Lie Detector
For 15 of the most politically-loaded votes in this Parliament, we pull every Labour MP's verbatim Hansard contribution on the topic and place it next to how they voted. Words on one side, vote on the other.
How it works
- For each politicised vote we identify the exact debate that ended in the division.
- We pull every Labour MP's Hansard contributions on the topic. This covers both the division-day debate and topic-keyword scans across the wider Hansard corpus.
- An automated classifier reads each speech and decides whether the MP's words support, oppose, or take no clear position on the underlying policy.
- For each politicised vote we have hand-curated whether voting AYE on the division means supporting or opposing the policy. This matters: opposition-day motions and Lords amendments often invert the AYE/NO direction.
- The classifier's read of the speech is compared with the MP's policy-aligned vote. A possible mismatch at high confidence is sent for human review. Only items signed off by a human reviewer reach this page. The verbatim quote is always shown next to the vote. Readers judge for themselves.
By topic
Defence Spending 2.5% GDP
mediumvoted against committing to spend 2.5% of GDP on defence amid growing global threats
119 MPs spoke 578 speeches
Assisted Dying Bill
mediumvoted on whether terminally ill adults should have the right to choose to end their life
68 MPs spoke 450 speeches
Two-Child Benefit Cap
criticalvoted AGAINST lifting the two-child benefit cap that keeps 250,000 children in poverty
105 MPs spoke 258 speeches
NHS Waiting List Targets
mediumvoted for NHS targets they have failed to meet. Waiting lists are still over 7 million
97 MPs spoke 162 speeches
House of Lords Hereditary Peers
mediumvoted to remove hereditary peers from the House of Lords while stuffing it with Labour donors
47 MPs spoke 117 speeches
Illegal Migration Act Repeal
highvoted to weaken border enforcement powers that deter illegal Channel crossings
34 MPs spoke 104 speeches
Water Company Regulation
mediumvoted on the Water (Special Measures) Bill to tackle sewage dumping by water companies
45 MPs spoke 92 speeches
Winter Fuel Payment Cuts
criticalvoted to cut winter fuel payments for 10 million pensioners
60 MPs spoke 84 speeches
Grooming Gangs National Inquiry
criticalvoted AGAINST a national inquiry into child grooming gangs
28 MPs spoke 73 speeches
Chagos Islands Sovereignty
highvoted to give away British sovereign territory in the Chagos Islands to Mauritius
18 MPs spoke 70 speeches
VAT on Private Schools
highvoted to put VAT on school fees, pushing thousands of children into already overcrowded state schools
31 MPs spoke 47 speeches
Farmers' Inheritance Tax
highvoted to impose inheritance tax on family farms, threatening to break up farms passed down for generations
19 MPs spoke 28 speeches
Employer National Insurance Increase
highvoted to raise National Insurance on employers, a stealth tax that hits workers' pay
8 MPs spoke 27 speeches
Rwanda Deportation Scheme Cancellation
highvoted to scrap the Rwanda deportation scheme with no replacement deterrent
10 MPs spoke 13 speeches
Arms Sales to Israel
mediumvoted on whether to suspend arms sales to Israel during the conflict in Gaza
7 MPs spoke 11 speeches