Hilary Benn
Labour Party
MP contact details
Positions and memberships
Positions
- Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Stances
| Topic | Position |
|---|---|
| MP stance on greater regulation of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to extract shale gas | Generally voted for |
| MP stance on the preservation of environmental protections after withdrawal from the EU | Generally voted for |
| MP stance on improving environmental water quality | Consistently voted for |
| MP stance on improving air quality | Consistently voted for |
| MP stance on increasing windfall tax on oil and gas companies | No position |
| MP stance on higher taxes on plane tickets | Generally voted against |
| MP stance on financial incentives for low carbon emission electricity generation methods | Consistently voted for |
| MP stance on measures to prevent climate change | Generally voted for |
| MP stance on lower taxes on fuel for motor vehicles | Consistently voted against |
| MP stance on improving biodiversity | Consistently voted for |
Votes and EDMs
| Vote | Position |
|---|---|
| MP vote on Ban on Fracking for Shale Gas Bill | Aye |
| MP vote on Environment Bill | No |
| MP support for Cumbria coal mine court appeal | Did not support |
| MP support for Accelerating construction work and lower carbon construction vehicles | Did not support |
| MP support for Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty | Did not support |
| MP support for Zero carbon homes | Did not support |
2024 majority
11,279
Date elected
10th Jun 1999
Place
Constituency history
This constituency was introduced at the July 2024 general election, and replaced the previous two new constituencies:
Leeds Central
Covered approximately 71% of this new constituency’s population, and 84% of this new constituency’s area.
Leeds East
Covered approximately 12% of this new constituency’s population, and 11% of this new constituency’s area.
Estimated households in fuel poverty
36.9%
17.9% national average
Act Now Change Forever constituency briefing
Housing Tenure
| This area | National average | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned with a mortgage | 19.7% | 28.9% |
| Other tenure | 1.0% | 1.2% |
| Owned outright | 16.8% | 33.3% |
| Private rented | 30.3% | 19.9% |
| Social rented | 32.2% | 16.8% |
Mental health has been impacted by the cost of living crisis
51.9%
41.5% national average
Estimated child poverty
43.8%
29.3% national average
Worried about not being able to pay their energy bills in the next year
62.2%
53.5% national average
Friends of the Earth ‘State of the Environment’ report
Constituency age distribution
| This area | National average | |
|---|---|---|
| Ages 0 - 15 | 22.5% | 18.3% |
| Ages 16 - 24 | 12.8% | 10.5% |
| Ages 25 - 34 | 18.4% | 13.2% |
| Ages 35 - 49 | 20.2% | 19.1% |
| Ages 50 - 64 | 15.4% | 19.8% |
| Ages 65 and over | 10.7% | 19.1% |
Constituency Population
124,000
102,977.2 national average
Number of onshore windfarms
0
0.7 national average
Current Industry
| This area | National average | |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, energy and water | 0.7% | 1.1% |
| Construction | 3.2% | 4.1% |
| Distribution, hotels and restaurants | 10.1% | 9.2% |
| Financial, real estate, professional and administrative activities | 8.1% | 7.9% |
| Manufacturing | 3.3% | 3.5% |
| Does not apply | 55.2% | 53.4% |
| Other | 1.7% | 2.1% |
| Public administration, education and health | 12.7% | 14.3% |
| Transport and communication | 5.0% | 4.4% |
Current Occupation
| This area | National average | |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative and secretarial occupations | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Associate professional and technical occupations | 5.1% | 6.1% |
| Caring, leisure and other service occupations | 5.2% | 4.4% |
| Elementary occupations | 7.9% | 4.8% |
| Managers, directors and senior officials | 3.1% | 6.0% |
