Member of Parliament
Josh MacAlister
Labour MP for Whitehaven and Workington
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
At a glanceJosh MacAlister is a Labour MP for Whitehaven and Workington, and has represented the seat for 2 years. They currently serve as Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education). They have cast 473 votes in Commons divisions (82% attendance), tabled 41 written questions and registered 7 financial interests.
Attendance is votes cast as a share of the 575 Commons divisions since the 2024 election; Josh MacAlister did not vote in 102. 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 Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education).
Current roles
- Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education) Government post · Department for Education since 7 Sep 2025
- Whitehaven and Workington Representation · Elected 1 time since 4 Jul 2024
- Labour Party since 4 Jul 2024
Voting record
Voting alignment
Votes most like
-
Rachel Hopkins
Labour
100.0% · 464 of 464 shared votes
-
Steve Yemm
Labour
100.0% · 462 of 462 shared votes
-
Paul Davies
Labour
100.0% · 458 of 458 shared votes
-
Tristan Osborne
Labour
100.0% · 452 of 452 shared votes
-
Josh Dean
Labour
100.0% · 452 of 452 shared votes
Votes least like
-
Sir Roger Gale
Conservative
0.7% · 2 of 284 shared votes
-
Mrs Kemi Badenoch
Conservative
0.7% · 1 of 153 shared votes
-
Sir Geoffrey Cox
Conservative
0.9% · 2 of 219 shared votes
-
Alan Mak
Conservative
1.1% · 4 of 349 shared votes
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Mr Mark Francois
Conservative
1.1% · 3 of 279 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.
Donations and other support (including loans) for activities as an MP3
- Lord (David) Sainsbury - £20,000.00 (registered 21 Mar 2026)
- Lord (David) Sainsbury - £20,000.00 (registered 15 Jul 2025)
- Cressida Pollock and Danny Luhde-Thompson - £10,000.00 (registered 15 Jul 2025)
Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources2
- Lloyds Banking Group - £919.50 (registered 25 Jun 2026)
- London Marathon Events Ltd - £350.00 (registered 29 Apr 2026)
Miscellaneous2
- Volunteer Member of the Council of Management of The Lionel Cooke Memorial Fund Ltd (a funding body supporting Labour causes). This is an unpaid role. (registered 7 Jan 2025)
- Mountain Rescue Team Member. This is an unpaid role. (registered 23 Jul 2024)
Written questions
Solar Power: Finance
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when his Department plans to publish its conclusions on the recommended (a) scales and (b) durations of Community Benefit Fund payments for (i) solar farms and (ii) associated Battery Energy
Answer · 16 Jul 2025
On 21 May, the government published a working paper on community benefits and shared ownership of low carbon energy infrastructure. The working paper intends to gather insight on proposals for mandatory community benefit scheme in Great Britain, including...
Bluetongue Disease: Disease Control
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support farmers in the north of England reliant on cross-border stock movements following the extension of the bluetongue virus restricted zone.
Answer · 17 Jun 2025
I refer the honourable member to the answer given on 4 June 2025 to question UIN 57569. We continue to work closely with industry representatives to ensure that keepers are kept up to date with developments and that issues and concerns are addressed promp...
Iron and Steel: Wales
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support the steel industry in Wales.
Answer · 11 Jun 2025
Welsh steel has a bright future under this government. Our improved deal with Tata Steel UK has delivered £1.3 billion investment and protected over 5,000 jobs.We have committed a further £2.5 billion for steel over the course of this Parliament with our ...
Tennis: Finance
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to invest in tennis facilities following the end of the Park Tennis Project.
Answer · 22 May 2025
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.Sport England provides long term investment to the Lawn Tennis Association, the Natio...
Mental Health Services: Rural Areas
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the provision of mental health services in rural areas.
Answer · 11 Feb 2025
Integrated care boards are responsible for providing mental health services to meet the needs of their local populations.As part of our plan for change, we will reduce delays and provide faster treatment.We are working with NHS England to transform mental...
Prime Minister: Foster Care
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister's Office offers employees who are foster carers (a) flexible working, (b) paid time off for (i) training and (ii) settling a new child into their home and (c) other support.
Answer · 23 Jan 2025
Foster carers provide an incredibly important role and the Government is keen to support any employees providing foster care. Employees have a statutory right to request flexible working which applies from the first day of employment. Employees can make t...
Ministry of Justice: Foster Care
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether (a) her Department and (b) each of its arms length bodies offers employees who are foster carers (i) flexible working, (ii) paid time off for (A) training and (B) settling a new child into their home and
Answer · 23 Jan 2025
Employees have a statutory right to request flexible working which applies from the first day of employment. Employees can make two statutory requests for flexible working in any 12-month period. This will include requests to support employees who undert...
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Foster Care
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether (a) her Department and (b) each of its arms length bodies offers employees who are foster carers (i) flexible working, (ii) paid time off for (A) training and (B) settlin
Answer · 14 Feb 2025
At MHCLG:(i) Employees have a statutory right to request flexible working which applies from the first day of employment. Employees can make two statutory requests for flexible working in any 12-month period. This will include requests to support employee...
