At a glanceSir Iain Duncan Smith is a Conservative MP for Chingford and Woodford Green, and has represented the seat for 34 years, 3 months. They have cast 407 votes in Commons divisions (71% attendance), tabled 387 written questions and registered 20 financial interests.
Attendance is votes cast as a share of the 575 Commons divisions since the 2024 election; Sir Iain Duncan Smith did not vote in 168. A rebellion is a vote against the way most of their own party voted; free votes, where no party line applies, are left out.
Party-loyalty figures are our own analysis of the official voting records (recorded votes only; they do not describe the formal whip). How we work this out.
Biography
Current roles
- Chingford and Woodford Green Representation · Elected 1 time since 4 Jul 2024
- Conservative Party since 9 Apr 1992
Voting record
Voting alignment
Votes most like
-
Bradley Thomas
Conservative
100.0% · 393 of 393 shared votes
-
Rebecca Harris
Conservative
100.0% · 383 of 383 shared votes
-
Greg Smith
Conservative
100.0% · 378 of 378 shared votes
-
Edward Argar
Conservative
100.0% · 377 of 377 shared votes
-
Lewis Cocking
Conservative
100.0% · 370 of 370 shared votes
Votes least like
-
Michael Payne
Labour
0.6% · 2 of 323 shared votes
-
Kerry McCarthy
Labour
0.9% · 3 of 343 shared votes
-
Bambos Charalambous
Labour
0.9% · 3 of 319 shared votes
-
Emily Thornberry
Labour
0.9% · 2 of 225 shared votes
-
Sarah Edwards
Labour
1.1% · 3 of 262 shared votes
Alignment figures are our own analysis of the official voting records (recorded votes only; they do not describe the formal whip). How we work this out.
Register of financial interests
From the official Register; shown as registered.
Employment and earnings1
- Appearances on GB News - GB News Ltd (registered 27 Jan 2026)
Employment and earnings - Ad hoc payments17
- Payment received on 12 June 2026 - £80.00 (registered 23 Jun 2026)
- Payment received on 26 May 2026 - £800.00 (registered 26 May 2026)
- Payment received on 18 May 2026 - £40.00 (registered 21 May 2026)
- Payment received on 12 May 2026 - £250.00 (registered 14 May 2026)
- Payment received on 16 April 2026 - £40.00 (registered 21 Apr 2026)
- Payment received on 14 April 2026 - £250.00 (registered 14 Apr 2026)
- Payment received on 16 March 2026 - £40.00 (registered 17 Mar 2026)
- Payment received on 17 February 2026 - £500.00 (registered 17 Feb 2026)
- Payment received on 13 February 2026 - £40.00 (registered 17 Feb 2026)
- Payment received on 23 January 2026 - £200.00 (registered 4 Feb 2026)
- Payment received on 15 January 2026 - £320.00 (registered 27 Jan 2026)
- Payment received on 09 December 2025 - £250.00 (registered 10 Dec 2025)
- Payment received on 11 November 2025 - £750.00 (registered 12 Nov 2025)
- Payment received on 23 October 2025 - £750.00 (registered 24 Oct 2025)
- Payment received on 14 October 2025 - £500.00 (registered 14 Oct 2025)
- Payment received on 30 September 2025 - £250.00 (registered 1 Oct 2025)
- Payment received on 16 September 2025 - £500.00 (registered 18 Sep 2025)
Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources1
- Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) - £2,687.50 (registered 20 Oct 2025)
Visits outside the UK1
- International visit to United States between 01 February 2026 and 08 February 2026 (registered 17 Feb 2026)
Written questions
China: Ethnic Groups
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans she has to discuss the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law with her Chinese counterpart.
Answer · 8 Jul 2026
This is a concerning development in China. We note the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' concern that this law may entrench restrictions on the rights and freedoms of ethnic minorities in a country where the environment for freedom of religion or bel...
Private Education: China
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the involvement of the United Front in the purchase of independent schools by Chinese investors since 2014.
Answer · 8 Jul 2026
Any information the department holds on schools is accessible via the Get information about schools website here: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/.
Cyprus: Military Bases
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the statement by the European Council on 19 March 2026, whether she has made representations to the European Council on its intention to provide assistance
Answer · 2 Jul 2026
The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (SBAs) are fully sovereign UK territory, and remained so under the 1960 Treaty Concerning the Establishment of the Republic of Cyprus. The UK remains committed to the SBAs, which make a major contribution ...
Cyprus: Military Bases
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, to what degree has the Government been committed to offer support regarding the sovereignty of the British Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, prior to the Europea
Answer · 2 Jul 2026
The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (SBAs) are fully sovereign UK territory, and remained so under the 1960 Treaty Concerning the Establishment of the Republic of Cyprus. The UK remains committed to the SBAs, which make a major contribution ...
