Sarah Cooper-Lesadd
Sarah Cooper-Lesadd | |
|---|---|
| Official portrait, 2026 | |
| Chair of the Senedd Legislation Committee | |
| Assumed office 17 June 2026 | |
| Shadow Minister for Children, Young People and Skills | |
| Assumed office 19 May 2026 | |
| Preceded by | Natasha Asghar [a] |
| Member of the Senedd for Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg | |
| Assumed office 8 May 2026 | |
| Preceded by | Seat established |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1995年01月30日) 30 January 1995 (age31) |
| Party | Reform UK (2026–) |
Other political affiliations | Conservative Party (UK) (until 2025) |
| Alma mater | Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge |
Sarah Cooper-Lesadd (born 30 January 1995) is a Welsh politician for Reform UK Wales, who has served as Member of the Senedd for the Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg constituency and as Shadow Minister for Children, Young People and Skills since May 2026.[1] She is also Chair of the Senedd Legislation Committee.
Background
[edit ]Sarah Cooper-Lesadd was born in Newport, South Wales, her mother died of postnatal psychosis three weeks after she was born and her father then gave her up for adoption and she was placed into the care system.[2] [3] She was adopted out of Wales at age 7.[4] She credits reading Alastair Campbell's The Blair Years (2007) as what inspired her to get into politics.[5]
Cooper-Lesadd attended Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.[6] While there, she was communication and publicity officer for the Cambridge University Conservative Association.[7] Prior to entering politics, Cooper-Lesadd worked as an account executive for financial services, healthcare, and property sectors at the public relations firm Morgan Rossiter [8] (now Sapience Communications).[9] She later served as private secretary to Lord Grimstone of Boscobel, the Minister for Investment at the Department for International Trade (now the Department for Business and Trade) and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.[10]
Political career
[edit ]From 2022 to 2024, Cooper-Lesadd worked as a senior parliamentary assistant for Vicky Ford, the Conservative MP for Chelmsford. At the 2024 general election, Cooper-Lesadd stood for the Conservative Party in Coventry East. She was not elected.[4]
She was a member of the Conservative Party until 31 December 2025.[11]
At the 2026 Senedd election, Cooper-Lesadd contested the Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg constituency for Reform UK. She was initially announced as the party's second-place candidate for the Afan Ogwr Rhondda constituency.[12] When the party's lists were finalised, however, she was placed as the lead candidate for the Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg constituency [11] amid protests over parachute candidates.[13] She resided outside of the constituency, in the Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr constituency.[11] She was elected as the second candidate to be assigned a seat.[1]
On 19 May 2026 she was announced as Reform's Shadow Minister for Children, Young People and Skills.[14]
On 17 June 2026, Cooper-Lesadd was elected Chair of the Senedd Legislation Committee.[15]
On 8 July 2026, Cooper-Lesadd tabled a motion in the Senedd calling for strengthened legal protections for looked-after children and care leavers in Wales. She advocated extending statutory corporate parenting responsibilities—currently applying only to local authorities—to other public bodies such as health boards. This would provide care leavers with greater legal protections and support when leaving care, aligning more closely with arrangements in England. The non-binding motion was passed unanimously.[16]
Notes
[edit ]- ↑ Asghar was Shadow Minister for Children and Young People, but also for education
References
[edit ]- 1 2 Mosalski, Ruth (2026年05月08日). "Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg - election results in full". Wales Online . Retrieved 2026年05月08日.
- ↑ Mosalski, Ruth (2026年05月14日). "The care child who could barely count or read by seven who is now a Reform MS". WalesOnline . Retrieved 2026年05月19日.
- ↑ Forde, Matt (2024年07月04日). "I interviewed a candidate from every UK constituency. Incredibly, they're all still full of beans" . The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 2026年04月14日.
- 1 2 Shipton, Martin (2026年04月10日). "Reform 'parachute' candidate once visited the area she hopes to represent when she was 7". Nation.Cymru . Retrieved 2026年04月14日.
- ↑ Matt Forde (2024年06月10日). "Election 24 Special, Ep 8". Matt Forde's Political Party (Podcast). Retrieved 2026年04月17日.
- ↑ "Year 11 Trip to the University of Cambridge". Walthamstow School for Girls . Retrieved 2026年04月14日.
- ↑ Higgins, Jack (2016年06月15日). "CUCA Women's Officer criticises group's 'aggressive sexism'". Varsity. Retrieved 2026年04月14日.
- ↑ "BizEquity and Equifax Expand Their Strategic Relationship with the Launch of the 'BizEstimate' Score" (Press release). PR Newswire. 2017年05月22日. Retrieved 2026年05月09日.
Morgan Rossiter: Sarah Cooper-Lesadd
- ↑ "About Sapience Communications". Sapience Communications. Retrieved 2026年05月09日.
- ↑ "Minutes of the Windrush Cross-Government Working Group: 28 October 2021 (accessible version)". gov.uk . Home Office. 2021年10月28日. Retrieved 2026年05月08日.
- 1 2 3 "Senedd election: Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg Constituency - Statement of persons and parties nominated and notice of poll" (PDF). Vale of Glamorgan Council . Retrieved 2026年04月14日.
- ↑ John, Lucy (2025年03月25日). "Reform Wales publishes full list of candidates for the Welsh Senedd election". WalesOnline . Retrieved 2025年03月25日.
- ↑ Price, Emily (2026年04月10日). "Reform's final Senedd election candidate lists reveals chaos of selection process". Nation.Cymru . Retrieved 2026年04月14日.
- ↑ Ruth Mosalski (2026年05月19日). "Reform UK announce shadow cabinet roles". Wales Online . Retrieved 2026年05月25日.
- ↑ "Sarah Cooper-Lesadd MS". Senedd . Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ Glyn-Jones, Teleri (8 July 2026). "Children in care need better protection, Reform's Sarah Cooper-Lesadd says". BBC News. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
External links
[edit ]- State of Wales: Senedd 2026 Constituency Profiles: Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg - Reform UK: Sarah Cooper-Lesadd
