Chris Hinchliff
Chris Hinchliff | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament for North East Hertfordshire | |
| Assumed office 4 July 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Oliver Heald |
| Majority | 1,923 (3.7%) |
| North Hertfordshire District Councillor for Royston Palace | |
| In office 5 May 2022 – 2 September 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Sarah Dingley |
| Succeeded by | Sarah Lucas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 1993 (age 31) |
| Political party | Labour |
| Other political affiliations | Labour Co-op (as a councillor) |
| Relatives | Peter Hinchliff (grandfather) |
| Education | Howard of Effingham School King's College, Cambridge |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh (MSc) |
| Website | www |
Christopher Volante Hinchliff (born December 1993) is a British Labour Party politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Hertfordshire since 2024.[1] He was previously a North Hertfordshire District Councillor for Royston Palace.
Early life and education
Christopher Volante Hinchliff was born in December 1993.[2] He was educated at The Howard of Effingham School in Surrey and King's College, Cambridge, where he read history and was a member of Cambridge University Labour Club.[3] In 2016, he graduated with an MSc in ecological economics from the University of Edinburgh.[3] Prior to his election to Parliament, Hinchliff was the policy and campaigns officer for the Campaign to Protect Rural England.[4]
Political career
Hinchliff joined the Labour Party as a young adult and assisted in Daniel Zeichner's successful campaign for Cambridge in the 2015 general election. He then led the Thurrock Labour campaign in the 2018 local elections.[5] In 2022, he was elected as a Labour and Co-operative Party councillor for the Royston Palace ward of North Hertfordshire District Council.[6] On the council, he served on the Employment Appeals and Royston & District committees, as well as the Cabinet Panel on the Environment.[7] He was re-elected in 2024 and appointed Cabinet Executive Member for Planning and Transport.[8][9]
Hinchliff was selected as the Labour candidate for North East Hertfordshire in May 2024.[10] He won the constituency from the Conservatives in the 2024 general election with a majority of 1,923 votes.[11] Hinchliff resigned as a councillor on 2 September 2024 following his election to Parliament.[12] In October 2024, he was elected to the Environmental Audit Select Committee.[13]
Political positions
Welfare
In September 2024, Hinchliff signed Neil Duncan-Jordan's early day motion calling on the government to postpone ending the Winter Fuel Payment for pensioners without means-tested benefits such as Pension Credit.[14] However, in the vote on the topic that same month, he voted to implement the restrictions.[15] Following the March 2025 spring statement, Hinchliff opposed the cuts to several benefits including Universal Credit as well as changes to the eligibility criteria for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), labelling them "crude measure[s] designed to meet self-imposed fiscal rules". He stated that he believed in "a welfare state that supports everyone in times of need, protects the most vulnerable, and upholds equality and dignity for all".[16]
Planning regulation and the environment
In April 2025, Hinchliff proposed a series of amendments to the government's Planning and Infrastructure Bill, stating that the government's approach had "a narrow focus on increasing housing supply, when we already have substantially more homes per capita than we did 50 years ago" and that the government's consultation with HSBC, BlackRock and the Phoenix Group on housing policy was a "problem" because "private finance will always prioritise profits over meeting housing needs". He also stated that there needed to be a "progressive alternative" to the plans, focused on building more affordable and council houses.[17][18] Hinchliff received criticism for his position, with opponents branding him a "NIMBY" and arguing that he was attempting to block new housing.[19][20]
Hinchliff has also opposed the expansion of London Luton Airport.[19][21]
Electoral performance
House of Commons
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Chris Hinchliff | 18,358 | 35.0 | +11.3 | |
| Conservative | Nikki da Costa | 16,435 | 31.3 | −25.3 | |
| Reform UK | Steven Adelantado | 8,462 | 16.1 | New | |
| Liberal Democrats | Ruth Brown | 5,463 | 10.4 | −5.1 | |
| Green | Vicky Burt | 3,802 | 7.2 | +2.9 | |
| Majority | 1,923 | 3.7 | |||
| Turnout | 52,520 | 67.6 | −5.1 | ||
| Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +18.3 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour Co-op | Catherine Brownjohn | 581 | 40.3 | ||
| Labour Co-op | Chris Hinchliff | 546 | 37.9 | ||
| Conservative | Jean Green | 376 | 26.1 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Emma Squire-Smith | 362 | 25.1 | ||
| Conservative | Paul Fletcher | 337 | 23.4 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | Gill Lewis | 334 | 23.2 | ||
| Independent | Lisa Adams | 195 | 13.5 | ||
| Turnout | 1,466 | 34.7 | |||
| Labour Co-op hold | |||||
| Labour Co-op hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour Co-op | Chris Hinchliff | 590 | 40.7 | +7.6 | |
| Conservative | Sarah Dingley | 563 | 38.8 | +1.0 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Bryony May | 297 | 20.5 | +6.1 | |
| Majority | 27 | 1.9 | |||
| Turnout | 1,468 | 33.6 | |||
| Labour Co-op gain from Conservative | Swing | +3.3 | |||
References
- ^ "Chris Hinchliff - Parliamentary career". UK Parliament. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ "Christopher Volante HINCHLIFF appointments". Companies House. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ a b Hinchliff, Chris. "Christopher Hinchliff". LinkedIn. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ Hinchliff, Chris (22 January 2021). "It was acceptable in the 80s". CPRE. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ Hinchliff, Chris. "About Me". Chris Hinchliff official website. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Election results for Royston Palace, 5 May 2022". North Hertfordshire District Council. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ "Appointment of members of committees, joint committees and panels for 2022/23" (PDF). North Hertfordshire District Council. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Election results for Royston Palace, 2 May 2024". North Hertfordshire District Council. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ Allen, Daniel (23 May 2024). "Appointment of Members of the Cabinet 2024/25" (PDF). North Hertfordshire District Council. p. 3. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ "Chris Hinchliff chosen as NE Herts Labour Candidate". North East Hertfordshire Labour Party. 27 May 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ a b "North East Hertfordshire results". BBC News. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ "Royston Palace MP resigns position as North Herts councillor". Royston Crow. 2 September 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ "Press Release: Chris Hinchliff MP joins EAC". Chris Hinchliff official website. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ "Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2024". UK Parliament. 2 September 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ "Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2024 (SI, 2024, No. 869): motion to annul". UK Parliament. 10 September 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ Hinchliff, Chris (28 March 2025). "Statement: The Government's proposed disability benefit cuts". Chris Hinchliff official website. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ "Notices of Amendments as at 28 April 2025" (PDF). UK Parliament. 28 April 2025. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
- ^ Hinchliff, Chris (8 April 2025). "Planning deregulation carries serious political risks for Labour". PoliticsHome. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
- ^ a b Green, Daniel (10 April 2025). "New MP in spat with NEC member over planning reforms and 'harm to nature'". LabourList. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
- ^ Corr, Sinead (17 April 2025). "Kemi Badenoch's Labour General Election opponent accuses her own party colleague, North East Herts' Chris Hinchliff, of 'peddling nonsense' on planning". Bishop's Stortford Independent. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
- ^ Hinchliff, Chris [@CHinchliffMP] (8 April 2025). "I oppose the now greenlit plans to expand London Luton Airport, and raised this matter with @theCCCuk during Monday's @CommonsEAC session" (Tweet). Retrieved 28 April 2025 – via Twitter.