Photograph of Melanie Ward

Member of Parliament

Melanie Ward

Profile, voting record, roles, interests, and election information from official Parliament data.

At a glance

4 Jul 2024

Commons start

1 years, 10 months

Time in Commons

75.2 %

Voting participation

+1.9 % vs avg

7,248

Majority

60

Debates (12 months)

79

Contributions

Voting activity (12 months)

Debate activity (12 months)

Contact

Topic voting

Where this MP has been most and least active across locally tagged Commons division topics.

Highest topic participation

Migration 11/11 (100 %)
Democracy / Parliament 10/10 (100 %)
Foreign Affairs 4/4 (100 %)
Defence 17/18 (94 %)

Lowest topic participation

Trade 0/4 (0 %)
Crime / Justice 37/61 (61 %)
Transport 13/21 (62 %)
Work / Employment 25/37 (68 %)

Party history

Labour 4 Jul 2024 to present

Constituency

Constituency history

Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy 4 Jul 2024 to present Elected 1 time

Roles

Courts and Tribunals Bill 18 Mar 2026 to present
Ecclesiastical Committee 3 Apr 2025 to present

Latest election result

Candidate result data from the Parliament Members API.

Lab Gain Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy Turnout 40,814
Candidate Party Votes Share
Melanie Ward Lab Labour 18,662 45.7 %
Lesley Backhouse SNP Scottish National Party 11,414 28.0 %
Jonathan Gray Con Conservative 3,203 7.8 %
Sonia Davidson RUK Reform UK 3,128 7.7 %
Fraser Graham LD Liberal Democrat 1,593 3.9 %
Mags Hall Scottish Green Party 1,556 3.8 %
Neale Hanvey Alba Alba Party 1,132 2.8 %
Calum Paul Scottish Libertarian Party 126 0.3 %

Source: UK Parliament Members API

Voting record

Commons division votes from the official Commons Votes API.

Voted in 388 of 516 eligible divisions (75.2 %). Commons average: 73.3 %.

388

Total votes

203

Aye

185

No

12

Against party

Aye / No split Ayes 203 / Noes 185

Divisions

Page 3 of 26

Source: Commons Votes API

Debate activity

Parliamentary debate appearances from Hansard. Contribution counts cover the last 12 months.

12

Speeches

41

Questions

26

Interventions

0

Answers

0

Points of order

0

Statements

Most active debate topics

Transport 6 appearances
Foreign Affairs 5 appearances
Tax 4 appearances
Crime / Justice 2 appearances
Energy 1 appearances

Recent appearances

Debate Contributions
Security Vetting 20 Apr 2026 1
Courts and Tribunals Bill (Sixth sitting) 16 Apr 2026 1
Energy Profits Levy 15 Apr 2026 1
Middle East 13 Apr 2026 1
Middle East: Economic Update 24 Mar 2026 1
International Development 19 Mar 2026 1
Online Harms 19 Mar 2026 1
Business of the House 19 Mar 2026 1
Fuel Duty 18 Mar 2026 5
Middle East 17 Mar 2026 1

Source: UK Parliament Hansard API

Registered interests

3. Gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources (2)

Name of donor: Great Britain China Centre Address of donor: Kings Buildings, Smith Square, London, SW1P 3HQ Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Costs of a residential course attended by a member of my staff (Great Britain China Centre is a non-departmental body of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office), value £1,350 Date received: 22 July 2025 to 25 July 2025 Date accepted: 22 July 2025 Donor status: company, registration 01196043 (Registered 21 August 2025)

Name of donor: Great Britain China Centre Address of donor: Kings Buildings, Smith Square, London SW1P 3HQ Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Cost of a two-day non-residential course in London attended by a member of staff (Great Britain China Centre is a non-departmental body of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office), value £1,100 Date received: 6 November 2025 to 7 November 2025 Date accepted: 6 November 2025 Donor status: company, registration 01196043 (Registered 24 November 2025)

4. Visits outside the UK (3)

Name of donor: Stiftung Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz gGmbH Address of donor: Karolinenplatz 3, 80333 Munich, Germany Estimate of the probable value (or amount of any donation): Flights (£1807.22), accommodation (£1141.58), meals (£233.28), additional meals and transport (estimated value £300), value £3,482.08 Destination of visit: United States (New York) Dates of visit: 17 September 2025 to 21 September 2025 Purpose of visit: Participation in Annual Meeting of Women Parliamentarians Programme run by the Munich Security Conference Foundation. (Registered 13 October 2025)

Name of donor: Stiftung Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz gGmbH Address of donor: Karolinenplatz 3, 80333 Munich, Germany Estimate of the probable value (or amount of any donation): Flights (£1148.85), accommodation (£697.17), meals and transport (estimated value £400), value £2,246.02 Destination of visit: Saudi Arabia (AlUla) Dates of visit: 30 September 2025 to 3 October 2025 Purpose of visit: Participation in Munich Leaders Meeting on the Middle East, run by the Munich Security Conference Foundation. (Registered 23 October 2025)

Name of donor: Doha Forum Address of donor: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Almirqab Tower, West Bay, Doha, Qatar Estimate of the probable value (or amount of any donation): Flights (£5,555), accommodation and meals (£402), value £5,957 Destination of visit: Qatar Dates of visit: 5 December 2025 to 8 December 2025 Purpose of visit: To participate in the Doha Forum 2025 on diplomacy, dialogue and diversity, including meetings with fellow cross-party parliamentarians, political representations of other countries and Qatari ministers to discuss Qatar’s role in seeking to resolve current regional conflicts. (Registered 19 December 2025)

Member source UK Parliament Members API
Voting source Commons Votes API
Debate source UK Parliament Hansard API

FAQs

Who is Melanie Ward?

Melanie Ward is a Member of Parliament representing Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy. Source

Which party does Melanie Ward represent?

Melanie Ward currently represents Labour. Source

Which constituency does Melanie Ward represent?

Melanie Ward currently represents Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy. Source

How long has Melanie Ward been an MP?

Melanie Ward has been in the House of Commons for 1 years, 10 months. Source

How many Commons divisions has Melanie Ward voted in?

Melanie Ward has recorded votes in 388 of 516 eligible Commons divisions (75.2 % participation rate). The Commons average is 73.3 %. Eligible divisions are those occurring on or after the MP's Commons membership start date. Source

Has Melanie Ward voted against their party?

Melanie Ward has voted against the party majority 12 times in the imported division data. Source

What roles has Melanie Ward held?

Melanie Ward has 2 imported role records. The roles section lists the most recent roles available from the Parliament biography data. Source

What registered interests are listed for Melanie Ward?

Melanie Ward has registered interests in 2 imported categories. These come from the UK Parliament registered interests data. Source

What was Melanie Ward's latest election result?

Melanie Ward's latest imported election result is Lab Gain in Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy, with a majority of 7,248. Source

How active is Melanie Ward in parliamentary debates?

Melanie Ward has made 79 contributions across 60 debate appearances in the last 12 months, according to Hansard records. Source