Rory Stewart

Independent - Former Member for Penrith and The Border

First elected: 6th May 2010

Left House: 6th November 2019 (Standing Down)


Rory Stewart is not a member of any APPGs
Secretary of State for International Development
1st May 2019 - 24th Jul 2019
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
9th Jan 2018 - 1st May 2019
Minister of State (Department for International Development) (Joint with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office)
13th Jun 2017 - 9th Jan 2018
Minister of State (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) (Joint with the Department for International Development)
13th Jun 2017 - 9th Jan 2018
Minister of State (Department for International Development)
17th Jul 2016 - 13th Jun 2017
Environmental Audit Committee
20th Jul 2015 - 10th Oct 2016
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
8th May 2015 - 17th Jul 2016
National Security Strategy (Joint Committee)
16th Jun 2014 - 30th Mar 2015
Defence Committee
14th May 2014 - 30th Mar 2015
Liaison Committee (Commons)
14th May 2014 - 30th Mar 2015
Foreign Affairs Committee
12th Jul 2010 - 30th Jun 2014


Division Voting information

Rory Stewart has voted in 1703 divisions, and 15 times against the majority of their Party.

1 Apr 2019 - EU: Withdrawal and Future Relationship (Votes) - View Vote Context
Rory Stewart voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 36 Conservative Aye votes vs 236 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 273 Noes - 276
27 Mar 2019 - EU: Withdrawal and Future Relationship Votes - View Vote Context
Rory Stewart voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 94 Conservative No votes vs 157 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 160 Noes - 400
27 Mar 2019 - EU: Withdrawal and Future Relationship Votes - View Vote Context
Rory Stewart voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 34 Conservative Aye votes vs 234 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 264 Noes - 272
27 Mar 2019 - EU: Withdrawal and Future Relationship Votes - View Vote Context
Rory Stewart voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 122 Conservative No votes vs 126 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 139 Noes - 422
14 Mar 2019 - UK’s Withdrawal from the European Union - View Vote Context
Rory Stewart voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 112 Conservative Aye votes vs 188 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 412 Noes - 202
13 Mar 2019 - UK’s Withdrawal from the European Union - View Vote Context
Rory Stewart voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 66 Conservative No votes vs 149 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 164 Noes - 374
23 Feb 2015 - Serious Crime Bill [Lords] - View Vote Context
Rory Stewart voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 78 Conservative No votes vs 151 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 201 Noes - 292
10 Feb 2014 - Children and Families Bill - View Vote Context
Rory Stewart voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 99 Conservative No votes vs 127 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 376 Noes - 107
5 Feb 2013 - Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill - View Vote Context
Rory Stewart voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 131 Conservative Aye votes vs 139 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 400 Noes - 175
11 Jul 2012 - Sittings of the House - View Vote Context
Rory Stewart voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 87 Conservative No votes vs 142 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 241 Noes - 256
11 Jul 2012 - Sittings of the House - View Vote Context
Rory Stewart voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 93 Conservative Aye votes vs 139 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 267 Noes - 233
11 Jul 2012 - Sittings of the House - View Vote Context
Rory Stewart voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 90 Conservative Aye votes vs 123 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 280 Noes - 184
10 Jul 2012 - House of Lords Reform Bill - View Vote Context
Rory Stewart voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 89 Conservative No votes vs 192 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 462 Noes - 124
24 Apr 2012 - Food Labelling (Halal and Kosher Meat) - View Vote Context
Rory Stewart voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 20 Conservative No votes vs 49 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 70 Noes - 73
13 Jul 2011 - Youth Employment - View Vote Context
Rory Stewart voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 24 Conservative Aye votes vs 32 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 241 Noes - 35
View All Rory Stewart Division Votes

All Debates

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
John Bercow (Speaker)
(43 debate interactions)
Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op))
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
(29 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Ministry of Justice
(593 debate contributions)
Department for International Development
(120 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Rory Stewart's debates

Latest EDMs signed by Rory Stewart

Rory Stewart has not signed any Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Rory Stewart, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Rory Stewart has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Rory Stewart has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

Rory Stewart has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Rory Stewart has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 12 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
29th Aug 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farms in Cumbria which received payments under the (a) Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance, (b) Sheep Annual Premium Scheme, (c) Hill Farm Allowance and (d) Uplands Entry Level Stewardship Scheme in each of the last 30 years; and what aggregate local payments were made under each scheme in each such year.

