Helen Maguire is the Liberal Democrat MP for Epsom and Ewell, having first been elected to parliament at the 2024 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Maguire won 20,674 votes, representing 37.9% of the vote. The Conservative candidate, Mhairi Fraser, received 16,988 votes (31.2%), while the Labour candidate, Mark Todd, secured 8,325 votes (15.3%). Maguire was duly elected with a majority of 3,686.  

The Epsom and Ewell constituency is located in Surrey, in the South East of England. The seat was held continuously by the Conservative Party from 1974 to 2024.

Maguire’s immediate predecessor as the MP for Epsom and Ewell was Chris Grayling of the Conservative Party. Grayling, who stood down at the 2024 general election, was first elected to represent the seat in 2001.

Political Career

Maguire currently serves on the Liberal Democrat frontbench as primary care and cancer spokesperson. She was appointed to this role in September 2025. She served as defence spokesperson from September 2024 to September 2025.

In April 2025, Maguire was among the group of MPs placed on a sanctions list by the Russian government. The measure barred them from entering Russia and was presented by Moscow as a retaliatory response to the UK’s stance on the invasion of Ukraine.

Maguire responded: “I will wear this retaliatory sanction as a badge of honour – as will my Liberal Democrat colleagues also placed on Moscow’s blacklist.

“Russia’s sanctions package on British MPs will only further drive our determination to expose the abuses of Putin’s regime as it continues to wage a barbaric war in Ukraine.

“This knee-jerk reaction to our pressure on Russia shows that we’ve got under Putin’s skin. In the Ukrainian people’s hour of greatest need, we must not stop now in turning the screws on the Kremlin.”

In March 2025, Maguire participated in a Westminster Hall debate on a public petition calling for the United Kingdom to rejoin the European Union as a full member. The debate was triggered by an e-petition signed by over 128,000 people.

In the debate, Maguire criticised the government for apparently conflating a youth mobility scheme with free movement. She described a youth mobility scheme as a “fantastic opportunity to boost our economy and the prospects of people in Epsom and Ewell, and the rest of the UK”.

In October 2024, Maguire introduced the Educational Institutions (Mental Health Policy) Bill as a private member’s bill (PMB). It called for educational institutions to develop and maintain a mental health policy.

Maguire is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peacebuilding, Russia and democracy (co-chair) and explosive weapons and their impact (chair)

Maguire delivered her maiden speech on 12 September 2024.

In it, she said: “It is with immense pride and honour that I stand here today to give my maiden speech as the first ever female and first ever Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Epsom and Ewell…

“That progress is a testament to [Emily Davison’s] legacy and the relentless efforts of organisations such as 50:50 Parliament, whose support in getting me here I am personally grateful for.”

She added: “hames Water’s negligent handling of our water resources has led to more than 8,000 hours of sewage discharge into the River Mole in the first six months of this year alone.

“Thames Water is crippled by being billions in debt, and water bills keep rising. Executive bonuses are handed out as the sewage is pouring out. This mismanagement of our water is unacceptable.

“I call for greater regulation and accountability and for a sewage tax to protect our rivers and water infrastructure.”

Political Views

The Liberal Democrats (or Lib Dems) are a liberal political party, occupying the centre to centre-left ground in British politics.

The preamble to the Lib Dem constitution begins: “The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no-one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity.”

The Liberal Democrat autumn conference in 2021 ratified a policy paper entitled What Liberal Democrats Believe. The paper, an attempt to expand on the constitution’s preamble, was framed around seven “principles and values”.

The party’s core values were described as “liberty, equality, democracy, community, internationalism and environmentalism.”

Maguire is listed as a supporter of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for fair elections – a cross-party group of MPs and peers that campaigns for electoral reform. The group’s stated aims include replacing the first past the post (FPTP) voting system with a form of proportional representation, eliminating “dark money” and “undemocratic influence” from politics, and countering disinformation.

In May 2026, Maguire signed an amendment to the Representation of the People Bill, calling on the government to establish a “national commission on electoral reform”. Tabled by Alex Sobel as chair of the fair elections APPG, the amendment aimed to force a rethink of the first past the post voting system.

At the time, Sobel described FPTP as “one of the biggest examples of a broken status quo in UK politics.” He invited colleagues to join this “common sense call to take a fresh look at how parliament is elected in modern Britain.”

In December 2024, Maguire voted in favour of the Elections (Proportional Representation) Bill – introduced by Liberal Democrat frontbencher Sarah Olney under the 10-minute rule procedure. The bill sought to “introduce a system of proportional representation for parliamentary elections and for local government elections in England”.

A total of 138 MPs supported the bill – with 136 opposed. Notably, 59 Labour MPs backed Olney’s bill.

Introducing the bill, Olney told the House: “First past the post is a broken and unfair system. This summer, the Labour party won a landslide election victory, securing 63% of seats in the House of Commons in return for just 34% of the vote.

“The system leaves millions of voices unheard and creates a divisive, adversarial political climate where collaboration is discouraged and accountability is often sidestepped.”

Brexit and Europe

Customs union vote (2025): In December 2025, Maguire voted in favour of the UK-EU Customs Union (Duty to Negotiate) Bill. The bill, introduced under the 10-minute rule procedure by Liberal Democrat Europe spokesperson Al Pinkerton, sought to mandate the government to enter into negotiations with the European Union to establish a bespoke customs union. In total, 13 Labour MPs joined the Liberal Democrats in supporting the motion, while the majority of the party abstained.

Assisted dying

Maguire voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, better known as the assisted dying bill, at the second reading (November 2024).

Social values and conscience issues

Maguire was one of the 38 Liberal Democrat MPs who voted for the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 at its House of Commons third reading.

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Maguire voted in favour of a backbench amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that sought to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales in June 2025. The amendment, which was passed by a majority of 242 votes, removed women from the threat of prosecution for ending a pregnancy at any stage. As an issue of conscience, MPs were allowed to vote according to their personal beliefs.

Palestine

Palestinian recognition letter (July 2025): In July 2025, Maguire was among the over 254 MPs to sign a cross-party letter calling for the government to immediately recognise the state of Palestine. The letter called on the prime minister and foreign secretary to recognise Palestine at the UN Conference then taking place in New York.

Before Politics

Born on 11 July 1977, Maguire studied French and German at the University of Hull, graduating in 2000.

After training at Sandhurst, Maguire was commissioned into the British Army and served as a captain in the Royal Military Police. She served in Bosnia on a Nato multinational peacekeeping mission and Iraq, working to rebuild the Iraqi Police Service.

After leaving the Army, she qualified as a personal fitness instructor and founded a fitness company, Runningfit.

Maguire ​​received a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours list for services to the community of Claygate.

Personal Life

Maguire lives in Surrey with her husband. They have three children.

Trivia

Maguire is the first woman and the first Liberal Democrat to be elected as the MP for Epsom and Ewell.