At a glanceJohn Cooper is a Conservative MP for Dumfries and Galloway, and has represented the seat for 2 years. They have cast 414 votes in Commons divisions (72% attendance), tabled 152 written questions and registered 2 financial interests.
Attendance is votes cast as a share of the 575 Commons divisions since the 2024 election; John Cooper did not vote in 161. 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
- Business and Trade Sub-Committee on Economic Security, Arms and Export Controls Committee since 21 Oct 2024
- Business and Trade Committee Committee since 21 Oct 2024
- Dumfries and Galloway Representation · Elected 1 time since 4 Jul 2024
- Conservative Party since 4 Jul 2024
Voting record
Voting alignment
Votes most like
-
Bradley Thomas
Conservative
100.0% · 400 of 400 shared votes
-
Rebecca Harris
Conservative
100.0% · 394 of 394 shared votes
-
Edward Argar
Conservative
100.0% · 392 of 392 shared votes
-
Lewis Cocking
Conservative
100.0% · 389 of 389 shared votes
-
Stuart Andrew
Conservative
100.0% · 388 of 388 shared votes
Votes least like
-
Michael Payne
Labour
0.6% · 2 of 327 shared votes
-
Kerry McCarthy
Labour
0.8% · 3 of 359 shared votes
-
Bambos Charalambous
Labour
0.9% · 3 of 317 shared votes
-
Emily Thornberry
Labour
0.9% · 2 of 215 shared votes
-
Sarah Edwards
Labour
1.0% · 3 of 304 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.
Visits outside the UK2
- International visit to Italy between 17 April 2026 and 19 April 2026 (registered 30 Apr 2026)
- International visit to Taiwan between 27 September 2025 and 03 October 2025 (registered 13 Oct 2025)
Written questions
Apprentices: Accountancy
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to Level 7 apprenticeship funding on (a) workforce supply in frontline public services and (b) the Government's policy of moving care from
Answer · 7 Jul 2026
Apprenticeships are a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.This Government is investing in young people’s futures and reversing the sharp decline in apprenticeship starts amongst young people – which have fallen by 4...
Apprentices: Accountancy
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether all apprenticeship providers, employers and end-point assessment organisations have been informed of the funding bands, eligibility criteria and delivery arrangements that will apply to new Leve
Answer · 7 Jul 2026
Apprenticeships are a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.This Government is investing in young people’s futures and reversing the sharp decline in apprenticeship starts amongst young people – which have fallen by 4...
Apprentices: Accountancy
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he considered retaining Level 7 apprenticeship funding until age 25 for occupations such as accountancy and law before deciding on a blanket cut-off at age 21; and what assessment he made of the
Answer · 7 Jul 2026
Apprenticeships are a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.This Government is investing in young people’s futures and reversing the sharp decline in apprenticeship starts amongst young people – which have fallen by 4...
Apprentices: Accountancy
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the total cost to businesses to fund Level 7 accountancy apprenticeship costs following planned reforms to Government funding.
Answer · 7 Jul 2026
Apprenticeships are a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.This Government is investing in young people’s futures and reversing the sharp decline in apprenticeship starts amongst young people – which have fallen by 4...
Apprentices: Accountancy
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what evidence the Government used to conclude that there would be no significant long-term reduction in the supply of skills following the removal of public funding for most Level 7 apprenticeships.
Answer · 7 Jul 2026
Apprenticeships are a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.This Government is investing in young people’s futures and reversing the sharp decline in apprenticeship starts amongst young people – which have fallen by 4...
Apprentices: Accountancy
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Level 7 accountancy apprenticeships were undertaken in 2024/25 and what estimate his Department has made for the corresponding number in 2026/27.
Answer · 7 Jul 2026
Apprenticeships are a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.This Government is investing in young people’s futures and reversing the sharp decline in apprenticeship starts amongst young people – which have fallen by 4...
Apprentices: Accountancy
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the total cost to his Department of providing funding for Level 7 accountancy apprenticeships for (a) all ages, (b) under 25s and (c) under 22s.
Answer · 7 Jul 2026
Apprenticeships are a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.This Government is investing in young people’s futures and reversing the sharp decline in apprenticeship starts amongst young people – which have fallen by 4...
Driving Tests: Dumfries and Galloway
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average waiting time is for driving tests at (a) Dumfries, (b) Stranraer, (c) Castle Douglas, and (d) Newton Stewart test centres.
Answer · 29 Jun 2026
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has now published more detailed data-sets so learners can get better understanding of the booking system. More information and waiting time data, including for Dumfries, Stranraer, Castle Douglas, and Newton Stewart...
