Danny Chambers

MP for Winchester

Liberal Democrats

Danny Chambers is the Liberal Democrat MP for Winchester, having first been elected to parliament at the 2024 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Chambers won 29,939 votes, representing 52.5% of the vote. The Conservative candidate, Flick Drummond, received 16,118 votes (28.2%), while the Reform UK candidate, Sean Whelan, secured 4,797 votes (8.4%). Chambers was elected with a majority of 13,821.

The Winchester constituency is located in Hampshire, South East England. The seat is considered a Conservative-Liberal Democrat marginal.

Chambers’ immediate predecessor as the MP for Winchester was Steve Brine of the Conservative Party. Brine held the seat from 2010 to 2024.

Political Career

Chambers currently serves on the Liberal Democrat frontbench as mental health spokesperson. He was appointed to this role in September 2024.

Chambers introduced the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Act 2025 as a private members’ bill (PMB). The legislation aims to crackdown on the smuggling of dogs, cats and ferrets.

After the bill received royal assent, Chambers commented: “As a vet, I’ve treated many dogs with cruelly cropped ears or docked tails, leaving them physically scarred and emotionally traumatised. Knowing this bill will help us put a stop to this abuse and have a bigger impact on animal welfare than I could possibly have achieved in a lifetime treating individual animals demonstrates how important this legislation will prove to be.

“Thanks to support from Defra, animal welfare organisations and pet lovers across the country, we got the Animal Welfare Bill through the Commons, through the Lords, and today passed into law.”

The government supported the passage of the bill, which Chambers introduced after placing 17th in the PMB ballot in September 2024.

Chambers is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for animal welfare, antimicrobial resistance, dog advisory welfare and maternity.

Chambers delivered his maiden speech in the House of Commons on 12 September 2024.

In it, he said: “Although being a vet is a fulfilling career, it is also stressful. It may surprise the House to learn that vets have a suicide rate that is about four times the national average. I have long been determined to do something about that. Along with one of my good friends, Sarah Brown, we set up a support group for veterinary professionals that now has more than 19,000 members.

“Unfortunately, my friend Sarah lost her battle with depression, so I took her place as a trustee of the charity Vetlife, which supports the mental health of the UK veterinary profession. Not only does Vetlife have a 24-hour helpline for people who are struggling, but we immediately refer anyone who is at crisis point with their mental health.

“I am sure the whole House is aware that, at the moment, a person who goes to their GP in crisis may have to wait months, even more than a year, to get the specialist healthcare they need. I am sure we all agree that is not good enough.”

Chambers previously stood unsuccessfully as the Liberal Democrat candidate for North Cornwall in the 2019 general election, finishing second to the incumbent Conservative MP, Scott Mann.

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.”

Chambers is listed as a member 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, Chambers 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, Chambers 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, Chambers 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

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

Social values and conscience issues

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

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Chambers 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, Chambers 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 Danny Seiorse Chambers on 12 January 1982 in Plymouth, he grew up on a farm near Lifton in Devon. He attended Tavistock College, where he served as head boy.

He graduated from the University of Liverpool with a degree in infectious disease control in 2006, and a BVSc (bachelor of veterinary science) degree in 2008.

He has worked as a veterinary surgeon in the UK as well as in countries including India, Morocco and The Gambia.

Before entering parliament, Chambers founded Veterinary Voices UK. He gave up his veterinary practice upon entering Parliament.

Chambers was elected as a council member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), regulatory body that oversees the veterinary profession, in 2017. His term ended in 2025.