Member of Parliament
Neil O'Brien
Conservative MP for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston
Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
At a glanceNeil O'Brien is a Conservative MP for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, and has represented the seat for 9 years, 1 month. They currently serve as Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development). They have cast 395 votes in Commons divisions (69% attendance), tabled 1,304 written questions and registered 1 financial interest.
Attendance is votes cast as a share of the 575 Commons divisions since the 2024 election; Neil O'Brien did not vote in 180. 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 undertakes the role of Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development).
Current roles
- Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development) Opposition post · HM Official Opposition since 22 Jul 2025
- Harborough, Oadby and Wigston Representation · Elected 1 time since 4 Jul 2024
- Conservative Party since 8 Jun 2017
Voting record
Voting alignment
Votes most like
-
Bradley Thomas
Conservative
100.0% · 390 of 390 shared votes
-
Lewis Cocking
Conservative
100.0% · 374 of 374 shared votes
-
Rebecca Harris
Conservative
100.0% · 374 of 374 shared votes
-
Edward Argar
Conservative
100.0% · 371 of 371 shared votes
-
Greg Smith
Conservative
100.0% · 368 of 368 shared votes
Votes least like
-
Michael Payne
Labour
0.3% · 1 of 307 shared votes
-
Kerry McCarthy
Labour
0.9% · 3 of 340 shared votes
-
Gen Kitchen
Labour
0.9% · 3 of 330 shared votes
-
Carolyn Harris
Labour
0.9% · 3 of 325 shared votes
-
Sonia Kumar
Labour
0.9% · 3 of 320 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.
Miscellaneous1
- A member of the advisory board of Onward, a think tank which aims to produce modernising ideas to address some of the biggest challenges facing the UK. This is an unpaid role. (registered 16 Jun 2020)
Written questions
Written question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the DSIT Main Estimate Memorandum for 2026/7, for a breakdown by programme of the £219.0m in CDEL allocated to Science and Society.
Awaiting an answer from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
Written question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the 2025/6 Annual Report and Accounts, for a breakdown of i) the £122m gross outturn on CDEL for "Support for the Digital, Broadcasting and Media sectors" described in
Awaiting an answer from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
Written question
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2026 to Question 16513, if she can confirm that the information requested in that question is internally held.
Awaiting an answer from the Treasury.
Office of Rail and Road
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to section 5 of the Government Efficiency Framework, if he will publish the most recent quarterly efficiency report provided by the Office of Rail and Road.
Awaiting an answer from the Department for Transport.
Employment Schemes: Finance
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his answers to questions 8173 and 13206, in particular that the Get Britain Working initiative has been allocated £240m in 2025/6, if he will publish a breakdown of expected spending a
Answer · 20 Jul 2026
Get Britain Working (GBW) is a strategic objective, capturing several activities across the Department, each programme linked to GBW will report its’ spend against allocated budget. However, DWP do not report financial information in a way that consolidat...
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Written Questions
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to answer question 14925 from the hon. Member for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston.
Answer · 16 Jul 2026
The answer to question 14925 was published on 14 July 2026.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Written Questions
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to answer question 14926 from the hon. Member for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston.
Answer · 16 Jul 2026
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 14926 on 14 July 2026.
Work Capability Assessment: Chronic Illnesses
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Department of Work and Pensions Freedom of Information Act response, reference FOI2026/51669 dated 6 June 2026, what proportion of WCA decisions for non-ESA transition claimants in
Answer · 15 Jul 2026
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Speeches in the chamber
16 Jul 2026 Local Government Reorganisation
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. This morning, the Department arranged an official briefing for Members about what was going to happen to their communities, but Leicestershire Conservative MPs were not invited. I have seen the sc…
16 Jul 2026 Local Government Reorganisation
Eleven thousand people in Oadby, Wigston and Great Glen recently voted in a referendum against joining the city of Leicester. Ministers know that people do not want this locally, and yet they are forcing it on them anyway. People in the re…
16 Jul 2026 Business of the House
The midland main line is in crisis. More than a quarter of our trains are being cancelled or are crazily late, and we find that even if people can get on, they will have to stand because so many are short form. The trains are falling apart…
10 Jun 2026 Local Government Reform
Thank you for your chairmanship, Dr Murrison. The irony of all this is that the Minister’s only argument is that we must avoid a two-tier system, but what the Government want is to replace one two-tier system with a completely different tw…
10 Jun 2026 Local Government Reform
I am very sorry to hear that. It is bad when people feel that the goalposts are being moved because it erodes trust in the process even further. Crucially, nobody asked for this. People email me every day about all kinds of things they …
