Sarah Edwards

Sarah Edwards was elected Labour MP for Tamworth at the byelection of 19 October 2023 with 11,719 votes (45.8 per cent) and a majority of 1,316, following the resignation of Chris Pincher, on a 24 point swing. She was the first Labour MP for Tamworth since 2010, and held the seat at the 2024 general election with 15,338 votes (35 per cent) and a majority of 1,382 (3.1 per cent).

Born in Moseley, Birmingham in June 1988 and educated at Central Saint Martins, one of London's most prestigious art schools, hers is an unusual route into politics for an art and design graduate. She describes herself as having "dedicated my life to delivering for working people": a trade union organiser who fought for jobs and pay, and an NHS governor who led a successful campaign to protect cancer services across Staffordshire. She also campaigns on the flooding that has "impacted both our town centre and villages for decades."

On 17 July 2024 Edwards made a Commons speech about the Holiday Inn Express in Tamworth being used for asylum accommodation. On 30 July she posted a video of the speech online, saying residents "want their hotel back" and that "the Holiday Inn should be for holidays." Five days later, on 4 August, a mob attacked the hotel, smashing windows, starting fires inside with people still in it, and attacking police with petrol bombs and fireworks; one officer suffered a broken arm. Edwards condemned the violence as "shocking and disgraceful" and "an assault on the rule of law" but did not acknowledge that her language may have contributed to the targeting of that specific location. Calls for her resignation followed. The timeline is the point: five days between the social media posting and the attack on the hotel she had named.