Ex-teacher Mark Sewards makes education priority after Labour MP wins Leeds South West and Morley
As head of maths at a Leeds school, Mark Sewards said he’d be lucky if there was a single applicant when a job vacancy would arise.
Such is the extent of the recruitment crisis, he argued, that the situation can only be fixed with significant investment.
The new Labour MP in Leeds South West and Morley has been in post for almost a month now, following a landslide majority that unseated his Tory rival.
He told the YEP that education would be a priority in the new job, having seen first-hand the struggles that schools face.
“It’s an issue that came up on the doorstep fairly often,” he said. “If we can get our schools back on their feet and solve some of the endemic problems, like the recruitment crisis, that will benefit all children.”
Mr Sewards spent eight years teaching at Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy in Middleton. He said he wanted to “make a big difference in the lives of young people”.
His government has spoken extensively about ending tax breaks for private schools. By adding to the 20 per cent rate of VAT on private school fees, it is thought that the estimated £1.5bn that would be generated annually could pay for thousands of new staff in state schools.
But critics have feared that the plans could lead to a sharp rise in private school fees, forcing more children into the already over-stretched state system.
Mr Sewards said: “I have nothing against anyone who chooses to send their children to private school. All parents want the best for their children and some have decided that it’s best for them to go into private education.
“But we have a situation where state schools aren’t receiving the funding they need. I’ve seen it first-hand as a secondary school teacher. There’s no question that we need more funds.”
He continued: “I know there have been arguments about how much the policy will raise and whether it will force more children into the state sector. But the Institute for Fiscal Studies says that it will have a net positive benefit.
“I would add that some private schools have built up large reserves and will have to cut their cloth in the way that state schools have. There is no reason that schools will have to pass the rise in VAT onto parents – they could choose to absorb it if they wanted.”
The 34-year-old has lived in the constituency all his life, having grown up in Churwell. He currently lives in Wortley with his wife Alice Smart, a Labour councillor in Leeds. The couple have one child and are expecting another very soon.
It was perhaps the greatest upset of election night earlier this month when Mr Sewards unseated high-profile Tory candidate Dame Andrea Jenkyns with almost double the number of votes.
Reflecting on the huge win, he said: “We had been building to it for years. It had been a long campaign.
“This is the greatest job I will ever do, alongside being a husband and a dad. It was a great, great moment and I was elated, but I also recognise that now I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Earlier this week, seven MPs had the whip suspended after rebelling against the government in a vote to scrap the controversial two-child benefit cap. The policy limits the number of children that families can claim benefits for.
According to Child Poverty Action, it would cost the government around £1.7bn – which is 0.14 per cent of total government spending – to ditch the policy, which critics have said is to blame for plunging hundreds of thousands of children into poverty.
Among those suspended was Mr Sewards’ colleague Richard Burgon, the Labour MP in Leeds East, who backed an amendment from the SNP that called for an end to the policy. He argued on X [formerly Twitter] that Labour’s strategy should involve scrapping the limit.
Mr Sewards took a different view, later voting with the government. Speaking ahead of that vote, he said: “We have just won a general election on a fully costed manifesto, so I think it is more important right now that we set about implementing the policies that are in that manifesto in black and white.
“I absolutely welcome a review of the two-child limit, but until we know that we can definitely afford it as a nation, we shouldn't go down that route.”
In his constituency, Mr Sewards said that the most urgent issues are the cost-of-living crisis, NHS wait times and public transport. He singled out Ardsley and Robin Hood, a ward in his patch, as the worst in the city for catching a bus.
“The buses need to be massively improved,” he insisted. “I will be making sure that they work for people in Leeds South West and Morley, but with a particular focus on Ardsley and Robin Hood.
“As a bus user myself, I always found the buses there to be more sporadic and less reliable than in any other part of Leeds.”
The immediate focus for Mr Sewards will be on setting up his office and recruiting staff to help deal with an increasing workload.
He said: “It was a bit like a fever dream after the election, I was receiving calls about what would happen next, while trying to get a few hours of sleep. Since then, it has been an absolute whirlwind.
“I’ve been going to compulsory training sessions – and we’re all fortunate if we retain even 10 per cent of the information being thrown at us.
“But it’s such an honour and a great responsibility to be here, so I don't mind that the learning curve is so steep. I will do whatever it takes to do this job properly.”