Early day motions
| 14 Nov 2024 | Celebrating the Royal British Legion in Cumbria | 4 sig. |
Speeches in the chamber
14 Jul 2026 Rugby in Schools
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Vickers. I thank the hon. Member for West Dorset (Edward Morello) for securing this important debate on rugby in schools. When I was asked to sub in for the Minister for School Standard…
2 Jul 2026 Access to Further Education
I was about to turn to my hon. Friend’s question. He is right to recognise the limits of my knowledge, given that my noble Friend in the other place has responsibility for that issue. I will happily ask for officials to write to my hon. Fr…
2 Jul 2026 Access to Further Education
As a Cumbrian MP, I know that problem all too well, and I know that many in Cornwall experience that too. We are building back our bus system in this country. There have been significant increases in funding for local authorities to build …
2 Jul 2026 Access to Further Education
I do, and it is only possible with the funding that I was setting out that the Government have secured. Funding per student aged 16 to 19 will have increased by over 12% in two years. That comes at a time of significant growth in studen…
2 Jul 2026 Access to Further Education
I am just relieved, Madam Deputy Speaker, that you were not ticking me off for something else. [Interruption.] Okay. It is a growing list. It is essential that everyone, wherever their background and wherever they live, has access to ex…
2 Jul 2026 Access to Further Education
I am grateful to the hon. Member for Runcorn and Helsby (Sarah Pochin) for securing this timely and important debate. I have not had the chance to speak to her since her powerful and moving contribution earlier. FE colleges are engines of …
30 Jun 2026 Antisemitism: University Campuses
I reviewed a draft of that guidance a matter of days ago, and it is due to be published very shortly. The issue is probably more that there is a queue of things to be published, rather than it not being ready to go. We must remain alert…
30 Jun 2026 Antisemitism: University Campuses
The hon. Member is right to highlight the essential aspect of accountability. The Office for Students has been given additional powers in recent years. It is also true that the scale of the challenge that we see with antisemitism on univer…
30 Jun 2026 Antisemitism: University Campuses
The hon. Member is absolutely right to make that point. To pick up one thread of today’s debate, a number of hon. Members have raised the power of algorithms, which feed off people’s fury and anger and the differences that exist between th…
30 Jun 2026 Antisemitism: University Campuses
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir John. I start by congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds South West and Morley (Mark Sewards) on securing this important and timely debate. I will turn to a few of the re…
24 Jun 2026 Bramhall High School: Condition of Buildings
I congratulate the hon. Member for Cheadle (Mr Morrison) on securing this debate and on his advocacy for Bramhall high school. As a former teacher myself, who spent years standing in front of young people in Oldham and in Stockport, I know…
24 Jun 2026 Draft Lifelong Learning (Fee Limits) Regulations 2026
I thank Committee members for their contributions to the debate. I will endeavour to answer as many questions as I can. The first set of questions came from the Opposition spokesperson, the hon. Member for Windsor, about face-to-face te…
24 Jun 2026 Draft Lifelong Learning (Fee Limits) Regulations 2026
I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Lifelong Learning (Fee Limits) Regulations 2026. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. The draft regulations were laid before the House on 18 May. T…
22 Jun 2026 School Rebuilding Programme
Yes, I can do that.
22 Jun 2026 School Rebuilding Programme
Despite those delays, I can confirm that the school will be considered for the school rebuilding programme, despite those avoidable delays. I thank my hon. Friend for his continued advocacy, both raising it personally with me on a number o…
22 Jun 2026 School Rebuilding Programme
We are investing almost £20 billion in the school rebuilding programme to rebuild over 750 schools up to 2034-35. Some 500 of those are already in the programme—we have a further 250 to select, which we will do later this year.
22 Jun 2026 Further Education Pathways
I thank the right hon. Member for the question and the serious spirit in which he asks it. We are providing £9 billion of funding for 16-to-19 programmes in the 2026-27 academic year. We are making a wider range of changes to further educa…
22 Jun 2026 Further Education Pathways
I thank my hon. Friend for drawing the House’s attention to Bucks College Group and the work it does in her constituency. FE colleges have autonomy over staff pay. We have provided an additional £190 million for colleges and 16-to-19 provi…
22 Jun 2026 Further Education Pathways
As detailed in “Post-16 pathways: implementation plan”, we are creating coherent pathways, aligning learning with the skills that employers need and improving progression. New V-levels, the expansion and improvement of T-levels, and cleare…
22 Jun 2026 School Rebuilding Programme: Sefton
I thank my hon. Friend for his advocacy for Hudson primary school. He has spoken to me before about the excellent performance of the school and its headteacher. We will be selecting the 250 schools for the school rebuilding programme by th…
Source: contributions on parliament.uk.
Full parliamentary career
Committee memberships
- Energy Security and Net Zero Committee 21 Oct 2024 – 17 Mar 2025
- Great British Energy Bill 11 Sep 2024 – 15 Oct 2024
Expenses
Contact & offices
01946 458023
Parliamentary office
House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Constituency office
First Floor, 35-40 James Street, Whitehaven, CA28 7HZ
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Josh MacAlister, answered from official Parliament data.
Who is Josh MacAlister?
Josh MacAlister is a Member of Parliament representing Whitehaven and Workington in the House of Commons. See Josh MacAlister's official Parliament profile.
Which party does Josh MacAlister represent?
Josh MacAlister sits as Labour. See Josh MacAlister's official Parliament profile.
Which constituency does Josh MacAlister represent?
Josh MacAlister is the Member of Parliament for Whitehaven and Workington. See Josh MacAlister's official Parliament profile.
How long has Josh MacAlister been an MP?
Josh MacAlister has served in the House of Commons for 2 years. See Josh MacAlister's official Parliament profile.
What registered interests are listed for Josh MacAlister?
Josh MacAlister has 7 entries in the Register of Members' Financial Interests. See Josh MacAlister's official Parliament profile.
Source: this MP's official Parliament profile. Last updated 26 Jul 2026.