10 Jun 2026 Local Government Reform
I completely agree with the hon. Gentleman, who is absolutely right. The local nature of local government is critical. The other problem with these giant councils is how remote they will be. In Oadby and Wigston at the moment, everyone …
10 Jun 2026 Local Government Reform
My right hon. Friend is quite right, and he has also pre-empted something I was about to say. The Government are pressing on with “big is beautiful”—they have expanded Norwich, Ipswich, Portsmouth, Southampton, and so forth—but we can see …
10 Jun 2026 Local Government Reform
I am very sorry to hear that. I was just about to make that point: as well as the loss of local accountability and identity, the argument is just wrong. Ministers believe that big is always better—that big is beautiful—but the evidence doe…
10 Jun 2026 Local Government Reform
I beg to move, That this House has considered local government reform. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Murrison. I would particularly like to thank Mr Speaker for granting me exceptional permission to speak from…
19 May 2026 Lord Mandelson: Government Response to Humble Address
The House gave the Government a clear instruction that the only documents that could be redacted were those that might prejudice UK national security or international relations, and all those documents were to be referred to the Intelligen…
18 Mar 2026 Student Loans
We have already talked about that. If the hon. Gentleman wants a full list, he can go on my Substack and see a whole bunch of different institutions with low returns. He can also do better than that: he can look on the DFE’s website and se…
18 Mar 2026 Student Loans
Just one moment. Analysis by the IFS found that total returns on going to university will be negative for about 30% of both men and women—and that is based on the cohort from the noughties. The problem now is probably even bigger becaus…
18 Mar 2026 Student Loans
If the hon. Gentleman reads to the end of the IFS report, he will see that it costs our proposal in single-digit billions, and we have explained exactly how we will pay for it—I will come to that in a moment—so there is no gaping hole what…
18 Mar 2026 Student Loans
Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will tell me why he thinks that is fair.
18 Mar 2026 Student Loans
Yes, and I am grateful for that question. Under our proposed reforms, four fifths—80%—of plan 2 graduates would benefit and pay less over their lifetime. The hon. Gentleman can look up all this stuff on the IFS website if he wants to check…
18 Mar 2026 Student Loans
In January, the Chancellor was saying that the student loans system was “fair and reasonable”. She now admits —as of yesterday—that it is broken. In one sense, we have won this debate even before it started. The Government say that they ar…
12 Feb 2026 Rural Mobile Connectivity
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. For the last 18 months, the Government have been sitting on the guidance relating to gender-questioning children in schools—a very controversial subject—which the Government keep saying is coming.…
9 Feb 2026 Standards in Public Life
I thank the Chief Secretary for advance sight of his statement. The Prime Minister’s authority is gone and his Government are starting to collapse. The Prime Minister’s decision to appoint Peter Mandelson raises massive questions about…
4 Feb 2026 Lord Mandelson
My hon. Friend makes an excellent point—he is completely correct. Today, I actually feel quite a lot of sympathy for Labour Back Benchers. Once again, they have been put in a totally impossible position by the Prime Minister and his adv…
4 Feb 2026 Lord Mandelson
I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend, and I want to know whether the Minister agrees that the ISC should be able to give the gist of documents, even if they are not fully released. Thirdly on this hastily proposed manuscript amendment…
Source: contributions on parliament.uk.
Full parliamentary career
Government posts
- Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care) · Department of Health and Social Care 8 Sep 2022 – 13 Nov 2023
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) · Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities 19 Sep 2021 – 6 Jul 2022
- Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government) · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government 16 Sep 2021 – 19 Sep 2021
Opposition posts
- Shadow Minister (Education) · Department for Education 4 Nov 2024 – 22 Jul 2025
Committee memberships
- Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill [HL] 5 Mar 2025 – 20 Mar 2025
- Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill 15 Jan 2025 – 11 Feb 2025
- Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill 15 Jun 2022 – 11 Jul 2022
- Science, Innovation and Technology Committee 11 Sep 2017 – 21 Jan 2019
Previous seats
- Harborough · Elected 2 times 8 Jun 2017 – 30 May 2024
Expenses
Contact & offices
0207 219 1802
Parliamentary office
House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Neil O'Brien, answered from official Parliament data.
Who is Neil O'Brien?
Neil O'Brien is a Member of Parliament representing Harborough, Oadby and Wigston in the House of Commons. See Neil O'Brien's official Parliament profile.
Which party does Neil O'Brien represent?
Neil O'Brien sits as Conservative. See Neil O'Brien's official Parliament profile.
Which constituency does Neil O'Brien represent?
Neil O'Brien is the Member of Parliament for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston. See Neil O'Brien's official Parliament profile.
How long has Neil O'Brien been an MP?
Neil O'Brien has served in the House of Commons for 9 years, 1 month. See Neil O'Brien's official Parliament profile.
What registered interests are listed for Neil O'Brien?
Neil O'Brien has 1 entry in the Register of Members' Financial Interests. See Neil O'Brien's official Parliament profile.
Source: this MP's official Parliament profile. Last updated 26 Jul 2026.