Sarah Edwards | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament forTamworth | |
| Assumed office 19 October 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Chris Pincher |
| Majority | 1,382 (3.1%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sarah Siena Edwards (1988-06-17)17 June 1988 (age 37)[1] |
| Political party | Labour |
| Education | Central Saint Martins (BA) |
Sarah Siena Edwards (born 17 June 1988) is a BritishLabour Party politician who has served as theMember of Parliament (MP) forTamworth inStaffordshire since aby-election in 2023.[2]
Sarah Siena Edwards[3] was born in June 1988.[1] inMoseley, a suburb of southBirmingham. Her father was an English teacher, while her mother and brother both work for theNational Health Service.[4] She graduated in Spatial Design fromCentral Saint Martins in London in 2010.[5][6]
Before being elected to Parliament, Edwards worked as a union organiser in the West Midlands forUnite the Union.[7]
She was previously a governor for theNational Health Service.[8] She worked forOxfam on fundraising and events from 2010 to 2012. She then moved back to Moseley to work forUnite the Union in 2012. She completed the Uprising leadership course in 2012 and joined the US Ambassadors Young Leaders Programme in 2015.[6]
Edwards was elected to representTamworth in Parliament ata 2023 by-election,[3] following the resignation ofConservative MPChris Pincher aftera political controversy. She won the seat with 45.8 per cent of the vote and became the first Labour MP for the constituency since the2010 general election. Her 11,719 votes gave her a majority of 1,316 over theConservative candidate's 10,403; seven other candidates won between 1,373 and 86 votes.[9]
In her victory speech, Edwards said the people of Tamworth had "voted for Labour's positive vision" and sent a clear message to Prime MinisterRishi Sunak and the government that it was "time for change". Theswing from the Conservatives to Labour was 23.9 per cent, the second-highest-ever swing to Labour at aby-election. Political commentatorSir John Curtice said that no government had lost a seat as safe as Tamworth.[10] At the 2024 election she was re-elected, defeating ConservativeEddie Hughes who stood in the seat having previously served as Member of Parliament forWalsall North.[11]
On 30 July Edwards posted a video on social media of a speech she made on 17 July regarding the use of aHoliday Inn Express in her constituency to house asylum seekers, stating that residents of Tamworth "want their hotel back". The hotel was subsequently violently attacked duringrioting, sustaining significant damage. TheBirmingham Mail reported that Edwards was facing criticism and calls to resign, while a member of Labour's National Executive Committee, Mish Rahman, accused Edwards of "incitement".[12]
In November 2024, Edwards voted in favour of theTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which proposes to legaliseassisted suicide.[13]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forTamworth 2023–present | Incumbent |
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