The Rural Payments Agency does not hold assured data for the time period and area requested. As the majority of these schemes ended some time ago, and a new finance system was introduced in the intervening period, extracting this historic information is not possible.

The Agency does not hold this level of historic payment information for Uplands Entry Level Stewardship.

27th Oct 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2014 to Question 202954, how many Afghan locally engaged civilians have been granted asylum in the UK since the Minister's reply.

Thirty one Afghans, locally engaged civilians and their families, have been relocated to the United Kingdom under the Ex Gratia Redundancy Scheme to date. Beneficiaries of the scheme are not granted asylum.

9th Dec 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK (a) military personnel and (b) civilians have been (i) killed and (ii) wounded in Afghanistan in the last 13 years.

Between 7 October 2001 and 17 December 2014, 453 UK military personnel have died on operations in Afghanistan.

Information regarding those killed and wounded in Afghanistan is published on the Government's website: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/op-herrick-casualty-and-fatality-tables-released-in-2014.

Nine UK civilians have been treated for injuries in Afghanistan or aeromedically evacuated by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). These are included within the published figures.

No MOD civilians have died on operations in Afghanistan.

Mark Francois
Shadow Minister (Defence)
27th Oct 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many weeks of cultural and historical training the average graduate of the Defence Cultural Specialist Unit course receives in addition to their language training.

The Defence Cultural Specialist Unit is not a training establishment and therefore does not offer any courses in the generally accepted use of the term. Its role is to prepare and provide Cultural Specialists and Human Terrain Analysts for units at readiness or deploying on operations. The Unit works with a variety of organisations, including the Defence Centre for Language and Culture at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, to ensure that its personnel are appropriately trained to meet the UK's commitments.

After the completion of appropriate language training, which also includes elements of cultural and historical learning, a Cultural Specialist will receive, on average, between 3-5 weeks of cultural and historical training specific to their future role.

Since the Defence Cultural Specialist Unit was formed in 2010, 59 personnel have spent more than six months undertaking related studies. These are provided at a range of locations, including the Defence Centre for Language and Culture at the Defence Academy. As at 30 October 2014 the Unit had seven personnel undertaking cultural and historical training.

Mark Francois
Shadow Minister (Defence)
27th Oct 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people in the armed forces are in receipt of a Level (a) 3 and (b) 4 language allowance in Pashto.

The information requested is provided below:

Level 3 (Professional) Level

Level 4 (Expert) Level

Total Armed Forces Personnel currently in receipt of Language Allowance

30

1

Total Armed Forces personnel currently in receipt of Language Allowance - Arabic

6

Nil

Total Armed Forces personnel currently in receipt of Language Allowance - Pashto

21

1

Total Armed Forces personnel currently in receipt of Language Allowance – Dari

1

Nil

The information provided relates to the Defence Operational Allowance Language Award Scheme (DOLAS) and the Active Use Awards (AUA) under that scheme. Languages classified as Operational are Arabic, Pashto, Farsi, Dari and Somali. All other languages are not currently classified as Operational and therefore do not attract a language allowance payment within this scheme.

27th Oct 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people in the armed forces are in receipt of a Level (a) 3 and (b) 4 language allowance.

The information requested is provided below:

Level 3 (Professional) Level

Level 4 (Expert) Level

Total Armed Forces Personnel currently in receipt of Language Allowance

30

1

Total Armed Forces personnel currently in receipt of Language Allowance - Arabic

6

Nil

Total Armed Forces personnel currently in receipt of Language Allowance - Pashto

21

1

Total Armed Forces personnel currently in receipt of Language Allowance – Dari

1

Nil

The information provided relates to the Defence Operational Allowance Language Award Scheme (DOLAS) and the Active Use Awards (AUA) under that scheme. Languages classified as Operational are Arabic, Pashto, Farsi, Dari and Somali. All other languages are not currently classified as Operational and therefore do not attract a language allowance payment within this scheme.

