At a glanceDr Simon Opher is a Labour MP for Stroud, and has represented the seat for 2 years. They have cast 458 votes in Commons divisions (80% attendance), tabled 333 written questions and registered 12 financial interests.
Attendance is votes cast as a share of the 575 Commons divisions since the 2024 election; Dr Simon Opher did not vote in 117. 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
- Labour Party since 4 Jul 2024
- Stroud Representation · Elected 1 time since 4 Jul 2024
Voting record
Voting alignment
Votes most like
-
Ms Stella Creasy
Labour (Co-op)
99.7% · 389 of 390 shared votes
-
Steve Witherden
Labour
99.7% · 375 of 376 shared votes
-
Clive Efford
Labour
99.7% · 352 of 353 shared votes
-
Peter Dowd
Labour
99.7% · 346 of 347 shared votes
-
Paula Barker
Labour
99.5% · 407 of 409 shared votes
Votes least like
-
Sir Roger Gale
Conservative
0.3% · 1 of 292 shared votes
-
Mr Mark Francois
Conservative
0.7% · 2 of 282 shared votes
-
George Freeman
Conservative
0.8% · 2 of 248 shared votes
-
Sir James Cleverly
Conservative
1.0% · 3 of 304 shared votes
-
Andrew Griffith
Conservative
1.0% · 3 of 295 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
- Locum Doctor - NHS (registered 17 Jul 2024)
Employment and earnings - Ad hoc payments3
- Payment expected for services on 11 June 2026 - £900.00 (registered 17 Jun 2026)
- Payment received on 23 March 2026 - £1,550.00 (registered 23 Mar 2026)
- Payment received on 16 October 2025 - £1,500.00 (registered 17 Oct 2025)
Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources2
- SXSW London - £1,560.00 (registered 3 Jun 2026)
- SXSW London - £1,300.00 (registered 2 Jul 2025)
Visits outside the UK2
- International visit to Brazil between 13 April 2026 and 19 April 2026 (registered 20 Apr 2026)
- International visit to Palestine between 14 September 2025 and 16 September 2025 (registered 18 Sep 2025)
Miscellaneous4
- Political Patron for CRAFT (the new body for the UK comedy industry). This is an unpaid role. (registered 6 Mar 2026)
- Vice President of Cotswold Canal Trust. This is an unpaid role. (registered 2 Dec 2025)
- Vice Chair of the Climate and Nature Crisis Caucus. This is an unpaid role. (registered 22 Jul 2025)
- Director of Prema Arts Centre, Uley. This is an unpaid role. (registered 17 Jul 2024)
Written questions
Education: Weather
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to produce its own climate adaptation strategy to address the impact of extreme weather on (a) education and (b) infrastructure.
Answer · 13 Jul 2026
The department takes the impact of extreme weather seriously and has published a climate risk assessment covering flooding and overheating here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/impact-of-uk-climate-change-risk-on-the-delivery-of-education/summa...
Health: Climate Change
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to meet the Climate Change Committee’s proposed health targets for a well-adapted UK.
Answer · 20 Jul 2026
The Department of Health and Social Care is working with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs to develop the fourth National Adaptation Programme which will set out the Government’s strategy to adapt to the impacts of the changing climate...
Chiropractic: Lifelong Learning Entitlement
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether chiropractic integrated Master’s degree programmes currently eligible for Lifelong Learning Entitlement funding at Levels 4–6 will be considered for inclusion in the Additional Priority Entitlement.
Answer · 9 Jul 2026
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will replace and transform the existing student finance system for higher education (HE) at Levels 4 to 6. When launched, it will support individuals to learn, upskill and retrain across their working lives.The LLE ...
Social Prescribing
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he has considered the potential merits of provision for cure to prevention workstreams and the role of social prescribing in formulating the 10 Year Workforce Plan.
Answer · 30 Jun 2026
The Government is committed to taking a preventive approach to improve health and address health inequalities. We are determined to improve people’s physical and mental health to support them to live longer and healthier lives, and we recognise the role t...
Health Services: Arts
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a national framework for action for creative health.
Answer · 1 Jul 2026
In Autumn 2025, the Department of Health and Social Care identified a policy lead for Creative Health. They are now working with partners including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Arts Council England, and the National Centre for Creative Hea...
Planning Obligations
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to improve the enforceability of s106 agreements.
Answer · 25 Jun 2026
Section 106 agreements are legal agreements. Local planning authorities may take enforcement action in respect of any breach of the obligations contained within them. Enforcement is at the discretion of the local planning authority and it is therefore for...
Non-surgical Cosmetic Procedures: Regulation
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will set out a timeline for the implementation of regulations regarding cosmetic procedures.
Answer · 23 Jun 2026
In August 2025, the Government announced its plans to introduce legal restrictions which will ensure that the highest risk cosmetic procedures are brought into Care Quality Commission regulation and can only be performed by specified regulated healthcare ...
Compost: VAT
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she will consider the potential merits of aligning biochar with other zero rated soil improvers for VAT classification.
Answer · 25 Jun 2026
There is no specific VAT relief that applies to soil improvers. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s third largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26. Ta...