Oppression
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what comparative assessment she has made of dedicated transnational repression reporting mechanisms operated in other jurisdictions, including the FBI's dedicated reporting line in the United States;
Answer · 30 Jun 2026
The Government, in consultation with CTP, has assessed that existing reporting channels, including 101 and 999, are the most widely known and easily accessible means of contacting the police, allowing for effective triage by trained professionals with onw...
Oppression
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the evidential basis was for the Government's assessment that expected call volumes to a dedicated transnational repression hotline would be low; and whether that assessment accounted for evidenc
Answer · 30 Jun 2026
The Government, in consultation with CTP, has assessed that existing reporting channels, including 101 and 999, are the most widely known and easily accessible means of contacting the police, allowing for effective triage by trained professionals with onw...
Oppression
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will reconsider the Government's rejection of the Joint Committee on Human Rights' recommendation for a dedicated national reporting mechanism for victims of transnational repression.
Answer · 30 Jun 2026
The Government, in consultation with CTP, has assessed that existing reporting channels, including 101 and 999, are the most widely known and easily accessible means of contacting the police, allowing for effective triage by trained professionals with onw...
Oppression: Hong Kong
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many reports of transnational repression made via the 101 service by members of the Hong Kong diaspora have been recorded in each of the last three years; and how many of those reports resulted in
Answer · 30 Jun 2026
The Government, in consultation with CTP, has assessed that existing reporting channels, including 101 and 999, are the most widely known and easily accessible means of contacting the police, allowing for effective triage by trained professionals with onw...
Early day motions
| 13 Jul 2023 | Debate on the Intelligence and Security Committee's report on China | 4 sig. |
| 7 Jun 2021 | UK representation at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics | 15 sig. |
| 5 Jun 2007 | MENTAL CAPACITY (S.I., 2007, No. 1253) | 9 sig. |
| 19 Dec 2005 | STATE FUNERAL FOR THE LAST VETERAN OF THE GREAT WAR | 97 sig. |
| 7 Dec 2004 | MENTAL CAPACITY BILL | 114 sig. |
| 6 Nov 2003 | ANIMALS (S.I., 2003 NO. 2780) | 18 sig. |
Speeches in the chamber
13 Jul 2026 Death of Ann Widdecombe
Friday was a funny day. I heard the news very early in the morning that Ann had died, and I was utterly surprised about that because she had seemed perfectly fit the last time I saw her, so I gave my condolences and spoke about it on the r…
7 Jul 2026 Summer Jobs
It is all about throwing out the baby with the bathwater. I fully understand that the Government want to regulate some of that employment to ensure that people are protected, but the Employment Rights Act is so all-consuming and far-reachi…
7 Jul 2026 Summer Jobs
It is always good to speak with the hon. Member for East Renfrewshire (Blair McDougall) on the Front Bench. Were we discussing the threats that we face or the problems we have with China and the desperate way that they have undercut the ma…
7 Jul 2026 Summer Jobs
I have always thought that a zero-hours contract was a terrible name for what is actually flexible hours. There was always an ideological opposition to it, but in practice over two thirds of those who were on the contracts—adults as well, …
7 Jul 2026 Summer Jobs
It is always great to have the Minister at the Dispatch Box; we always have a lot of fun. I have had to juggle this issue myself, so I want to ask him a very important question: does he honestly think that making the starting rate for nati…
7 Jul 2026 Summer Jobs
Will the Minister give way?
