27 Facts About Sarah Champion

Sarah Deborah Champion was born on 10 July 1969 and is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Rotherham since 2012.

Sarah Champion was appointed by Jeremy Corbyn as Shadow Minister for Preventing Abuse in September 2015, but resigned in June 2016, following a vote of no confidence in Corbyn.

Sarah Champion was born on 10 July 1969 in Maldon, and attended Prince William School in Oundle, before graduating with a BA degree in psychology from the University of Sheffield in 1991.

Sarah Champion then worked as an Arts Development Officer for Ashfield District Council.

Sarah Champion ran the Chinese Arts Centre in Manchester from 1996 to 2008, and was the Chief Executive of the Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice in North Anston, Rotherham from 2008 to 2012.

In November 2012 Sarah Champion was selected to be Labour's candidate for the upcoming Rotherham by-election, which was triggered by the resignation of the constituency's MP, Denis MacShane.

In December 2014, Sarah Champion took a Ten Minute Rule Bill to Parliament, asking for the mandatory publishing of figures of the pay gap between men and women in any company of over 250 employees.

Sarah Champion was one of 36 Labour MPs to nominate Jeremy Corbyn as a candidate in the Labour leadership election of 2015.

The documentary showed Sarah Champion stating: "I don't believe you can be a leader if nobody's following you", and the MPs' surprise at the election result.

Sarah Champion discussed the psychological stresses of the campaign and being at parliament, and that she did not feel tough enough to go back to parliament the day after the result.

On 16 July 2019, Sarah Champion stated: "If my party comes out as a remain party rather than trying to find a deal or rather than trying to exit, I can't support that, it goes against democracy".

Sarah Champion said she would rather support a "no-deal Brexit" than remain in the EU, as she believed Labour had to deliver the result of the 2016 referendum.

In September 2024, Sarah Champion was re-elected as chair of the International Development Select Committee.

In November 2024, Sarah Champion voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults Bill, which proposed to legalise assisted suicide.

Sarah Champion has previously been a member of the Transport Select Committee, Parliamentary Private Secretary to Shadow Education Secretary Tristram Hunt, Chair of the All-party parliamentary group on Victims and Witnesses, Chair of the All-party Parliamentary Group on Choice at the End of Life, and Co-chair All-party Parliamentary Health Group.

Sarah Champion has chaired the All-party Parliamentary Group on Street Children since November 2021.

Sarah Champion was appointed Shadow Minister for 'preventing abuse and domestic violence' in 2015.

Sarah Champion resigned from this position on 28 June 2016, in the wake of criticism of Jeremy Corbyn's approach towards the EU referendum following a vote to leave the EU.

In January 2016, Sarah Champion launched a campaign called Dare2Care that focuses on preventing child abuse and the normalisation of violence in young people's relationships.

Sarah Champion criticised the lack of progress over a national child abuse task force and a whistleblowing portal that had no 'taskforce to blow to' as well as the failure to begin a consultation on extending the offence of wilful neglect to children's social care, education and councils.

In November 2014, Sarah Champion asked the Prime Minister to support Rotherham's victims and to ensure that procedures are in place to prevent such widespread abuse happening again.

Sarah Champion was appointed as Shadow Minister for Preventing Abuse by Jeremy Corbyn in September 2015.

In June 2016, Sarah Champion resigned as shadow Home Office minister focusing on women, equality and domestic violence after Labour MPs passed a motion of no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn.

In September 2016, it became known that Sarah Champion had been arrested in 2007 after a violent altercation with her husband while they were about to divorce.

In November 2016, Sarah Champion launched Dare2Care, a National Action Plan for Preventing Child Abuse and Violence in Teenage Relationships.

In 1999 Sarah Champion married Graham Hoyland; the couple divorced in 2007.

In September 2016 it was reported that Sarah Champion had been arrested for assaulting him in 2007.