Member of Parliament
Matthew Pennycook
Labour MP for Greenwich and Woolwich
Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
At a glanceMatthew Pennycook is a Labour MP for Greenwich and Woolwich, and has represented the seat for 11 years, 2 months. They currently serve as Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government). They have cast 502 votes in Commons divisions (87% attendance) and tabled 553 written questions.
Attendance is votes cast as a share of the 575 Commons divisions since the 2024 election; Matthew Pennycook did not vote in 73. 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
He currently holds the Government post of Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government).
Current roles
- Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government) Government post · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government since 9 Jul 2024
- Greenwich and Woolwich Representation · Elected 1 time since 4 Jul 2024
- Labour Party since 7 May 2015
Voting record
Voting alignment
Votes most like
-
Rachel Hopkins
Labour
100.0% · 491 of 491 shared votes
-
Paul Davies
Labour
100.0% · 483 of 483 shared votes
-
Steve Yemm
Labour
100.0% · 478 of 478 shared votes
-
Tristan Osborne
Labour
100.0% · 475 of 475 shared votes
-
Adam Thompson
Labour
100.0% · 473 of 473 shared votes
Votes least like
-
Sir Roger Gale
Conservative
0.3% · 1 of 302 shared votes
-
Sir Geoffrey Cox
Conservative
0.4% · 1 of 226 shared votes
-
George Freeman
Conservative
0.7% · 2 of 269 shared votes
-
Mrs Kemi Badenoch
Conservative
0.7% · 1 of 153 shared votes
-
Alan Mak
Conservative
0.8% · 3 of 369 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.
Written questions
Palestinians: Recognition of States
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs has had recent discussions with his counterparts in (a) Ireland, (b) Spain, (c) Norway, (d) Malta, and (e) Slovenia on joint recognition
Answer · 22 May 2024
The UK supports a two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and Palestinian people. The Foreign Secretary has spoken with the new Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority Mohammad Mustafa and offered the UK's suppor...
Palestinians: Recognition of States
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the potential recognition of a Palestinian state.
Answer · 22 May 2024
The UK supports a two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and Palestinian people. The Foreign Secretary has spoken with the new Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority Mohammad Mustafa and offered the UK's suppor...
Holiday Accommodation: Planning Permission
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his planned timetable is for responding to his Department's consultation on the introduction of a use class for short term lets and associated permitted development rights.
Answer · 16 May 2024
I refer the Hon Member to the answer to Question UIN 21419 on 22 April 2024.
Gaza: Humanitarian Aid
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Israeli Defence Forces taking control of the Rafah border crossing on the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Answer · 21 May 2024
We have been clear that entry points for humanitarian aid, including Rafah and Kerem Shalom, must be reopened quickly to allow aid in. Israel must facilitate immediate uninterrupted humanitarian access in the south, including the entry of fuel, and ensure...
Gaza: Ceasefires
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent steps his Department has taken to help ensure all parties comply with resolution 2728 (2024) adopted by the UN Security Council on 25 March 2024.
Answer · 13 May 2024
The passing of UN Security Council Resolution 2728 reflected international consensus behind the UK's position that we need an immediate pause in the fighting to get aid into Gaza, to secure the release of hostages and make progress towards a permanent, su...
Ministers: Defamation
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on how many individual occasions the provision of legal support has been (a) authorised and (b) declined on claims for (i) defamation and (ii) libel connected with the official duties of Ministers of the Crown s
Answer · 12 Mar 2024
In line with the established practice under multiple administrations of all political colours, Ministers are provided with legal support and representation where matters relate to their conduct and responsibilities as a Minister. Statistics relating to co...
Ministers: Defamation
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total cost to the public purse was of legal support provided to Ministers of the Crown in relation to claims for (a) defamation and (b) libel connected with their official duties since 19 December 2019.
Answer · 12 Mar 2024
In line with the established practice under multiple administrations of all political colours, Ministers are provided with legal support and representation where matters relate to their conduct and responsibilities as a Minister. Statistics relating to co...
Ministers: Defamation
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse is for settling claims for (a) defamation and (b) libel by Ministers since 19 December 2019.
Answer · 12 Mar 2024
In line with the established practice under multiple administrations of all political colours, Ministers are provided with legal support and representation where matters relate to their conduct and responsibilities as a Minister. Statistics relating to co...
