Jared O'Mara
Jared O'Mara | |
|---|---|
 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 | Jared Cain O'Mara 15 November 1981 |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour (until 2017; membership suspended and whip withdrawn)[1] |
| Alma mater | Staffordshire University |
Jared Cain O'Mara (born 15 November 1981)[2] is a British politician. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP)[3] for the constituency of Sheffield Hallam since 8 June 2017 and was elected as the Labour candidate.[4]
After joining Parliament, O'Mara became a member of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, but resigned in October 2017 following the publication of offensive comments about women and gay men that he had made in 2009 and earlier.[1][5]
O'Mara was suspended from the Labour Party on 25 October 2017, following further reports of online comments made before his election that have been described as racist[6], homophobic and misogynistic.[1]
Early life and education
O'Mara was born in Sheffield. He has cerebral palsy hemiparesis.[7] He was educated at Tapton School, in the city's Crosspool suburb,[8] and graduated from Staffordshire University with a first class honours degree in Journalism.[9] Before entering politics, he was a local school governor and had volunteered for Sheffield-based disability information services and charities.[9] With friends, he ran West Street Live, a bar and music venue in Sheffield.[10]
O'Mara had stood as a Labour candidate in various Sheffield council elections.[9][11][12][13] He supported Jeremy Corbyn's election as Leader of the Labour Party in both 2015 and 2016[14], was a Momentum supporter and was backed by them during the 2017 election.[15]
Parliamentary career
In the United Kingdom general election, 2017, O'Mara contested the constituency of Sheffield Hallam, held by Nick Clegg, the former Liberal Democrat leader (2007-2015) and former Deputy Prime Minister (2010-2015).[16] He was selected in an emergency selection process for the snap election under the control of the National Executive Committee and regional boards, rather than by the local constituency party.[17] His campaign benefited from a national surge in the Labour vote and from university students in the constituency.[9][18] It has been claimed that Clegg was thought too anti-Brexit by voters, although Sheffield Hallam was estimated to have voted "Remain" in the 2016 EU membership referendum, and O'Mara supports the "Remain" stance too.[10]
O'Mara's campaign focused on disabled people's rights, protecting public services and on his personal background in Sheffield.[14] He won the seat with a majority of 2,125 votes; overturning Clegg's previous majority of 2,353 votes. The result was considered one of the most important seat changes of the night.[4] O'Mara had not expected to win the seat.[10] His acceptance speech called for politicians to do more to stand up for disabled people.[19]
The buildings of the House of Commons have presented problems for O'Mara as the terms of the Equality Act 2010 are yet to be met.[20]
O'Mara is the only MP elected for the first time in June 2017 and who took their seat yet to make a maiden speech in Parliament. He has never asked an oral question.[21][22]
Labour whip suspension
O'Mara became a member of the Women and Equalities Select Committee in September 2017.[3] Following revelations of offensive comments he had made before becoming an MP, he resigned from the committee the following month.[23]
A series of derogatory comments about women and gay men posted by O'Mara on websites over a decade before he became an MP were revealed by the Guido Fawkes blog on 23 October 2017.[24][25] He commented about the Girls Aloud pop group, "I advise you to sack Sarah and the remaining four members (Nicola, Cheryl, Nadine and Kimberley) come have an orgy with me", and said that the 2003 winner of Pop Idol, Michelle McManus, had "only won because she was fat".[5][24][26]
He has also been accused of making homophobic comments including referring to gay men as "poofters" and "fudge packers" and referring to jazz musician Jamie Cullum as a "conceited cunt" who should be "sodomised with his own piano".[5][27][28] O'Mara apologised "if his comments caused offence" and resigned from the Women and Equalities Select Committee.[5][28]
The following day, O'Mara was accused by Sophie Evans, a Sheffield bar worker whom he had met through an online dating app, on BBC Two's Daily Politics of having "made transphobic slurs" towards her in March 2017, and of saying in the same incident that she was an "ugly bitch".[29][30] O'Mara said "the allegation made against me is categorically untrue".[31] The same day it also emerged that he had been posting derogatory comments about children in Sheffield and appeared to advocate corporal punishment to deal with delinquent youth. The comment read "Round are [sic] way all the under tens much prefer anti-social behaviour and crack rocks to Dik [sic] and Dom. They only hang around ASDA to break into the 'guide dogs for the blind' collection statue at the entrance. If an adult slapped their legs they'd be up on an assault charge." [32] Following the emergence of the comments to Evans, the Labour Party announced an investigation into O'Mara's conduct, but stopped short of suspending him from the party.[33]
Further revelations were made public on 25 October 2017. On a Morrissey fan site in 2002, he was found to have made xenophobic insults, saying that Danish people were "pig shaggers" who "practised bestiality" and referring to Spanish people as "dagos".[34] O'Mara, when reviewing the Arctic Monkeys in November 2004, made several sexual comments including how "sexy little slags" danced to the band's songs.[35] These revelations resulted in O'Mara being suspended from the Labour Party and therefore having the party whip withdrawn.[1]
O'Mara has not spoken publicly in parliament or his constituency since his apology on 23 October. A press statement said: "On the advice of his GP, Jared has limited some of his activities and duties as the MP for Sheffield Hallam. This includes attending Parliament at the present time". However, it also said, O'Mara "continues to represent his constituents in other ways" such as in casework.[36] O'Mara cancelled his constituency surgery after the whip was suspended.[37]
After three months absence, O'Mara returned to the Commons on 17 January and voted on the report stage of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill.[38]
References
- ^ a b c d "Labour suspends MP Jared O'Mara after online comments". BBC News. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
- ^ "Biography for Jared O'Mara". MyParliament.