| Does not apply | 55.2% | 53.4% |
| Process, plant and machine operatives | 4.0% | 3.2% |
| Professional occupations | 7.9% | 9.4% |
| Sales and customer service occupations | 3.9% | 3.5% |
| Skilled trades occupations | 3.9% | 4.8% |
Disabled under the Equality Act
16.8%
17.7% national average
Ethnicity
| This area | National average | |
|---|---|---|
| Asian / Asian British | 10.9% | 8.1% |
| Mixed / Multiple ethnic groups | 4.0% | 2.8% |
| Other ethnic groups | 3.1% | 1.8% |
| Other White | 9.1% | 6.3% |
| White British | 58.8% | 77.5% |
General Health
| This area | National average | |
|---|---|---|
| Bad or very bad health | 6.0% | 5.3% |
| Fair health | 12.8% | 12.8% |
| Very good or good health | 81.2% | 81.9% |
Have missed a bill payment in the last six months
40.1%
31.5% national average
Have missed a credit payment in the last six months
31.1%
23.6% national average
Have missed a rent payment in the last six months
31.5%
19.0% national average
Have not been able to afford to turn the heating on at home when they have felt cold in the past month
50.9%
37.5% national average
Main Language
| This area | National average | |
|---|---|---|
| African languages | 2.5% | 0.3% |
| Asian languages | 4.2% | 3.0% |
| English or Welsh | 79.3% | 88.9% |
| European languages (EU) | 8.2% | 3.8% |
| Does not apply | 4.3% | 3.1% |
| North or South American languages | 0% | 0.0% |
| Oceanic or Australian languages | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Any other languages | 1.4% | 0.6% |
| Other European languages (non-EU) | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Any other UK languages | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Sign and supported languages | 0.1% | 0.0% |
Travel to work method
| This area | National average | |
|---|---|---|
| Bicycle | 0.8% | 0.9% |
| Bus, minibus or coach | 5.8% | 1.8% |
| Driving a car or van | 16.5% | 21.3% |
| On foot | 5.4% | 3.5% |
| Work mainly at or from home | 11.6% | 14.5% |
| Underground, metro, light rail, tram | 0.0% | 0.7% |
| Motorcycle, scooter or moped | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Not in employment or aged 15 years and under | 55.2% | 53.4% |
| Other method of travel to work | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Passenger in a car or van | 2.4% | 1.8% |
| Taxi | 1.1% | 0.3% |
| Train | 0.6% | 0.8% |
Worried about having to use a foodbank in the next year
40.5%
28.7% national average
Worried about not being able to afford their mortgage or rent in the next year
51.3%
40.0% national average
Country of the UK
England
Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD)
1
2.8 national average
Public opinion
Should government policy on climate change be going faster or slower?
| This area | National average | |
|---|---|---|
| Go faster | 62.5% | 54.1% |
| Neither | 11.9% | 12.0% |
| Go slower | 25.6% | 30.9% |
Predicted winning party at next general election
Labour Party
Results of last election
| Party | Votes |
|---|---|
| Labour Party | 17117 |
| Green Party | 5838 |
| Conservative Party | 4172 |
| Other | 3211 |
| Liberal Democrats | 1340 |
EU (Brexit) leave vote percentage
54%
50.5% national average
Likelihood to take action such as voting for a particular candidate or lobbying an MP to tackle climate change and protect nature
| This area | National average | |
|---|---|---|
| Net likely | 39% | 39.7% |
| Net unlikely | 25.4% | 27.8% |
| Very likely | 12.9% | 12.2% |
| Quite likely | 26.1% | 27.5% |
| Neither likely nor unlikely | 35.7% | 32.5% |
| Quite unlikely | 11.1% | 12.6% |
| Very unlikely | 14.2% | 15.3% |
Should the UK have closer economic ties with the EU, even if that means giving up some sovereignty?
| This area | National average | |
|---|---|---|
| Closer ties with the EU | 57.4% | 51.5% |
| Neither | 10.4% | 6.1% |
| No closer with the EU | 32.3% | 39.5% |
Would you support or oppose the building of onshore wind farms in your area?
