Rebecca Paul (British politician)

Rebecca Paul
MP
Official portrait, 2024
Member of Parliament
for Reigate
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Preceded byCrispin Blunt
Majority3,187 (6.0%)
Personal details
Political partyConservative

Rebecca Sheila Paul is a British Conservative politician and accountant who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Reigate since 2024.

Biography

Rebecca Paul has worked in tax management for businesses and charities.[1] She worked in Parliament for Robin Millar, MP for Aberconwy, from 2019 to 2024.[1]

Political career

Paul was elected as the councillor for Tadworth, Walton and Kingswood at the 2021 Surrey County Council election with 70 per cent of the vote share.[2] She served as the Deputy Cabinet Member for Levelling Up on Surrey County Council from 2021 to 2023.[3]

In July 2023, Paul was selected as the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Reigate.[1] The incumbent MP, Crispin Blunt, was elected as a Conservative but had the whip removed and did not stand again.[4]

Member of Parliament

At the 2024 general election, she won the seat with 35 per cent of the vote share and a majority of 3,187.[5] She said that she was "really concerned that there will be a rush of parents applying for an Education, Health and Care Plan which will put significant pressure on the local authorities" as a result of government plans to put VAT on independent school fees.[6] At Prime Minister's Questions, in September 2024, she asked if Keir Starmer would consider broadening Winter Fuel Payment eligibility for lower income pensioners.[7] She and five other MPs argued in an open letter to the chancellor Rachel Reeves in September 2024 that families of children with special educational needs (SEND) should be exempt from government plans to put VAT on independent school fees.[8] She was appointed as Opposition Assistant Whip on 18 November 2024.[9] She expressed support in December 2024 for the construction of a new fire station in Banstead.[10][11]

Paul voted against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill and served on the committee examining the legislation.[12] She said that she opposed the bill as she believed that the healthcare system was too stretched to ensure protection for vulnerable people.[13] Paul supported Juliet Campbell's amendment to the bill which would have required the next of kin to be informed if an adult under the age of 25 had their application for an assisted death approved.[14] In response to comments made by Dame Esther Rantzen, who suggested that opponents of the bill have "undeclared personal religious beliefs which mean no precautions would satisfy them", Paul declared that, whilst she opposed the bill, she was not against assisted dying "in principle" and that she had "no personal religious beliefs".[15] She put forward an amendment to the bill which would have prevented employees from providing assisted dying while working for an employer that had chosen not to take part in the process, but was rejected.[16] Paul also objected to loopholes in the bill which would have allowed people with anorexia, mental health problems, or learning difficulties to become eligible for assisted dying in some circumstances.[17]

Paul raised concerns regarding assaults on officers at HM Prison Downview in March 2025.[18] She spoke in favour of a ban on the advertisement of prostitution online during the second reading of the Crime and Policing Bill in March 2025.[19][20] She launched a campaign to support pubs in the constituency in April 2025.[21] In a letter to Surrey County Council in May 2025, Paul and six other Conservative MPs criticised the council's decision to not respond to constituent SEND cases.[22][23] In June 2025, she wrote in favour of the ban on the use of puberty blockers in treatment for gender dysphoria in children.[24] She spoke against Tonia Antoniazzi's amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill to decriminalise women who induce their own abortion in June 2025, warning that "if this becomes law, fully developed babies up to term could be aborted by a woman with no consequences".[25] The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Better Roads was launched by Paul in June 2025.[26] Paul criticised special educational needs and disabilities support services in Surrey in a debate in Parliament in July 2025.[27]

She has expressed concern "about the proliferation of adverts targeting young women to donate their eggs" and called on the government to "conduct a proper study on the long-term health impact of such procedures on women – particularly in the case of women going through multiple rounds".[28] She has campaigned against the inclusion of biological males in women's prisons and called for the removal of seven men at HM Prison Downview.[29][30] In August 2025, Paul asked Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to commit to the new emergency area hospital in Sutton and improvements to Epsom Hospital and St Helier Hospital following the announcement by Rachel Reeves of a review into hospital and road projects.[31]

Electoral history

General election 2024: Reigate[32]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Rebecca Paul 18,822 35.4 −20.4
Labour Stuart Brady 15,635 29.4 +12.5
Reform UK Joseph Fox 7,240 13.6 New
Liberal Democrats Mark Johnston 6,773 12.7 −7.2
Green Jonathan Essex 4,691 8.8 +3.0
Majority 3,187 6.0 −28.4
Turnout 53,161 69.0 −1.2
Registered electors 77,101
Conservative hold Swing −16.4