Speeches in the chamber
16 Jul 2026 National Planning Policy Framework
If I remain in post after the summer recess, I will be more than happy to meet the hon. Lady. Where the sequential and exception tests have been applied as necessary and are not met, the framework is clear that development should not be…
16 Jul 2026 National Planning Policy Framework
That is not quite my reading of the Yatton judgment. The judge confirmed that even if a site fails the formal sequential test for flood risk, elements of the exception test remain valid material considerations that can outweigh flood risk …
16 Jul 2026 National Planning Policy Framework
We have had this debate many times. I will come on to housing targets and the fact that if there is an up-to-date local plan in place, the housing targets do not need to be immediately revised. On the specific point about rural affordable …
16 Jul 2026 National Planning Policy Framework
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Sir Desmond. I congratulate the hon. Member for Wells and Mendip Hills (Tessa Munt) on securing this important debate, and I thank the Backbench Business Committee for granting it. I also th…
8 Jul 2026 Point of Order
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I would like to correct an inadvertent error I made earlier today. During the Ninth Delegated Legislation Committee debate on the Greater Cambridge Development Corporation (Establishment) Order 20…
8 Jul 2026 The Greater Cambridge Development Corporation (Establishment) Order 2026
That was a long list of perfectly reasonable and fair questions, which I will seek to answer in turn. If I miss any, hon. Members are more than welcome to intervene on me. I will begin with the questions from the shadow Minister, the ho…
8 Jul 2026 The Greater Cambridge Development Corporation (Establishment) Order 2026
That is a very good question. In short, although I am more than happy to expand on this response, the development corporation’s boundary does not pre-empt or prejudice the outcome of the recent consultation on local government reorganisati…
8 Jul 2026 The Greater Cambridge Development Corporation (Establishment) Order 2026
I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the Greater Cambridge Development Corporation (Establishment) Order 2026. It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Dr Huq. The order was laid before the House on 4 June. It wil…
2 Jul 2026 Commonhold and Leasehold Reform: Managing Agents
I start by declaring an interest: my wife is the joint chief executive of the Law Commission, whose work I will cite in the course of my remarks. It is a pleasure to respond to this vital debate on behalf of the Government, and I warmly…
30 Jun 2026 Draft Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026
Planning officers routinely make decisions without applications going to committee. We trust them to do so; they are bound by the requirements that I have just set out. The hon. Member touches on a point that I was going to come to. It …
30 Jun 2026 Draft Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026
I do not believe so, because local planning authority schemes must adhere to planning regulations and meet the gateway test—in the sense of what can pass a committee—and the statutory guidance to which they must have regard. In a sense, we…
30 Jun 2026 Draft Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the comments that I have just made. The impact assessment for the Act was published on the basis of a particular scenario, which we have modified. We need to update the impact assessment and we will do so in d…
30 Jun 2026 Draft Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026
That is a fair question. As I set out in my opening remarks, if such an application were to meet the conditions in schedule 2, it would go in front of the chief planning officer, in most instances, and the chair of the planning committee, …
30 Jun 2026 Draft Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026
And we think that is right on schedule 1 applications. They are a very different proposition from schedule 2 applications, which we think members should be able to take a view on through the gateway test.
30 Jun 2026 Draft Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026
I knew that this instrument would provoke strong feelings, and it has done so, but I very much welcome the scrutiny provided by hon. Members and the considered contributions they have made. The first thing to say is that a principled ca…
30 Jun 2026 Draft Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026
I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026. It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Sir Desmond. The regu…
25 Jun 2026 Houses in Multiple Occupation
The register was successful in its aims in terms of providing operators with a chance to submit uncontracted, unsold section 106 units. Roughly over 4,000 units were put into that clearing service, which closed on 1 June. Through the polic…
25 Jun 2026 Houses in Multiple Occupation
I am happy to sit down and run my hon. Friend through the instrument in lots more detail than I can give from the Dispatch Box, but it is the case that the national scheme of delegation does not specify HMOs in particular. However, develop…
25 Jun 2026 Houses in Multiple Occupation
Councils have that power. I do not know off the top of my head whether the hon. Gentleman’s local authority has consulted on and put in place an article 4 direction, but if it has not, I strongly encourage him to make that case so that his…
25 Jun 2026 Houses in Multiple Occupation
I do not have that information to hand. I am more than happy to follow up in correspondence with my hon. Friend, as I said. I will bring that data, and any further data we have available, to any meeting that we might have on this subject.
Source: contributions on parliament.uk.
Full parliamentary career
Government posts
- Minister of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) · Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities 6 Jul 2024 – 9 Jul 2024
Opposition posts
- Shadow Minister (Levelling Up, Housing, Communities and Local Government) · Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities 4 Dec 2021 – 30 May 2024
- Shadow Minister (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) · Department for Business and Trade 10 Apr 2020 – 4 Dec 2021
- Shadow Minister (Exiting the European Union) · Department for Exiting the European Union 9 Oct 2016 – 25 Sep 2019
Committee memberships
- Planning and Infrastructure Bill 24 Apr 2025 – 22 May 2025
- Renters’ Rights Bill 16 Oct 2024 – 5 Nov 2024
- Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill 10 Jan 2024 – 30 Jan 2024
- Renters (Reform) Bill 8 Nov 2023 – 28 Nov 2023
- Social Housing (Regulation) Bill [HL] 23 Nov 2022 – 29 Nov 2022
- Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill 15 Jun 2022 – 20 Oct 2022
- Nuclear Energy (Financing) Bill 9 Nov 2021 – 25 Nov 2021
- Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union 2 Mar 2020 – 11 May 2020
- Energy and Climate Change Committee 8 Jul 2015 – 17 Oct 2016
Previous seats
- Greenwich and Woolwich · Elected 3 times 7 May 2015 – 30 May 2024
Expenses
Contact & offices
020 7219 6280
Parliamentary office
House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Government department
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Matthew Pennycook, answered from official Parliament data.
Who is Matthew Pennycook?
Matthew Pennycook is a Member of Parliament representing Greenwich and Woolwich in the House of Commons. See Matthew Pennycook's official Parliament profile.
Which party does Matthew Pennycook represent?
Matthew Pennycook sits as Labour. See Matthew Pennycook's official Parliament profile.
Which constituency does Matthew Pennycook represent?
Matthew Pennycook is the Member of Parliament for Greenwich and Woolwich. See Matthew Pennycook's official Parliament profile.
How long has Matthew Pennycook been an MP?
Matthew Pennycook has served in the House of Commons for 11 years, 2 months. See Matthew Pennycook's official Parliament profile.
What registered interests are listed for Matthew Pennycook?
Matthew Pennycook has no entries in the Register of Members' Financial Interests. See Matthew Pennycook's official Parliament profile.
Source: this MP's official Parliament profile. Last updated 27 Jul 2026.