Member of Parliament
Priti Patel
Conservative MP for Witham
Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs
At a glancePriti Patel is a Conservative MP for Witham, and has represented the seat for 16 years, 2 months. They currently serve as Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs. They have cast 347 votes in Commons divisions (60% attendance), tabled 1,155 written questions and registered 15 financial interests.
Attendance is votes cast as a share of the 575 Commons divisions since the 2024 election; Priti Patel did not vote in 228. 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
She currently undertakes the role of Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs.
Current roles
- Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Opposition post · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office since 4 Nov 2024
- Witham Representation · Elected 1 time since 4 Jul 2024
- Conservative Party since 6 May 2010
Voting record
Voting alignment
Votes most like
-
Bradley Thomas
Conservative
100.0% · 335 of 335 shared votes
-
Rebecca Harris
Conservative
100.0% · 333 of 333 shared votes
-
Sir Julian Lewis
Conservative
100.0% · 332 of 332 shared votes
-
Dr Kieran Mullan
Conservative
100.0% · 331 of 331 shared votes
-
Mims Davies
Conservative
100.0% · 329 of 329 shared votes
Votes least like
-
Kerry McCarthy
Labour
0.0% · 0 of 310 shared votes
-
Joani Reid
Independent
0.0% · 0 of 181 shared votes
-
Chris Bryant
Labour
0.0% · 0 of 177 shared votes
-
Steve Reed
Labour (Co-op)
0.0% · 0 of 153 shared votes
-
Michael Payne
Labour
0.4% · 1 of 280 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.
Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources9
- Silverstone Circuits Limited - £6,450.00 (registered 8 Jul 2026)
- The Arsenal Football Club Ltd - £500.00 (registered 1 Jun 2026)
- Embassy of Bahrain - £95.00 (registered 3 Jan 2026)
- Middle East Association - £360.00 (registered 25 Dec 2025)
- Clarion Defence (UK) Ltd - £598.00 (registered 9 Oct 2025)
- High Commissioner of India in the UK - £600.00 (registered 12 Aug 2025)
- The Duke of Richmond and Gordon CBE DL - £1,000.00 (registered 12 Aug 2025)
- Silverstone Circuits Ltd - £2,390.00 (registered 14 Jul 2025)
- Jockey Club Racecourses Ltd - £680.00 (registered 1 Jul 2025)
Visits outside the UK5
- International visit to United States between 22 February 2026 and 27 February 2026 (registered 20 Mar 2026)
- International visit to Germany between 12 February 2026 and 15 February 2026 (registered 11 Mar 2026)
- International visit to United States between 02 December 2025 and 06 December 2025 (registered 5 Jan 2026)
- International visit to Israel between 21 November 2025 and 25 November 2025 (registered 19 Dec 2025)
- International visit to Bahrain between 30 October 2025 and 03 November 2025 (registered 27 Nov 2025)
Miscellaneous1
- A Director of the Conservative Friends of America. This is an unpaid role. (registered 11 Jan 2023)
Written questions
Republic of Ireland: Aluminium
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her (i) Irish and (ii) EU counterparts regarding the Aughinish Alumina refinery and reported links to Putin.
Answer · 29 Jun 2026
Further to the answer provided on 11 June in response to Question 7960, the Foreign Secretary met her Irish counterpart on 22 June, and discussed the efforts both countries are making to support Ukraine, and maximise pressure on Russia's war economy.The U...
Gibraltar: UK Relations with EU
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2026 to Question 119258 on Gibraltar: UK relations with EU, what progress she has made on establishing a definition of a political offence.
Answer · 29 Jun 2026
There has been no change in the position since the previous occasions on which the Rt Hon Member has asked these questions (119258, 119262, 119263), and I therefore refer her back to the most recent answers that she received, on 17 March.
Gibraltar: UK Relations with EU
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer given 17 March 2026 to Question 119262 on Gibraltar: UK relations with EU, whether an economic assessment of the impact of introducing transaction taxe
Answer · 29 Jun 2026
There has been no change in the position since the previous occasions on which the Rt Hon Member has asked these questions (119258, 119262, 119263), and I therefore refer her back to the most recent answers that she received, on 17 March.
