Mark Sewards: meet the teacher turned Leeds South West and Morley MP

Mark Sewards has had a busy few months, and becoming a new MP isn’t even the most important thing to happen to him.

When Rishi Sunak called the election in May, Mark was forced to quit his job as a maths teacher at Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy in Middleton.

“Kids would come up after lessons to ask me about being a candidate, and I would try and foster that interest where appropriate,” he explains.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In July, he defeated big Boris Johnson backer Andrea Jenkyns to become the Labour MP for Leeds South West and Morley.

And then just weeks later, as he was still hiring staff and organising his constituency office, his second son Arthur was born.

“It’s been very intense and it hasn’t really lessened since I got elected,” he laughs.

Mark Sewards, the new Labour MP for Leeds South West and Morley. Credit: Mark SewardsMark Sewards, the new Labour MP for Leeds South West and Morley. Credit: Mark Sewards
Mark Sewards, the new Labour MP for Leeds South West and Morley. Credit: Mark Sewards | Mark Sewards

Mark says he first got interested in politics on his paper round around Leeds.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He used to read the politics sections of the Yorkshire Post and other publications before dropping them through people’s letterboxes.

He was then inspired by his teacher Simon Maguire in Morley, who taught history and politics.

“He was so engaging and serious about the content - I already had an interest in politics and that really pushed it on,” Mark says.

He became the first in his family to go university, and he quickly trained with Teach First.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“As I was teaching,” he says, “some of the problems I saw in the school, through no fault of the school itself, became more acute over time.

“I had a choice - I could keep helping a few hundred kids at a time or I could get involved in government, get involved in the Labour Party, try and become an MP and help every child.”

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1754
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice