Sir Edward Leigh MP: votes, interests and costs
The Member of Parliament for Gainsborough is Sir Edward Leigh (Conservative), MP there since 9 June 1983.
Offices and committees
Sir Edward Leigh sits on one committee, according to the Parliament Members API.
Committees
| Committee or post | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Panel of Chairs | 30 July 2024 | Current |
Earlier ministerial and shadow posts
| Post | Department | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Trade and Industry) | Department of Trade and Industry | 2 November 1990 | 27 May 1993 |
Earlier committees
| Committee or post | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Restoration and Renewal Programme Board | 23 February 2023 | 30 May 2024 |
| National Security Strategy (Joint Committee) | 28 September 2020 | 17 May 2022 |
| Panel of Chairs | 15 January 2020 | 30 May 2024 |
| Procedure Committee | 19 March 2018 | 6 November 2019 |
| Public Accounts Commission | 16 November 2017 | 4 July 2022 |
| Panel of Chairs | 22 June 2017 | 6 November 2019 |
| International Trade Committee | 31 October 2016 | 3 May 2017 |
| Public Accounts Commission | 4 November 2015 | 3 May 2017 |
| Procedure Committee | 13 July 2015 | 3 May 2017 |
| Members' Expenses Committee | 18 July 2011 | 30 March 2015 |
| Public Accounts Commission | 16 March 2011 | 30 March 2015 |
| Panel of Chairs | 7 July 2010 | 3 May 2017 |
Other posts
| Committee or post | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Father of the House of Commons | 4 July 2024 | Current |
Source: Parliament Members API, read 15 October 2026, SHA-256 c79053ac967d.
Register of interests
Sir Edward Leigh has 3 entries in the Register of Members' Financial Interests, the earliest registered on 22 May 2015 and the latest on . By category: Family members employed (1), Visits outside the UK (1), Miscellaneous (1). Each entry is quoted as published, with its registration date; payments linked to an entry are listed under it.
Mary Leigh employed
- Job title or role: Office Manager
- Pattern of working hours: Full time
- Name of the person employed: Mary Leigh
- Who the family member is directly related to: Related to member directly
- Nature of relationship: Spouse
International visit to Italy between 05 October 2025 and 08 October 2025
- Purpose of the visit: Fostering closer relations between Italy and the United Kingdom
- Date Member left the UK: 2025-10-05
- Date Member returned to the UK: 2025-10-08
- Associated All Parliamentary Group (APPG), where relevant: APPG Italy
Barrister, not currently practising.
- The type of interest: Other
Source: Register of Members' Financial Interests API, read 27 October 2026. The register entry on UK Parliament.
Business costs (IPSA)
In 2024-25 Sir Edward Leigh's office spent £195,220 on staff, from a staffing budget of £250,820, according to IPSA. The figure for 2023-24 was £172,337. IPSA lists office spending of £8,729 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 | £195,220.48 | £172,337.07 | £164,608.92 |
| Office costs: spent | £8,729.07 | £4,620.84 | £5,358.47 |
| Accommodation: spent | £6,629.96 | £6,329.72 | £5,909.98 |
| Winding-up: spent | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| Travel and subsistence (no cap): spent | £6,255.90 | £7,274.87 | £8,698.59 |
| Other costs (no cap): spent | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
Budgets set for 2024-25: office costs £33,020, staffing £250,820, accommodation £6,630 (Standard non-London area budget; Standard budget for an MP who owns their property and is claiming the associated costs only (such as utilities)).
IPSA's CSVs for 2024-25, 2023-24, 2022-23, read 15 October 2026; constituency as IPSA lists it: Gainsborough CC.
Staff roles listed by IPSA, 2024-25
Secretary (permanent full time), Parliamentary Assistant (permanent part time), Senior Parliamentary Assistant (permanent full time), Senior Caseworker (permanent part time), Administrative Officer/Comms Officer (permanent part time), Administrative Officer (fixed term part time), Administrative Officer (permanent part time) (IPSA CSV)
IPSA annual publications · All MPs' 2024-25 costs (table and CSV)
Votes in the Commons
The Commons Votes API records 394 votes by Sir Edward Leigh in divisions since 4 July 2024. Of these, 35 were votes on statutory instruments or procedural motions, which are not listed below. The latest 30 votes on bills and motions are below, from 17 June 2026 to 20 October 2026. On 20 October 2026 Sir Edward Leigh voted No on "Northern Ireland Troubles Bill: Third Reading".
Source: Commons Votes API, read 27 October 2026. Only divisions in which a vote is recorded for the MP are counted. The full list on UK Parliament.
Written questions
The Written Questions API lists 22 written questions from Sir Edward Leigh since 4 July 2024. The latest 10 were addressed to Wales Office, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Ministry of Defence and 2 other departments.
United Kingdom: Wales
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to strengthen Wales’ place in the Union.
Gaza: Armed Conflict
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking to support the humanitarian aspects of the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict.
Defence and National Security: Finance
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of Exchequer on meeting the NATO target of spending five per cent of GDP on defence and national security.
Asylum: Crowborough Training Camp
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to establish a community liaison group, to be attended by the Home Office and representatives of residents, including local MPs, councillors, Crowborough Shield & other community org …
Jin Mingri
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Chinese counterparts on the detention of Pastor Jin Mingri; and what diplomatic steps she is taking to help ensure his release.
Yemen: Christianity
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps she has taken with international counterparts to help ensure the protection of Christian communities in Yemen.
Eritrea: Christianity
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps she has taken with her international counterparts to help ensure the protection of Christian communities in Eritrea.
Egypt: Identity Cards
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Egyptian counterparts on the potential impact of the inclusion of religious affiliation on national identity cards on people who …
United Kingdom
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on strengthening the Union.
Catholicism: Anniversaries
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans his Department has to mark the 200th anniversary of Catholic emancipation.
Source: Written Questions API, read 15 October 2026, SHA-256 d232a1cd11e7. Question wording as listed by the API, which gives the opening words of longer questions. All questions by Sir Edward Leigh.
2024 general election
At the 4 July 2024 general election Gainsborough returned Sir Edward Leigh with a majority of 3,532: 16,636 votes, 35.6% of those cast, against 13,104 for Jess McGuire. Result as published: Con hold.
Commons Library results, read 14 October 2026 · Gainsborough 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.