Gibraltar: UK Relations with EU
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2026 to Question 119263 on Gibraltar: UK relations with EU, what progress has been made in establishing a timetable for the establishment o
Answer · 29 Jun 2026
There has been no change in the position since the previous occasions on which the Rt Hon Member has asked these questions (119258, 119262, 119263), and I therefore refer her back to the most recent answers that she received, on 17 March.
Mauritius: Development Aid
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Government of Mauritius on the financial contributions that the Government of Mauritius were expecting from the UK-Mauritius Treaty.
Answer · 1 Jul 2026
There has been no change in the position since the previous occasions on which the Rt Hon Member has asked these questions (121712 and 8533), and I therefore refer her back to the most recent answers that she received, on 26 March and 16 June respectively...
Mauritius: Development Aid
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what financial support she has provided to (a) the Government of Mauritius and (b) projects in Mauritius under the Strategic Partnership Framework Programme in 2025/26 and pl
Answer · 1 Jul 2026
There has been no change in the position since the previous occasions on which the Rt Hon Member has asked these questions (121712 and 8533), and I therefore refer her back to the most recent answers that she received, on 26 March and 16 June respectively...
Special Educational Needs: Witham
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Inclusion Bases she is planning for schools in the Witham constituency in each of the next five years; and what funding is being made available to finance them.
Answer · 1 Jul 2026
As a core component of our £3.7 billion high needs capital settlement, the department will invest in a transformational expansion of inclusion bases.This funding is allocated to local authorities, who know their schools and will determine how best to spen...
Free Schools: Witham
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (i) methodology and (ii) timeframes of (a) housing growth and (b) pupil number growth forecasts did she use when deciding to not to proceed with funding for the proposed Lodge Farm Primary School in Witham
Answer · 30 Jun 2026
Mainstream Free School projects were evaluated against consistent criteria on the need for places, value for money, and whether they would provide a distinctive or innovative education offer or risk negatively impacting other local schools. As part of the...
Speeches in the chamber
9 Jul 2026 NATO Summit
Times have changed.
9 Jul 2026 NATO Summit
I am grateful to the Foreign Secretary for advance sight of her statement. I start by recognising some of the positive commitments in the NATO summit communiqué, including the important reaffirmation of the alliance’s commitment to collect…
9 Jul 2026 Iran Conflict: Ceasefire
The terrorist regime in Tehran has once again violated the ceasefire, illegally attacking commercial shipping in the strait of Hormuz and striking our allies in the region, including Bahrain and Kuwait. These new assaults in the strait on …
9 Jul 2026 Iran Conflict: Ceasefire
(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office if she will make a statement on Iran’s violation of the ceasefire.
25 Jun 2026 Sudan
The world’s worst humanitarian crisis is now threatening to sink into even more harrowing depths. The disregard for human life and the violence in El Obeid is shocking, and the major new offensive simply must not happen. The attacks and de…
25 Jun 2026 Sudan
(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs if she will make a statement on the intensification of fighting in Sudan and diplomatic efforts to press the warring parties into a ceasefir…
16 Jun 2026 Topical Questions
The Foreign Secretary will know that a secret camera was found in an office block where the plans for the Chinese spy hub super-embassy were approved. No one knows yet where the camera came from, but it raises serious questions for the Gov…
16 Jun 2026 Topical Questions
China’s human rights record is appalling. Did the Foreign Secretary know, while she was enjoying the hospitality of the Chinese Communist party earlier this month, that Chinese slave labour is being used to supply solar panels across UK sc…
16 Jun 2026 Violence against Women and Girls
What steps are being taken to investigate Daesh fighters who have returned to Britain and prosecute them for their crimes, including sexual violence and rape against the Yazidis and others? Given the importance of ensuring that there is ac…
16 Jun 2026 UK-US Relationship
I echo your sombre words about Jo Cox, Mr Speaker. Her memory and her family are in our thoughts today. The United Kingdom’s long-standing strategic, security, defence and intelligence relationship with the United States is crucial for …
9 Jun 2026 Middle East
Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. It is now over 100 days since this conflict began, yet Iran continues to pose the most dangerous and significant threat to the middle east, peace and security and the interests of Bri…
4 Jun 2026 Russian Attacks on Civilian Infrastructure
This has been a sobering and devastating week in Ukraine. Britain must continue to stand with Ukraine in its fight for freedom and sovereignty and back it against the evil and heinous acts we have seen, which are constantly committed by Pu…
3 Jun 2026 Lebanon: Israel Defence Forces Operations
Lebanese Hezbollah is an Iranian-backed terrorist organisation that, for too long, has caused harm to the Lebanese people, undermined the Government of Lebanon and threatened Israel. It is also part of a terror network that threatens our i…
21 May 2026 Middle East
The conflict and crisis in the middle east continues to be felt in Britain and overseas. The Government must use all their diplomatic leverage and economic might to pursue a path of peace and stability in the region that protects the inter…
21 Apr 2026 Topical Questions
Like the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary will be aware that Peter Mandelson was on the board of Sistema alongside Russian spies. Has she now checked whether the concerns raised during vetting related to Mandelson’s business links wit…
21 Apr 2026 Topical Questions
This morning, we heard Sir Olly Robbins say that there was a “dismissive attitude” and an atmosphere of pressure from No. 10 towards security vetting due to its desire to get Mandelson in post as soon as possible. Given Sir Olly’s account,…
21 Apr 2026 Iran: Human Rights
The barbaric regime in Tehran has murdered tens of thousands of its own people. It remains the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism and is responsible for appalling antisemitism, and for spying on the British Jewish community. Why d…
13 Apr 2026 Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill
Let me start my remarks by saying that the Minister has done the right thing by coming to the House to give this statement, rather than being dragged here through an urgent question, and by stating the factual and accurate position that th…
26 Mar 2026 Local Government Reorganisation
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to speak from the Back Benches on this issue, which has profound consequences for my county and my constituency. I am appalled by the Government’s proposal to break up the great county of Essex…
17 Mar 2026 Middle East
I want to put on the record the thanks of the Opposition to our brave armed forces in the region and to those en route, as well as our thanks to the diplomatic and consular staff for all their efforts to support the quarter of a million Br…
Source: contributions on parliament.uk.
Full parliamentary career
Government posts
- Home Secretary · Home Office 24 Jul 2019 – 6 Sep 2022
- Secretary of State for International Development · Department for International Development 14 Jul 2016 – 8 Nov 2017
- Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions) (Cabinet) · Department for Work and Pensions 8 May 2015 – 14 Jul 2016
- Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury) · HM Treasury 15 Jul 2014 – 8 May 2015
Committee memberships
- Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and International Committee of the Red Cross (Status) Bill [HL] 6 Nov 2024 – 13 Nov 2024
- Committees on Arms Export Controls 27 Feb 2018 – 6 Nov 2019
- Foreign Affairs Committee 20 Feb 2018 – 6 Nov 2019
- Members' Expenses Committee 18 Jul 2011 – 30 Mar 2015
- Public Administration Committee 5 Dec 2011 – 23 Jun 2014
- Draft Deregulation Bill (Joint Committee) 10 Jul 2013 – 11 Dec 2013
Previous seats
- Witham · Elected 4 times 6 May 2010 – 30 May 2024
Elections contested
- Nottingham North 5 May 2005
Expenses
Contact & offices
020 7219 3528
Parliamentary office
House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Priti Patel, answered from official Parliament data.
Who is Priti Patel?
Priti Patel is a Member of Parliament representing Witham in the House of Commons. See Priti Patel's official Parliament profile.
Which party does Priti Patel represent?
Priti Patel sits as Conservative. See Priti Patel's official Parliament profile.
Which constituency does Priti Patel represent?
Priti Patel is the Member of Parliament for Witham. See Priti Patel's official Parliament profile.
How long has Priti Patel been an MP?
Priti Patel has served in the House of Commons for 16 years, 2 months. See Priti Patel's official Parliament profile.
What registered interests are listed for Priti Patel?
Priti Patel has 15 entries in the Register of Members' Financial Interests. See Priti Patel's official Parliament profile.
Source: this MP's official Parliament profile. Last updated 26 Jul 2026.