Yvette Cooper
Labour Party
·
Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley
MP Since
1 May 1997 (29 years, 4 months)
Role
Foreign Secretary
Status
active
Constituency: Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley
Yvette Cooper represents Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley in the House of Commons, sitting as a Labour Party MP. They have served as the constituency's MP for 29 years, 4 months.
Pay & Expenses
£98,599
basic salary / year
This is the basic MP salary, set by IPSA and paid to all 650 MPs regardless of role. Additional salary for Cabinet, Shadow Cabinet, or committee roles is not yet shown here — those figures require careful verification against primary IPSA and Ministerial Salaries documents before publishing.
£284,172
total expenses claimed, 2024-25
Staffing
£248,481
Office
£23,871
Accommodation
£0
Travel & Other
£11,820
Source: IPSA official expenses data. Covers parliamentary business costs only — staffing, office running costs, accommodation, and travel — not personal spending.
Declared Affiliations
Source: List of Ministers' Interests (gov.uk). Only government ministers appear in this register — this is not tracked for all 650 MPs.
GMB
Unite the Union
Notable Constituency Interests
The constituency is the site of former coalfields.
Source: List of Ministers' Interests (gov.uk)
Voting Record (most recent 15)
Source: official Commons Votes API, all divisions since the 2024 general election.
Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill Committee: Amendment 12
8 Jun 2026 · Result: 81 Aye, 266 No (failed)
Voted No
Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill Committee: New Clause 8
8 Jun 2026 · Result: 145 Aye, 251 No (failed)
Voted No
Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill Committee: New Clause 2
8 Jun 2026 · Result: 65 Aye, 251 No (failed)
Voted No
King's Speech Motion for an Address
20 May 2026 · Result: 307 Aye, 171 No (passed)
Voted Aye
King's Speech Motion for an Address: amendment (o)
20 May 2026 · Result: 104 Aye, 317 No (failed)
Voted No
King's Speech Motion for an Address: amendment (p)
20 May 2026 · Result: 104 Aye, 316 No (failed)
Voted No
King's Speech Motion for an Address: amendment (l)
20 May 2026 · Result: 78 Aye, 408 No (failed)
Voted No
Draft Energy Prices Act 2022 (Extension of Time Limit) Regulations 2026
22 Apr 2026 · Result: 380 Aye, 7 No (passed)
Voted Aye
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill: motion to disagree to Lords Amendment 2
21 Apr 2026 · Result: 293 Aye, 155 No (passed)
Voted Aye
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill: motion to disagree to Lords Amendment 13
21 Apr 2026 · Result: 297 Aye, 147 No (passed)
Voted Aye
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill: motion to disagree to Lords Amendment 26
21 Apr 2026 · Result: 287 Aye, 149 No (passed)
Voted Aye
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill: motion to disagree to Lords Amendment 4
21 Apr 2026 · Result: 298 Aye, 152 No (passed)
Voted Aye
Crime and Policing Bill: motion to disagree with Lords Amendment 357
14 Apr 2026 · Result: 278 Aye, 73 No (passed)
Voted Aye
Crime and Policing Bill: motion to disagree with Lords Amendment 333
14 Apr 2026 · Result: 301 Aye, 157 No (passed)
Voted Aye
Crime and Policing Bill: motion to agree with all remaining Lords Amendments
14 Apr 2026 · Result: 247 Aye, 21 No (passed)
Voted Aye
Recent Coverage (20)
Stories mentioning Yvette Coopertracked across NewsDeck's sources
NHS waiting list reaches 6.21 million patients after ‘busiest summer in history’
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper warned that ‘extreme demand’ on the service is ‘no longer confined to winter’
The Independent·10 Sept· View coverage →
Nothing less than radical whole-system change is required to fix the NHS's maternity services | Julia Sanders
It’s vital that Yvette Cooper’s taskforce acts on the Amos and Ockenden reports – and puts the needs of women and families at the heart of m…
The Guardian·17 Aug· View coverage →
Britain's Iran policy slammed as 'dangerously complacent' as Tehran targets Jews on UK streets
Britain's Iran policy has been slammed as complacent and lacking long-term thinking in a new report.
