Every month, the Stray Ferret analyses what our local MPs have been up to in their constituencies and in the House of Commons.

In April, the UK Supreme Court made a landmark ruling. Under the Equality Act 2010, the words “woman” and “sex” now refer only to biological women and biological sex.

Pope Francis died aged 88 on Easter Monday.

Here’s what we discovered after analysing our MPs’ online presence. 

Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat – Harrogate and Knaresborough

What did he do in Parliament?

Tom Gordon voted 10 times this month.

He voted in favour of the second reading of the Football Governance Bills [Lords] but voted against the government’s amendment to a sewage bill on opposition day.

Mr Gordon also picked up on revelations in the Stray Ferret this month about historic homophobic views made by Harrogate Town Council Conservative candidate Anthony Murphy.

He said Harrogate’s LGBT community was “appalled” and accused the local Conservative association of “either going rogue, or the nasty party is well and truly back as the Conservatives chase votes from Reform”.

On April 26, two women were seriously injured in a crossbow attack in Headingley. The suspect, who died days later from a self-inflicted wound, published a hate-filled manifesto online hours before the incident.

Mr Gordon asked what conversations the government has had with local authorities to ensure university students, including local people who attend university in Leeds, and their parents feel “supported and reassured” in the aftermath of the attack.

What did he do in his constituency?

Mr Gordon cut a ribbon at Strayside Health in Harrogate on April 11 to mark the merger of East Parade and Park Parade surgeries.

He visited Knaresborough Substation on April 16, before enjoying an “absolutely scrumptious brunch” at Tilly Peppers on Cold Bath Road two days later.

Mr Gordon said the meal was “well-deserved” after leafleting.

He also attended Starbeck Easter Day on April 19, which he said was full of fun and games but fell short when it came to the tombola.

What else?

As the Stray Ferret reports almost monthly, Mr Gordon is a keen runner and often shares updates on his running progress online.

But this month was a big one for him, with not one but two marathons to complete: Paris and London.

The MP raised money for Open Country and Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity.

Following the Supreme Court ruling, British Transport Police swiftly changed its search policy. Under the new policy, a transgender woman will be searched by someone of the same biological sex – a biological male.

Mr Gordon wrote to the force about this. He said he was “concerned about how such changes could have been made so swiftly, without the benefit of the broad legal consensus or national guidance”.

When the Stray Ferret contacted Mr Gordon for comment, he said:

Sir Alec Shelbrooke, Conservative – Wetherby and Easingwold

What did he do in Parliament?

Sir Alec also voted 10 times in Parliament this month.

He voted in favour of the third and fourth amendments of the Sentencing Guidelines (Pre-Sentence Reports) Bill.

However, he voted against the second reading of the Football Governance Bills [Lords].

Sir Alec made one spoken contribution in April, which was during a debate on Ukraine, but submitted several written questions.

In one of his written questions, he asked the Secretary of State for Defence what the average time taken was for employees of companies providing services to the armed forces to go through the security vetting process required for work on military sites in the last 12 months. 

What did he do in his constituency?

Sir Alec visited a number of places across his constituency this month, most of which did not fall in the Harrogate district.

He visited Roman Aldborough with English Heritage. The site near Boroughbridge hosts the northernmost mosaics in situ and incredible finds, Sir Alec said.

What else?

At the beginning of the month, Sir Alec said online that he had urged ministers to reverse cuts to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.

“Fiscal responsibility is important, but we must not sacrifice our heritage”, he said.

Sir Alec also sent his “thoughts and prayers” to the Catholic community following the death of Pope Francis. He also thanked the pope for his life and work.

The Stray Ferret approached Sir Alec for comment, but we had not received a response at the time of publication. 

Sir Julian Smith, Conservative – Skipton and Ripon

What did he do in Parliament?

Sir Julian voted eight times in Parliament this month.

He voted in favour of amendments three and four of the Sentencing Guidelines (Pre-Sentence Reports) Bill, as well as clauses 10 and 21 of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill at report stage.

Sir Julian made five spoken contributions in the Commons Chamber, one of which was during a debate on special educational needs (SEND) teachers.

He said:

What did he do in his constituency?

Sir Julian visited a number of places in his constituency this month – only one of which was in the Harrogate district.

He visited Quarry Moor Park in Ripon on April 24, where he met Phil Brierley, Director of York House Leisure, which owns the site.

Sir Julian said at the time:

What else?

Sir Julian welcomed the decreasing number of people claiming unemployment benefits across Skipton and Ripon.

He also urged constituents to take part in the National Cancer Plan consultation this month.

When the Stray Ferret contacted Sir Julian for comment, he highlighted a number of engagements, which included:

• A visit to Gargrave Wastewater Treatment Works

• Encouraging applications for the £15 million Heritage at Risk Capital Fund

• Raising concerns about the lack of face-to-face banking services in rural areas like Settle in Parliament

• Hosting Skipton Group's inaugural Parliamentary reception on ‘Unlocking the Home Affordability Challenge for first-time buyers

“I look forward to continuing my work across the constituency and in Westminster in May”, Sir Julian added.