- ^ a b "Jared O'Mara MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
- ^ a b Bodkin, Henry. "Nick Clegg 'loses seat' amid Liberal Democrat slump in Sheffield Hallam". The Telegraph. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ a b c d Elgot, Jessica (23 October 2017). "Labour MP quits equality committee over homophobic posts". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
- ^ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jared-o-mara-latest-labour-party-suspend-whip-mp-verbal-abuse-girls-aloud-a8018891.html
- ^ "A bit about me - Jared O'Mara". Sheffield Labour Party. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ Tim Carr; Iain Dale; Robert Waller. The Politicos Guide to the New House of Commons 2017.
- ^ a b c d Howes, Scarlet (9 June 2017). "Meet MP Jared O'Mara who ousted Nick Clegg in shock election result". The Mirror. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ a b c 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.
- ^ "2004 Sheffield Council election results". Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^ "2015 Sheffield Council election results". Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^ "2016 Sheffield Council election results". Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^ a b 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.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "Momentum Sheffield | Campaign Training Session: Sunday 14th May – Crookes". 25 October 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ^ Moore, Alex (2 May 2017). "Labour selects Jared O'Mara to challenge Nick Clegg in Sheffield". The Star. Sheffield. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "General election 2017: Can parties select candidates in time?". BBC News. 22 April 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ 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.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ 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.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ 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.
- ^ Kidd, Patrick (26 October 2017). "Tie privilege is wasted on Commons ghost". The Times. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
- ^ "The Yorkshire Post says: Jared O'Mara is betraying faith of Sheffield voters". Yorkshire Post. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
- ^ "Jared O'Mara: Labour MP resigns from equalities committee after series of sexist comments revealed". The Independent. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Labour MP Jared O'Mara quits select committee role over offensive online comments". ITV News. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^ Elgot, Jessica (24 October 2017). "Labour MP who posted offensive comments 'merits second chance'". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^ Minelle, Bethany (23 October 2017). "Labour MP Jared O'Mara says he's 'ashamed' of derogatory remarks about celebrities". Sky News. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
- ^ Maguire, Patrick (23 October 2017). "Labour MP facing dismissal from equalities post invited Girls Aloud to have an orgy in misogynist online posts". The Times. Retrieved 23 October 2017. (subscription required)
- ^ a b "Labour MP mocked 'fudge packers and poofters' and lashed out at gay 'heterophobes'". Pink News. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
- ^ Mann, Sebastian; Proctor, Kate (24 October 2017). "Jared O'Mara: Under fire Labour MP called woman 'ugly b****' just weeks before he was elected". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^ Walker, Peter (24 October 2017). "Woman claims MP Jared O'Mara verbally abused her this year". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^ Horton, Helena (24 October 2017). "Jared O'Mara refuses to resign over sexist comments - but suggests Conservatives who make same remarks should step down". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^ "Jared O'Mara Said Sheffield Children Are Into Smoking Crack And Stealing From Charity Boxes". www.buzzfeed.com.
- ^ Buchan, Lizzie (24 October 2017). "Labour Party announces investigation into Jared O'Mara MP over verbal abuse claims". The Independent. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^ Maguire, Patrick (25 October 2017). "Labour MP Jared O'Mara's 'sexist abuse of barmaid'". The Times. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
- ^ "Jared on "Sexy Little Slags" and Teenage Girls Being "Fingered" - Guido Fawkes". order-order.com.
- ^ "MP Jared O'Mara advised by GP not to attend Parliament". BBC News. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
- ^ Burn, Chris (15 January 2018). "Sheffield's missing MP: How Jared O'Mara's political dream became a nightmare". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
- ^ Line, Harriet; Lister, Sam (17 January 2018). "Jared O'Mara: Labour MP returns to Commons after suspension for homophobic and sexist tweets". The Independent. Press Association. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
External links