Early day motions
| 23 Feb 2026 | Team GB men's curling team's silver medal | 5 sig. |
| 22 Apr 2025 | Scottish Men’s Team Curling World Championship gold | 3 sig. |
Speeches in the chamber
14 Jul 2026 UK-Switzerland Enhanced Free Trade Agreement
As a member of the Business and Trade Committee, it is a delight to see the fruits of Brexit being brought home. Will the Minister confirm that the deal is not contingent on us taking Swiss courts as being superior to our own? We are not a…
14 Jul 2026 Business of the House
Metal prices being what they are, if we were to take the amount of brass neck on show here today and melt it down, we could fund defence properly. The right hon. Gentleman tells us that the ship of state will sail on regardless throughout …
14 Jul 2026 Coastal Communities: Isolation and Hidden Deprivation
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Alec. I congratulate the hon. Member for Isle of Wight West (Richard Quigley) on securing this key debate. The vital question on “Desert Island Discs” is not what luxury a person de…
9 Jul 2026 NATO Summit
Scotland stands ready to play its full role in the defence of Britain with many fine young men and, increasingly, women in our forces. We also have a huge array of industrial companies working on defence contracts. There is a problem, howe…
8 Jul 2026 European Entry and Exit System
Haulage, agricultural and fisheries firms in my constituency are heavily reliant on Dover, and delays, particularly to seafood, are disastrous—the value of the cargo disappears practically overnight. I am a member of the Business and Trade…
7 Jul 2026 Early Release of Prisoners
The Scottish Government famously take no lessons from anyone, but perhaps in sentencing we might learn something from them, because they are in the grip of soft-touch-justice fever. There is a warning from Scotland about rapists and sex of…
2 Jul 2026 Youth Employment
I’ve got it! In the modern era, that all important first job is increasingly hard to find because of the Chancellor’s jobs tax and the massive 330-page Employment Rights Act 2025. Will the Secretary of State go to the new northern powerhou…
2 Jul 2026 Youth Employment
While still at school, I played my part in the creative industries by playing in bands with names as louche as Street Lethal and Cheap Sweeties. It was very lucrative.
2 Jul 2026 Youth Employment
16. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support the creation of jobs for young people.
29 Jun 2026 Asylum Accommodation
The Mercure hotel in Dumfries is home to around 100 men of uncertain origin and, thanks to the good offices of the Home Office, I have been able to visit. However, I have not been able to get any clarity on the criteria for closure and cer…
29 Jun 2026 Prisoner Early Release
Soft-touch fever is spreading across the land because in Scotland, the SNP Scottish Executive are about to start releasing rapists as much as 2.5 years early. Do the Ministers on the Front Bench not realise that they are so out of touch w…
29 Jun 2026 Social Security: Fraud and Error
In Scotland, benefit fraud has effectively been decriminalised; the number of prosecutions is vanishingly small. Given that the Department for Work and Pensions continues to have a role in Scotland—administering some benefits, despite devo…
29 Jun 2026 Social Security: Fraud and Error
15. What recent estimate he has made of the level of fraud and error in the social security system.
24 Jun 2026 Media Green Paper
As a former journalist, I salute the Secretary of State’s ambition to leave no one behind, but as the hon. Member for Hexham (Joe Morris) pointed out, the death of terrestrial television risks leaving a lot of people in remote and rural Sc…
10 Jun 2026 Belfast: Violent Disorder
In January, I wrote to the Home Secretary because a whistleblower suggested that Border Force lacked sufficient personnel to cover night sailings from Belfast and Larne to Cairnryan, the main port in my constituency of Dumfries and Gallowa…
10 Jun 2026 Scottish Independence
My constituents will be alarmed to hear that, because Labour’s “devolve and forget” approach is a huge problem. When the Secretary of State is away, the nats will play. We know that the First Minister has gone abroad using taxpayers’ money…
10 Jun 2026 Scottish Independence
3. What recent discussions he has had with the First Minister of Scotland on a new referendum on Scottish independence.
10 Jun 2026 Draft Scotland Act 1998 (Increase of Borrowing Limits) Order 2026
This is a difficult question. Something like £1.25 of public money is spent in Scotland compared to £1 in England. There is tension there within that settlement. That money reflects the difficulties that Scotland faces. Delivering public s…
10 Jun 2026 Draft Scotland Act 1998 (Increase of Borrowing Limits) Order 2026
I thank the hon. Gentleman for a very important question. The GDP deflator is incredibly complex, as are all these matters. We talk about cross-Government working here, and I think there is a genuine attempt by this Government, as there wa…
10 Jun 2026 Draft Scotland Act 1998 (Increase of Borrowing Limits) Order 2026
Thank you, Chair.
Source: contributions on parliament.uk.
Full parliamentary career
Committee memberships
- Business and Trade Sub-Committee on Economic Security, Arms and Export Controls 5 Mar 2025 – 13 Apr 2026
- Finance (No. 2) Bill 15 Jan 2026 – 3 Feb 2026
Expenses
Contact & offices
020 7219 8080
Parliamentary office
House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Constituency office
20 Academy Street, Dumfries, DG1 1BY
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about John Cooper, answered from official Parliament data.
Who is John Cooper?
John Cooper is a Member of Parliament representing Dumfries and Galloway in the House of Commons. See John Cooper's official Parliament profile.
Which party does John Cooper represent?
John Cooper sits as Conservative. See John Cooper's official Parliament profile.
Which constituency does John Cooper represent?
John Cooper is the Member of Parliament for Dumfries and Galloway. See John Cooper's official Parliament profile.
How long has John Cooper been an MP?
John Cooper has served in the House of Commons for 2 years. See John Cooper's official Parliament profile.
What registered interests are listed for John Cooper?
John Cooper has 2 entries in the Register of Members' Financial Interests. See John Cooper's official Parliament profile.
Source: this MP's official Parliament profile. Last updated 26 Jul 2026.