Matt Vickers is the Conservative MP for Stockton West, having first been elected to parliament at the 2019 general election for the predecessor constituency of Stockton South.

In the 2024 general election for Stockton West, Vickers received 20,372 votes, representing 41.9% of the vote share. The Labour candidate, Joe Dancey, came second with 18,233 votes (37.5%), while the Reform UK candidate, Stephen Matthews, secured 6,833 votes (14.0%). Vickers was duly elected with a majority of 2,139.

The Stockton West constituency is located across County Durham and North Yorkshire.

Formed for the 2024 general election, Stockton West draws the majority of its area from the abolished Stockton South constituency. Vickers succeeded Labour MP Paul Williams as the MP for Stockton South at the 2019 general election.

Harold Macmillan, the Conservative prime minister from 1957 to 1963, previously represented Stockton-on-Tees from 1924 to 1929 and 1931 to 1945. Bill Rodgers, a member of the “gang of four” that founded the Social Democratic Party (SDP), represented the seat from 1962 to 1983.

Vickers is currently the only Conservative MP representing a constituency in North East England.

Political Career

Vickers currently serves on the Conservative frontbench as shadow minister of state for illegal immigration, crime, policing and fire. He was appointed shadow minister for crime, policing and fire in July 2024, before reportedly gaining the additional brief for illegal immigration in April 2025.

Vickers also serves as deputy chairman of the Conservative Party (since July 2025). He previously served as Tory deputy chairman from July 2022 until his resignation in August 2024 to support Robert Jenrick in the Conservative Party leadership election.

In a statement at the time, Vickers said: “On Saturday, I chaired the northern hustings of the leadership contest.

“All the candidates were good, but Robert Jenrick was the standout. This process really matters – we have a mountain to climb and need a leader that can bring us back in one term. Having heard him up close, I firmly believe that that’s Robert.”

Jenrick responded: “It’s great to have the backing of such a well-respected Conservative campaigner and champion for levelling up in the North East.”

Previously, Vickers served as a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to the Home Office ministerial, having been appointed in June 2022. A PPS acts as an unpaid parliamentary assistant, providing a link between the senior frontbencher and backbench MPs.

In June 2022, Vickers publicly declared their loyalty to the prime minister, Boris Johnson, ahead of a Conservative “no-confidence” in his leadership. The vote was triggered by discontent within the parliamentary party following the “partygate” scandal and the publication of the Sue Gray report. While the prime minister ultimately won the vote, the scale of the rebellion against him, with 148 of his own MPs voting to remove him, severely weakened his authority and presaged his resignation the following month.

In a post to social media at the time, Vickers stated: “The PM has shown he can get the job done. He led the country through Covid, broke the Brexit deadlock and stood up to Putin’s aggression whilst others dithered.

“He’s a friend of Teesside and delivered billions for our area. The prime minister backs Teesside and I’m backing him.”

In 2021, Vickers successfully campaigned to have the chicken parmo, a dish associated with the Teesside region, added to the House of Commons menu. The Conservative MP said the dish would “show those in London and Westminster what the North has to offer”. Vickers’ request was ultimately granted.

In November 2020, Vickers publicly backed Priti Patel, the home secretary, after an investigation into allegations of bullying found evidence that Patel’s conduct towards civil servants had breached the ministerial code. Vickers stated that Patel was “one of the most hardworking Home Secretaries this country has had”.

Vickers is listed as the vice-chair of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPG) for blockchain technologies.

Vickers has sat as a member of the House of Commons petitions committee (2021-2024), the levelling up, housing and communities committee (2021-2022), the home affairs committee (2022), the justice committee (2022), and the committee on the future relationship with the European Union (2020-2021).

Vickers delivered his maiden speech on 11 March 2020 during a debate on the budget.

In it, he said: “My constituency is a place of makers, doers and grafters – people who work hard and do the right thing – and this government are on their side. As the northern powerhouse begins to motor, it is the industry leaders and global exporters of Stockton that will help to drive it forward.”

He added: “We are witnessing the beginning of a golden era of opportunity for our nation. We have a government who are committed to allowing our nation to achieve its full potential, and a country where it is not about where you are from but where you are going, and if you work hard and do the right thing, we are on your side.”

Before his election to parliament, Vickers served as a constituency agent for the Richmond seat, working on the successful election campaigns of William Hague and Rishi Sunak. Vickers stood unsuccessfully as the Conservative candidate for Cleveland police and crime commissioner in 2016. He was defeated by the Labour candidate, Barry Coppinger.

Vickers served as a Conservative councillor on Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council from May 2015 until April 2021. During this time, he served as the leader of the Conservative group on the council.

Political Views

Leadership elections and loyalty

Tory leadership 2024: Vickers supported Robert Jenrick’s candidacy in the 2024 Conservative Party leadership election. The contest was triggered by the resignation of Rishi Sunak following the party’s defeat in the 2024 general election.

Jenrick, a former immigration minister, positioned himself on the right wing of the party, advocating for the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). He emerged as an early frontrunner, topping the first two parliamentary ballots. After reaching the final two, he was defeated in the membership vote by Kemi Badenoch, receiving 41,388 votes (43.5%) compared to Badenoch’s 53,806 (56.5%).

Tory leadership 2022 (II): Vickers supported Rishi Sunak’s candidacy in the Conservative Party’s October 2022 leadership election. The contest was triggered by the resignation of Liz Truss after just 45 days in office, following the financial and political tailspin triggered by her “mini-budget”.

Sunak, the former chancellor, had finished second to Truss in the previous July-September 2022 leadership contest. Unlike the summer contest, this election featured an expedited process requiring each candidate to secure at least 100 nominations from MPs to proceed. Sunak, having emerged as the clear frontrunner, was declared leader of the Conservative Party unopposed on 24 October.

Factional identity and party tradition

Conservative Environment Network: Vickers is listed as a member of the Conservative Environment Network (CEN) parliamentary caucus. CEN is an independent forum for conservatives that supports conservation and decarbonisation. It calls for the environment to be given a higher profile at the heart of policy making, describing “biodiversity loss, climate change, and wasteful resource use are threats to our national security”, and promotes “market-based policies” to environmental challenges. Members of its parliamentary caucus, such as Vickers, are thought to generally align with the group’s “green” message and environmentalism. Brexit and Europe

Blue Collar Conservatives: Vickers was previously listed as a member of the Blue Collar Conservatives group. This faction within the Conservative party was founded in 2012 by the former cabinet minister Esther McVey, but came to greater prominence following the 2019 general election. The group aimed to “champion working people and develop a conservative agenda to benefit the voters and communities most neglected by Labour”. In October 2022, McVey was succeeded by Lee Anderson as the group’s chair.

Brexit and Europe

Customs union vote (2025): In December 2025, Vickers voted against the UK-EU Customs Union (Duty to Negotiate) Bill. The bill, introduced under the ten-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.

Assisted dying

Vickers voted against 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

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Vickers voted against 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.

Before Politics

Born on 24 September 1983, Vickers grew up in Stockton-on-Tees.

Vickers studied law and business management at Teesside University before undertaking further studies at the University of Law. Before entering politics full-time, he worked at the retail chains Woolworths and Home Bargains.

Personal Life

Vickers has three brothers. His mother, Hilary, was a hairdresser; his father, Alexander, was a builder.

Trivia

After being elected as an MP in 2019, Vickers remained a local councillor until April 2021. During this period, he donated his council expenses to charity.