Sarah Edwards
MP
Official portrait, 2023
Member of Parliament
for Tamworth
Assumed office
19 October 2023
Preceded byChris Pincher
Majority1,316 (5.1%)
Personal details
Born
Sarah Siena Edwards

1987 or 1988 (age 35–36)[1]
Moseley, England
Political partyLabour
EducationCentral Saint Martins (BA)

Sarah Siena Edwards (born 1988) is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamworth in Staffordshire since a by-election in 2023.[2]

Early life and education

Sarah Siena Edwards[3] was born in 1987 - 1988.[1] in Moseley, a suburb of south Birmingham. Her father was an English teacher, while her mother and brother both work for the National Health Service.[4] She graduated in Spatial Design from Central Saint Martins in London in 2010.[5][6]

Career before Parliament

Before being elected to Parliament, Edwards worked as a union organiser in the West Midlands for Unite the Union.[7]

She was previously a governor for the National Health Service.[8] She worked for Oxfam on fundraising and events from 2010 to 2012. She then moved back to Moseley to start in her current position at Unite the Union in 2012. She completed the Uprising leadership course in 2012 and joined the US Ambassadors Young Leaders Programme in 2015.[6]

Parliamentary career

Edwards was elected to represent Tamworth in Parliament at a 2023 by-election,[3] following the resignation of Conservative MP Chris Pincher after a political controversy. She won the seat with 45.8 per cent of the vote and became the first Labour MP for the constituency since the 2010 general election. Her 11,719 votes gave her a majority of 1,316 over the Conservative 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 Minister Rishi Sunak and the government that it was "time for change". The swing from the Conservatives to Labour was 23.9 per cent, the second-highest-ever swing to Labour at a by-election. Political commentator Sir John Curtice said that no government had lost a seat as safe as Tamworth.[10]

References

  1. 1 2 Adu, Aletha. "Rachel Reeves says Labour is 'back in the game' for Tamworth byelection". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  2. ↑ "Labour overturn 19,000 Tory majority for 'incredible' Tamworth win". BBC News. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  3. 1 2 "No. 64210". The London Gazette. 26 October 2023. p. 21514.
  4. ↑ "Labour candidate for by-election confirmed". BBC News. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  5. ↑ "Chartered Governance". CGI. Archived from the original on 16 September 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  6. 1 2 "The Trustees". chamberlainhighburytrust.co.uk. 27 June 2016. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  7. ↑ Belger, Tom; Neame, Katie (20 October 2023). "Tamworth by-election: Historic results breakdown and Sarah Edwards' speech". LabourList.
  8. ↑ "Labour candidate for by-election confirmed". BBC News. 14 September 2023. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  9. ↑ "Declaration of Result of Poll: Election of a Member of Parliament for Tamworth on Thursday 19 October 2023" (PDF). Tamworth Borough Council. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  10. ↑ "Labour overturn 19,000 Tory majority for 'incredible' Tamworth win". BBC News. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
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