| This area | National average | |
|---|---|---|
| Neither | 25.3% | 18.6% |
| Oppose | 8.9% | 12.2% |
| Support | 65.8% | 66.3% |
Do you think immigration has generally enriched or undermined society?
| This area | National average | |
|---|---|---|
| Enriched | 39.3% | 37.2% |
| Neither | 14.8% | 12.5% |
| Undermined | 45.9% | 47.3% |
Should the welfare system be expanded to help more people, or reduced to make benefits harder to get?
| This area | National average | |
|---|---|---|
| Expanded | 43.0% | 34.1% |
| Neither | 13.3% | 11.5% |
| Reduced | 43.7% | 51.5% |
Would you be comfortable paying more tax, if it meant more money were invested in public services like the NHS and education?
| This area | National average | |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable | 52.5% | 44.3% |
| Neither | 7.0% | 6.0% |
| Uncomfortable | 40.5% | 46.8% |
Would you be comfortable with government debt going up, provided that money were invested in the economy and local services?
| This area | National average | |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable | 62.6% | 52.5% |
| Neither | 10.5% | 7.6% |
| Uncomfortable | 26.9% | 37.0% |
Would you support or oppose the building of new housing in your area?
| This area | National average | |
|---|---|---|
| Neither | 20.1% | 21.1% |
| Oppose | 11.6% | 17.8% |
| Support | 68.4% | 58.2% |
Consider climate change a high priority
54%
53.6% national average
Second placed party at most recent election
Green Party
Loss of nature and destruction of the environment should be one of the most important concerns for the country
| This area | National average | |
|---|---|---|
| Net agree | 67.1% | 72.6% |
| Net disagree | 10% | 8.7% |
| Strongly agree | 30.1% | 33.8% |
| Partly agree | 37.0% | 38.8% |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 22.9% | 18.7% |
| Partly disagree | 6% | 5.9% |
| Strongly disagree | 4% | 2.7% |
Policies for tackling the cost of living crisis should go hand in hand with policies to tackle the climate crisis
| This area | National average | |
|---|---|---|
| Net agree | 60.6% | 58.9% |
| Net disagree | 13.5% | 17.6% |
| Strongly agree | 26.8% | 24.2% |
| Somewhat agree | 33.8% | 34.7% |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 25.9% | 23.4% |
| Somewhat disagree | 8.2% | 10.5% |
| Strongly disagree | 5.3% | 7.1% |
Tackling climate change should / should not be one of the Government’s biggest priorities right now
| This area | National average | |
|---|---|---|
| Should be a priority | 53.0% | 57.5% |
| Should not be a priority | 47% | 42.5% |
Neither support nor oppose Net Zero
28%
26.2% national average
Oppose Net Zero
8%
12.4% national average
Support Net Zero
62%
60.4% national average
Support nuclear energy
54.3%
57.4% national average
Support offshore wind
78.8%
85.3% national average
Support renewable energy projects in their local area
81.4%
85.1% national average
Support solar power
81.7%
87.6% national average
Support tidal energy
76.1%
86.0% national average
Support wave energy
83.4%
86.7% national average
Believe that the government should continue the block on onshore wind development
33.3%
24.3% national average
Believe that the government should use wind and solar farms to reduce energy bills
81.6%
84.3% national average
Believe the government has increased investment in renewables over the past 5 years
52.3%
52.0% national average
Movement
Churches that have declared a climate emergency
0
0.2 national average
Constituents pledged to meet MP as part of Common Grounds 2024
0
0.7 national average
Friends of the Earth activists
169
302.3 national average
Friends of the Earth financial supporters
39
122.2 national average
Number of Great Big Green Week 2022 events
0
1.8 national average
Number of Great Big Green Week 2023 events
0
2.2 national average
Number of Great Big Green Week 2024 events
0
1.9 national average
Number of RSPB Reserves
0
0.3 national average
Number of Save the Children shops
0
0.2 national average
Number of Trussell Trust foodbanks
6
2.2 national average
Number of Wildlife Trusts Reserves
0
2.4 national average