Jared O'Mara

Jared O'Mara
MP

Official Parliamentary portrait, June 2017
Member of Parliament
for Sheffield Hallam
Assumed office
8 June 2017
Preceded by Nick Clegg
Majority 2,125 (3.8 %)
Personal details
Born 1981 (age 35–36)
Citizenship United Kingdom
Nationality British
Political party Labour

Jared O'Mara (born 1981) is a British Labour Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP)[1] for the constituency of Sheffield Hallam since 2017.[2]

Early life and education

O'Mara was born in Sheffield and was born with cerebral palsy.[3] He received a first class honours degree in Journalism from Staffordshire University.[4] Before entering politics, he was a local school governor and had volunteered for Sheffield-based disability information services and charities.[4] With friends, he ran West Street Live, a bar and music venue in Sheffield.[5]

O'Mara had stood in the past as a local council candidate.[4][6][7][8] He supported Jeremy Corbyn's election as Leader of the Labour Party in both 2015 and 2016.[9]

Parliamentary career

For the 2017 general election, O'Mara was selected to contest the seat of Sheffield Hallam, held by Nick Clegg, the former Liberal Democrat leader and Deputy Prime Minister.[10] His campaign benefited from a national surge in the Labour vote and from university students in the constituency.[4][11] It has been claimed that Clegg was too anti-Brexit by voters, although Sheffield Hallam was estimated to have voted to remain in the 2016 EU membership referendum, and O'Mara adheres to the remain stance too.[5]

O'Mara's campaign focused on championing the disabled, protecting public services and on his personal background in Sheffield.[9] He won the seat on a 2,125 vote majority, overturning Clegg's previous 2,353 vote majority. The result was considered one of the most important seat changes of the night.[2] O'Mara had not expected to win the seat, although reports he rushed out to a local supermarket to buy a suit are apparently false.[5] His acceptance speech called for politicians to do more to stand up for the disabled.[12]

The House of Commons has caused problems for O'Mara as, although the Equality Act necessitates alterations are made to the building, these have still not taken place.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Jared O'Mara MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  2. 1 2 Bodkin, Henry. "Nick Clegg 'loses seat' amid Liberal Democrat slump in Sheffield Hallam". The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  3. ↑ "A bit about me - Jared O'Mara". Sheffield Labour Party. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Howes, Scarlet (9 June 2017). "Meet MP Jared O'Mara who ousted Nick Clegg in shock election result". The Mirror. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Cooke, Rachel (18 June 2017). "Jared O’Mara, the pub-owning first-time MP who won Nick Clegg’s seat". The Observer. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  6. ↑ "2004 Sheffield Council election results". Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  7. ↑ "2015 Sheffield Council election results". Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  8. ↑ "2016 Sheffield Council election results". Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  9. 1 2 Taylor, Harry (1 June 2017). "Labour’s Hallam candidate says Liberal Democrat’s Nick Clegg doesn’t care about Sheffield". South Yorkshire Briefing. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  10. ↑ Moore, Alex (2 May 2017). "Labour selects Jared O'Mara to challenge Nick Clegg in Sheffield". The Star. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  11. ↑ Horton, Helena (9 June 2017). "First-time MP who beat Nick Clegg 'bought a new suit from Tesco' as shock result emerged". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  12. ↑ Windham, Dan (12 June 2017). "This response from first time Sheffield MP Jared O'Mara to a career advisor twenty years ago is inspiring". The Star. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  13. ↑ Pring, John (6 July 2017). "Disabled MP forced to miss Commons debates because he has nowhere to sit". Disability News Service. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Nick Clegg		 Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam
2017–present		 Incumbent


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