Plan will support the reduction of supply chain delays in the defence sector, including by addressing supply chain delays to the Challenger programme.
Armed Forces: Housing
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what percentage of a) new build and b) repaired old military homes, have been constructed using timber since the publication of the Defence Housing Strategy in December 2025, and whether his Department is conside …
Air Force: Helmets
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps are being taken to address delays to the Aircrew Helmet programme, and how he will make sure his department's approach to the procurement aligns with the objectives of the Defence Investment Plan to pr …
Schools: Climate Change
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support schools to help tackle climate change.
Schools: Buildings
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has considered the potential merits of using timber materials in a) constructing and b) maintaining school buildings.
Armed Forces: Housing
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has considered the potential merits of using timber to a) build new and b) repair old military homes.
Obesity: Health Services
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting lists for NHS-funded weight loss programmes.
Clothing: Manufacturing Industries
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of fashion watchdog.
Clothing: Manufacturing Industries
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Department are taking to help tackle abusive purchasing practices in the fashion industry.
Groceries Code Adjudicator
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Government is taking to expand the remit of the Groceries Code Adjudicator to tackle unfair trading practices in supply chains.
Source: Written Questions API, read 15 October 2026, SHA-256 35fa6027eda3. Question wording as listed by the API, which gives the opening words of longer questions. All questions by Catherine McKinnell.
2024 general election
Catherine McKinnell won Newcastle upon Tyne North at the general election of 4 July 2024 with 24,440 votes (50.3%), a majority of 17,762 over Guy Renner-Thompson (Conservative). Result as published: Lab hold.
Commons Library results, read 14 October 2026 · Newcastle upon Tyne North figures
Statements and pledges on this site
Official corrections
Records in which Catherine McKinnell corrected an answer or the Commons record, or which the UK Statistics Authority addressed to Catherine McKinnell:
- Catherine McKinnell corrected a written answer on Schools: Stockport
- Catherine McKinnell corrected a written answer on Schools: Finance
- Catherine McKinnell corrected a written answer on Schools: Finance
- Catherine McKinnell corrected a written answer on Schools: Finance
- Catherine McKinnell corrected a written answer on Pupils: Per Capita Costs
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.