A leading expert on Iran has warned tha…
GB News·14 Aug· View coverage →
England close to wiping out Hepatitis C 'for good' in boost for global eradication
England is poised to wipe out hepatitis C, achieving the World Health Organization's 2030 elimination goal a full four years ahead of schedu…
GB News·11 Aug· View coverage →
MoD scrambles to deny reports Royal Navy spy drones sent data to China in secret
The Ministry of Defence has denied reports that cameras on Royal Navy surveillance drones secretly sent data to China.
Late last night, The …
GB News·10 Aug· View coverage →
Vape shops and car washes still allowed to sponsor foreign workers despite visa changes
Almost 2,000 high street businesses are licensed to sponsor foreign workers, despite changes to legislation.
This comes after changes last …
GB News·6 Aug· View coverage →
By day five of my labour, I didn’t want an ‘ideal birth’. I only wanted to survive | Natalie Morris
Yvette Cooper’s maternity reforms must change a system that too often fails women when they’re at their most vulnerable
On the third day of …
The Guardian·6 Aug· View coverage →
Reform to unveil controversial plan to fine firms and jail bosses who employ illegal workers – UK politics live
Reform say employers would be held responsible even if they were unaware of the worker’s immigration status
Health secretary Yvette Cooper h…
The Guardian·6 Aug· View coverage →
NHS told to prepare for annual heatwaves the same way it does for winter
Yvette Cooper called on the public to look out for the elderly and other individuals vulnerable to the extreme heat
The Independent·6 Aug· View coverage →
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper promises major maternity reform after series of horror scandals
Yvette Cooper, who was the first Government minister to take maternity leave, has vowed to reconfigure maternity services in the UK as part …
Mirror News·6 Aug· View coverage →
NHS must prepare for annual summer heat pressures, says Yvette Cooper
Health secretary says global heating means UK hospitals and GPs will have to prepare for summer as well as winter peaks of demand
Adapting t…
The Guardian·5 Aug· View coverage →
Yvette Cooper pays tribute to Rob Burrow as she pledges fast-track care for MND patients
The new fast-track pathway is intended to tackle “delays and fragmentation” in support for those with MND
The Independent·5 Aug· View coverage →
Wednesday briefing: How misinformation and a hardened immigration policy turned Ceuta into Europe’s latest flashpoint
In today’s newsletter: The past week shows how quickly images, rumours and right-wing political opportunism can eclipse the facts on the gr…
Guardian World·5 Aug· View coverage →
Women must not feel pressure to have ‘ideal birth’, says Yvette Cooper
Exclusive: New health secretary promises root-and-branch reform after damning maternity scandals
Women should not feel pressurised into expe…
The Guardian·5 Aug· View coverage →
Palestine Action co-founder wins right to challenge group’s proscription
The co-founder of Palestine Action, Huda Ammori, can challenge the Home Office decision to ban the group as a terrorist organisation at the …
GB News·30 Jul· View coverage →
Callum McGoldrick: Failure pays well in the NHS
Fudged figures, increasing executive salaries and declining performance. This is the true legacy of Starmer’s two years presiding over the N…
ConservativeHome·29 Jul· View coverage →
I met Yvette Cooper when I was drunk – there's 1 chat I hope I never have with her
OPINION - ROBERT FISK: This must be avoided at all costs.
Express Politics·25 Jul· View coverage →
Record number of terrorists in British prisons as over half hold Islamist views
A record number of terrorists are now behind bars in Britain, according to new figures, with more than half of those in custody holding extr…
GB News·23 Jul· View coverage →
Foreign secretary job is honour of my life, says Ed Miliband
The former energy secretary and Labour veteran was touted as a potential chancellor, but will take over from Yvette Cooper as foreign secret…
BBC Politics·20 Jul· View coverage →
Shabana Mahmood set to be named Chancellor by Burnham
Shabana Mahmood is set to be named Chancellor by Andy Burnham next week when the former Manchester mayor takes the keys to Number 10, accord…
City AM·15 Jul· View coverage →