Early day motions
| 2 Jul 2026 | VAT on energy saving materials | 29 sig. |
| 4 Dec 2025 | Domestic Energy Efficiency (Call for Evidence) Bill | 23 sig. |
| 7 Apr 2025 | International Day of the Midwife | 54 sig. |
Speeches in the chamber
8 Jul 2026 NHS Corridor Care
That is absolutely true. We need to look at all the ways of reducing demand on GPs and, therefore, on A&E departments—that is what my speech is totally involved in—and pharmacies have a really good role to play. There is another thi…
8 Jul 2026 NHS Corridor Care
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Tooting (Dr Allin-Khan) for securing this debate and for her years of work in the A&E at St George’s. Emergency care is in crisis in the NHS, and corridor care is just an overspill because we canno…
6 Jul 2026 Ceramics Industry
Developing young potters is essential for the ceramics industry in general, and particularly for studio pottery. As a GP, I know that the therapeutic effects of clay are well documented. I introduced arts in my surgery in 2001, using ce…
6 Jul 2026 Ceramics Industry
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Lichfield (Dave Robertson) for his excellent opening speech. My remarks today will be at a slightly different level. They are focused on studio pottery—ceramics made on an individual basis, where each …
23 Jun 2026 Puberty Blockers
Speaking as a member of the political class and the medical class, may I ask the hon. Lady whether she would accept that it is better for politicians to accept advice from medical experts around medical issues?
8 Jun 2026 Progression of Bills through Parliament
I thank my hon. Friend for giving way. He is making a very powerful speech. These types of debate are slightly triggering for some of us who were on the Committee. I have absolutely no problem with the House of Lords amending the legislati…
8 Jun 2026 Progression of Bills through Parliament
Will my hon. Friend give way?
8 Jun 2026 Progression of Bills through Parliament
Will the right hon. Member give way?
8 Jun 2026 Progression of Bills through Parliament
Will my hon. Friend give way?
8 Jun 2026 Progression of Bills through Parliament
I thank the 326 signatories from Stroud who helped to make this debate possible, as well as the many petitioners who are in the Public Gallery. I also thank my hon. Friend the Member for Sunderland Central (Lewis Atkinson) for what I thoug…
1 Jun 2026 Health Bill
I do agree, although that is a much bigger job. At the moment, mental health uses a different system from the hospital, and it would be great to unite them. I agree with that, but whether it would possible in the next couple of years, I am…
1 Jun 2026 Health Bill
It is a pleasure to speak in support of the Bill, which I believe has the power to transform patient care in the NHS. Particularly after the remarks of my hon. Friend the Member for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket (Peter Prinsley), the Hous…
22 Apr 2026 Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy
I thank the hon. Gentleman for bringing this really essential debate to the House. My constituent Emma Taylor tragically lost her daughter at the age of 19 and she now campaigns tirelessly for SUDEP Action as a policy champion. Does the ho…
25 Mar 2026 Public Baths and Lidos
I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Andrew Pakes) for securing this debate. Lidos are important to us all—particularly to me, because I learned to swim in Grange-over-Sands lido, which is a saltwater lido that is currently …
18 Mar 2026 Social Enterprises and Community Ownership
The new community right-to-buy model has been transformative, and community ownership is at the heart of what we do in Stroud. What I have noticed, and other Members have already pointed out, is that each organisation has to go through …
16 Mar 2026 GP Contract
I declare an interest as a working GP in the NHS. I probably would not be standing here if general practice had not been decimated over the last 14 years. I welcome the £485 million of extra funding, and I also welcome the fact that the ca…
24 Feb 2026 Gaza Healthcare System
I absolutely agree. We must get to the bottom of those things because they must not be allowed to happen again. I propose that the Minister talks to Ministers in the Department of Health and Social Care about us, as a nation, providing hea…
24 Feb 2026 Gaza Healthcare System
I thank all the speakers who have contributed to what has been a very passionate debate. I have spoken to many British doctors who have worked in Gaza, and what we are presenting here—the sabotage of the healthcare system—is real. It is go…
24 Feb 2026 Gaza Healthcare System
I thank my hon. Friend for a point well made. It is even more basic than that: we need to allow medicines into Gaza, which are not currently being transported. Other items such as prosthetic limbs are also very important, so the border nee…
24 Feb 2026 Gaza Healthcare System
The hon. Gentleman is spot on. The most important thing is peace, so that we can build a healthcare system. Although there has been a ceasefire, a lot of Palestinians are still dying. We first need to make a stable environment, and we need…
Source: contributions on parliament.uk.
Full parliamentary career
Committee memberships
- Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill 15 Jan 2025 – 25 Mar 2025
Expenses
Contact & offices
02072 197116
Parliamentary office
House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Constituency office
Constituency Office
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Dr Simon Opher, answered from official Parliament data.
Who is Dr Simon Opher?
Dr Simon Opher is a Member of Parliament representing Stroud in the House of Commons. See Dr Simon Opher's official Parliament profile.
Which party does Dr Simon Opher represent?
Dr Simon Opher sits as Labour. See Dr Simon Opher's official Parliament profile.
Which constituency does Dr Simon Opher represent?
Dr Simon Opher is the Member of Parliament for Stroud. See Dr Simon Opher's official Parliament profile.
How long has Dr Simon Opher been an MP?
Dr Simon Opher has served in the House of Commons for 2 years. See Dr Simon Opher's official Parliament profile.
What registered interests are listed for Dr Simon Opher?
Dr Simon Opher has 12 entries in the Register of Members' Financial Interests. See Dr Simon Opher's official Parliament profile.
Source: this MP's official Parliament profile. Last updated 26 Jul 2026.