6 Jul 2026 Russia: Level of Threat to UK
The Prime Minister agreed that he would use all his might to tackle the shadow fleet tankers that were coming through British territorial waters. Since then, one has been taken, and just under 200 shadow fleet tankers have passed through o…
30 Jun 2026 Defence Investment Plan
Is it not the reality that the plan the Defence Secretary has put forward barely scrapes into 2.7%? It is not 3%. It leaves us £9.3 billion short, every single year of the process. If he is not going to achieve 3% by 2030, how in heaven’s …
25 Jun 2026 Sudan
It seems that whoever comes into government, the Foreign Office’s weak policy on the UAE persists. I remind the hon. Gentleman that the UAE has incarcerated a British citizen for more than 19 years—illegally, according to the UN. The UAE p…
23 Jun 2026 Defence Spending and Readiness
The hon. Member talks about 2014 and the invasion, and he is quite right. I was in Cabinet at the time, and one of the points that I and some others raised was what our position was over this. But the EU got this badly wrong because the Pr…
23 Jun 2026 Defence Spending and Readiness
All these things are a great shame when we look back at the past, but no matter how much we fight the issues of the past, we always lose, because we cannot alter them. What we have to do is learn the lessons of the past. By the end, the pr…
23 Jun 2026 Defence Spending and Readiness
Yes, that is quite correct, and my right hon. Friend is exactly right to make the point now. We really must understand that, if the first priority of Government is defence of the realm, then the second priority is defence of those they …
23 Jun 2026 Defence Spending and Readiness
I do; it was difficult and we stuck to the task. We were not very popular at the time, but that has been a constant in my life. [Laughter.] I think you only know you are successful when you are not popular, and we were not popular on that.…
23 Jun 2026 Defence Spending and Readiness
That is exactly the point. I hope that we will be able to drag this point out again on 4 September and make it very clear that if we in this House do not stand by those whom we order to go to war or to bear arms for the sake of the country…
23 Jun 2026 Defence Spending and Readiness
I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. [Laughter.] In those conversations, we decided that there was clearly no future for us in the Army. Now, I did stay on a bit longer, but many left who I knew were very competent and very …
23 Jun 2026 Defence Spending and Readiness
It is a tremendous privilege to take part in this debate. It has to be clear to us on both sides of the House that this is the most critical debate that we will be involved with. This is the most critical thing that we face but it often es…
23 Jun 2026 Defence Spending and Readiness
My hon. Friend is making a powerful speech. Does he recall that at the end of the cold war a paper was written by Francis Fukuyama called “The End of History?”? Does he agree that on the basis of that, everybody believed somehow that no lo…
18 Jun 2026 Human Rights: Supply Chains
Could we get a commitment today that the Government will look carefully at what countries that are well in advance of us, such as the United States and some European countries, are doing, to make sure that we urgently get on to resolving t…
18 Jun 2026 Human Rights: Supply Chains
It is always a blessing to have you chairing a meeting, Mr Dowd. It is particularly a blessing today, as we would not have this debate were you not here, so thank you. I have been active on this subject for some time. I have been sancti…
16 Jun 2026 Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill
I am not quite certain that I understand the Minister’s reasons for why he cannot accept my amendment, tweak it or work with it in the other place. The reality is that with this Bill, we are opening the door in a way that we would not have…
Source: contributions on parliament.uk.
Full parliamentary career
Government posts
- Secretary of State for Work and Pensions · Department for Work and Pensions 12 May 2010 – 19 Mar 2016
Opposition posts
- Leader of HM Official Opposition · HM Official Opposition 12 Sep 2001 – 6 Nov 2003
- Shadow Secretary of State for Defence · Ministry of Defence 15 Jun 1999 – 12 Sep 2001
- Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions · Department for Work and Pensions 11 Jun 1997 – 15 Jun 1999
Other posts
- Leader of the Conservative Party 12 Sep 2001 – 6 Nov 2003
Committee memberships
- Standards and Privileges 23 Oct 1996 – 21 Mar 1997
- Administration Committee 11 Jan 1994 – 21 Mar 1997
- Standards in Public Life 16 Nov 1994 – 8 Nov 1995
- Health and Social Care Committee 24 Jan 1994 – 10 Jul 1995
Previous seats
- Chingford and Woodford Green · Elected 4 times 6 May 2010 – 30 May 2024
- Chingford and Woodford Green · Elected 3 times 1 May 1997 – 6 May 2010
- Chingford · Elected 1 time 9 Apr 1992 – 1 May 1997
Elections contested
- Bradford West 11 Jun 1987
Expenses
Contact & offices
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Sir Iain Duncan Smith, answered from official Parliament data.
Who is Sir Iain Duncan Smith?
Sir Iain Duncan Smith is a Member of Parliament representing Chingford and Woodford Green in the House of Commons. See Sir Iain Duncan Smith's official Parliament profile.
Which party does Sir Iain Duncan Smith represent?
Sir Iain Duncan Smith sits as Conservative. See Sir Iain Duncan Smith's official Parliament profile.
Which constituency does Sir Iain Duncan Smith represent?
Sir Iain Duncan Smith is the Member of Parliament for Chingford and Woodford Green. See Sir Iain Duncan Smith's official Parliament profile.
How long has Sir Iain Duncan Smith been an MP?
Sir Iain Duncan Smith has served in the House of Commons for 34 years, 3 months. See Sir Iain Duncan Smith's official Parliament profile.
What registered interests are listed for Sir Iain Duncan Smith?
Sir Iain Duncan Smith has 20 entries in the Register of Members' Financial Interests. See Sir Iain Duncan Smith's official Parliament profile.
Source: this MP's official Parliament profile. Last updated 26 Jul 2026.