Caroline Voaden is the Liberal Democrat MP for South Devon, having first been elected to parliament at the 2024 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Voaden won 22,540 votes, representing 46.0% of the vote. The Conservative candidate, Anthony Mangnall, received 15,413 votes (31.5%), while the Reform UK candidate Michael Bagley secured 6,363 votes (13.0%). Voaden was duly elected with a majority of 7,127.

The South Devon constituency was newly created ahead of the 2024 election, largely based on the former Totnes constituency. Anthony Mangnall of the Conservative Party held the former Totnes constituency, a historic Conservative stronghold, from 2019 to 2024.

Political Career

Voaden currently serves on the Liberal Democrat frontbench as schools spokesperson. She was appointed to this role in September 2025.

Voaden is a member of the House of Commons education select committee (since October 2024). The education committee scrutinises the work of the Department for Education (DfE) and its associated public bodies.

In March 2025, Voaden 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, Voaden argued that Britain was “stronger together and that, as a small island nation, we played a much bigger part on the international stage as one of the key members of [the EU].” She further described Brexit as a “playground rivalry between two of our now former prime ministers [David Cameron and Boris Johnson] that played out on the national stage, with one side never really believing that they would win and the other not preparing the ground for what would be a seismic shift in the way we do business and trade with our nearest neighbours.”

She added: “I still believe that leaving the EU was one of the worst decisions that this country has made, and it is what brought me into politics. Having sat in this parliament as a member for almost exactly the same amount of time as I sat in the European Parliament, I can honestly say that the democratic deficit is not in Brussels.

Voaden concluded by calling for “concrete steps” to be taken towards rejoining the EU.

Voaden is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for ClimateTech, perpetrators of domestic abuse, rural services and shellfish aquaculture (chair).

Voaden delivered her maiden speech on 2 September 2024 during a debate on technology in public services.

In it, she said: “Being widowed at 34 with very young children is a brutal experience, but it taught me many things – the power of community, the value of friendship and family, the strength of support from kindred spirits. Here I pay tribute to the Widowed and Young organisation, which I chaired for a couple of years.”

She added: “Members will not be surprised to hear that as a former member of the European Parliament for the south-west who got involved in politics in June 2016, I will continue to try to find ways to mitigate and lessen the damage Brexit has caused, particularly to my shellfish exporters, my food and wine importers, our musicians, and all those sectors that are struggling to find staff.”

Before entering the parliament at Westminster, Voaden served as a Liberal Democrat member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the South West England region from July 2019 until the UK’s withdrawal from the EU in January 2020. During this time, she served as leader of the Liberal Democrats group in the European Parliament (2019-2020).

Voaden previously stood unsuccessfully as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the South West Devon constituency at the 2017 general election.

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.”

Voaden is a member of the Green Liberal Democrats, an official environmental group within the Liberal Democrats. It aims to “promote a green approach to policy formation within the Liberal Democrats” and “develop links with the wider green movement.” The grouping, formed in 1977 as a faction within the Liberal Party, is “committed to a net-zero and nature positive future and driving ambition across the national party and in local governance.”

Voaden 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 December 2024, Voaden 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, Voaden 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

Voaden voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, better known as the assisted dying bill, at second reading (November 2024) and third reading (June 2025).

Social values and conscience issues

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Voaden 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, Voaden 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

Caroline Jane Voaden was born on 22 November 1968. She grew up in Scotland.

Voaden studied French and economics at the University of Sheffield, graduating in 1990. She obtained a journalism qualification from City of St George’s, University of London, and went on to work as an international journalist.

Voaden worked for the Reuters news agency from 1991 to 2000, covering at least six European countries. She served as bureau chief in Zagreb during the latter years of the Yugoslav Wars. She later worked as an online editor for the charity platform JustGiving from 2000 to 2007.

Voaden moved to Devon in 2007 following the death of her first husband.

From 2009 to 2011, Voaden was chair of WAY (Widowed and Young) a national charity to support young, widowed men and women. She founded her own modern craft business in Totnes in 2012.

In 2018, Voaden became operations manager at a resettlement charity working with offenders.

Voaden is the author of If there’s anything I can do…: How to help someone who has been bereaved (2020).

Personal Life

Voaden was widowed at the age of 34 when her first husband, Nick, died from oesophageal cancer. At the time, their children were 17 months and 3 years old.

Trivia

Voaden was the last leader of the Liberal Democrats group in the European Parliament before the UK left the EU in January 2020.

Voaden was the youngest female bureau chief during her time at Reuters.

Voaden is the first non-Conservative MP to represent the South Devon area in 100 years.

In her 2024 maiden speech, Voaden told the House: “I am very proud to say that I am the first non-Conservative MP to be elected in my large rural constituency for over 100 years. It had a very short flirtation with Liberalism in 1923 when Henry Vivian was elected.

“Sadly, he lasted only 10 months before being replaced by another Conservative.”