27th Oct 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people in the armed forces are in receipt of a Level (a) 3 and (b) 4 language allowance in Dari.

The information requested is provided below:

Level 3 (Professional) Level

Level 4 (Expert) Level

Total Armed Forces Personnel currently in receipt of Language Allowance

30

1

Total Armed Forces personnel currently in receipt of Language Allowance - Arabic

6

Nil

Total Armed Forces personnel currently in receipt of Language Allowance - Pashto

21

1

Total Armed Forces personnel currently in receipt of Language Allowance – Dari

1

Nil

The information provided relates to the Defence Operational Allowance Language Award Scheme (DOLAS) and the Active Use Awards (AUA) under that scheme. Languages classified as Operational are Arabic, Pashto, Farsi, Dari and Somali. All other languages are not currently classified as Operational and therefore do not attract a language allowance payment within this scheme.

27th Oct 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether regular service personnel who take out the standard Pax Policy life insurance are covered in the event of death in non-war fighting operations.

They are. Pax personal accident insurance covers bodily injury as a result of an accident that results in death, catastrophic injury, permanent disability, specified burns, specified fractures, flesh wounds or hospitalisation, while on, and off, duty worldwide, at any time.

Pax policies also offer an Optional Life and Critical Illness insurance extension which, if purchased, covers death from natural causes and certain specific critical illnesses at any time.

27th Oct 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the armed forces have spent more than six months studying with the Defence Cultural Specialist Unit; and how many are studying now.

The Defence Cultural Specialist Unit is not a training establishment and therefore does not offer any courses in the generally accepted use of the term. Its role is to prepare and provide Cultural Specialists and Human Terrain Analysts for units at readiness or deploying on operations. The Unit works with a variety of organisations, including the Defence Centre for Language and Culture at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, to ensure that its personnel are appropriately trained to meet the UK's commitments.

After the completion of appropriate language training, which also includes elements of cultural and historical learning, a Cultural Specialist will receive, on average, between 3-5 weeks of cultural and historical training specific to their future role.

Since the Defence Cultural Specialist Unit was formed in 2010, 59 personnel have spent more than six months undertaking related studies. These are provided at a range of locations, including the Defence Centre for Language and Culture at the Defence Academy. As at 30 October 2014 the Unit had seven personnel undertaking cultural and historical training.

Mark Francois
Shadow Minister (Defence)
27th Jun 2014
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Afghan interpreters have been granted asylum since he announced in 2013 that the resettlement package for Afghan interpreters would extend to any interpreter serving for a year continuously up to December 2012.

The ex- gratia redundancy scheme for locally engaged civilians (LECs) which was announced on 4 June 2013, includes a bespoke immigration arrangement specifically for Afghan LECs which is unrelated to the UK asylum system.

The ex-gratia scheme includes an offer of relocation to the UK for LECs who meet the relevant eligibility criteria. We estimate that up to 600 LECs will be eligible to apply for relocation via the ex-gratia scheme; the majority of these individuals will have been interpreters. Two have been granted visas; visa applications are being processed for another 269. Further applications will be processed as our remaining LECs are made redundant. We expect the first LECs to arrive in the UK later this summer.

Mark Francois
Shadow Minister (Defence)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on where the UK ranks worldwide in terms of its number of deployable forces.

The Ministry of Defence does not hold comparative information on this topic, and conducting analysis of each nation's deployable force numbers is not straightforward. The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010, our ongoing work to deliver the Future Force and emerging work on the Joint Expeditionary Force ensure that the UK has the appropriate number of deployable forces to meet our requirements. The UK does remain one of the very few countries that can deploy and sustain a brigade size force together with its air and maritime enablers, for intervention and enduring stabilisation operations, almost anywhere in the world. We can also deploy three brigades with air and maritime enablers, for a limited time and with sufficient warning, for a larger one-off intervention.

Mark Francois
Shadow Minister (Defence)