References

  1. ^ a b c Atkinson, William (24 July 2023). "Paul selected for Reigate for being 'well-known and liked locally'". ConservativeHome. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  2. ^ Surrey County Council, Woodhatch Place (2021-05-06). "Election results for Tadworth, Walton & Kingswood, 6 May 2021". mycouncil.surreycc.gov.uk. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  3. ^ "About Rebecca Paul MP". Rebecca Paul for Reigate. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  4. ^ "Tory MP Crispin Blunt arrested on suspicion of rape". BBC News. 26 October 2023. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Reigate – General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  6. ^ Ben Wright; Gwyneth Rees (26 August 2024). "The Surrey school meltdown: How Starmer's VAT raid will overwhelm Home Counties education". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  7. ^ Aoife Walsh; Jeremy Culley (4 September 2024). "Starmer and Sunak clash over winter fuel payments in PMQs". BBC News. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  8. ^ Chris Caulfield (22 September 2024). "Surrey MPs call for SEND pupils to be exempt from independent school 20% VAT hike". Surrey Live. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Parliamentary career for Rebecca Paul". UK Parliament. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  10. ^ Chris Caulfield (13 December 2024). "Banstead Fire Station move postponed until 2026". BBC News. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  11. ^ Chris Caulfield (13 December 2024). "Under threat Surrey fire station given stay of execution raising hope new permanent home can be found". Surrey Live. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  12. ^ Sam Francis; Harry Farley (11 December 2024). "Who are the MPs who will scrutinise the assisted dying bill?". BBC News. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  13. ^ Sam Francis; Vicki Young; Harry Farley (26 November 2024). "'Hardest decision of my career': MPs wrestle with assisted dying choice". BBC News. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  14. ^ Genevieve Holl-Allen (13 May 2025). "Parents 'wouldn't know about their child's assisted death until too late'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  15. ^ Alix Culbertson (16 May 2025). "MPs criticise terminally ill Esther Rantzen's assisted dying intervention". Sky News. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  16. ^ Rowena Mason (16 May 2025). "MPs opposed to assisted dying criticise 'distasteful' Esther Rantzen claims". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  17. ^ Rowena Mason (16 May 2025). "More protections have been added to assisted dying bill, says Kim Leadbeater". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  18. ^ Emily Coady-Stemp (11 March 2025). "Assaults on prison staff extremely concerning - MP". BBC News. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  19. ^ Claudia Savage (10 March 2025). "Pimping websites dubbed the 'Etsy of exploitation', as MPs urge Government ban". Evening Standard. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  20. ^ Claudia Savage (10 March 2025). "Pimping websites dubbed the 'Etsy of exploitation', as MPs urge Government ban". The Independent. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  21. ^ Chris Caulfield (16 April 2025). "MP's quest to find her constituents' favourite pub". BBC News. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  22. ^ Emily Dalton (19 May 2025). "Surrey MPs slam council for 'closing down discussions' on constituents' SEND cases". Surrey Live. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  23. ^ Jack Fiehn (16 May 2025). "Council responds to fewer SEND cases from MPs". BBC News. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  24. ^ Rebecca Paul MP (17 June 2025). "Trialling puberty blockers for under-18s puts young people at risk – it should not go ahead". The House Magazine. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  25. ^ Andrew Macaskill (18 June 2025). "UK parliament votes to decriminalise abortion, repeal Victorian-era law". Reuters. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  26. ^ Kevin Borras (12 June 2025). "Reigate MP launches cross-party Campaign for Better Roads". Highways News. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  27. ^ Jack Fiehn (16 July 2025). "Surrey SEND support services in crisis, MPs say". BBC News. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  28. ^ Sienna Rodgers (12 July 2025). ""Young Women's Bodies Are Not Resources To Be Mined": MPs Back Changes To Egg Donation Rules". The House Magazine. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  29. ^ Sienna Rodgers (4 August 2025). "Reform Says Its New Justice Adviser's View On Trans Prisoners Is Not Party Policy". Politics Home. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  30. ^ Ben Chapman (4 August 2025). "Reform UK in 'woke' row as latest Tory defector rejects trans women in prisons: 'Wouldn't have joined'". GB News. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  31. ^ Jack Fiehn (5 August 2025). "Hospital projects must still go ahead - Surrey MPs". BBC News. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  32. ^ "Election for the constituency of Reigate on 4 July 2024". UK Parliament. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
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