Jared O'Mara

Jared Cain O'Mara (born 15 November 1981) is a British convicted fraudster and former politician who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Sheffield Hallam from 2017 to 2019.

O'Mara was born in Sheffield on 15 November 1981.

He was educated at Tapton School, in the city's Crosspool suburb, and was taught government and politics by Mr Adam McAuley, the current head of history at Tapton School.

He later graduated from Staffordshire University with a first class honours degree in journalism.

Before entering politics, he was a local school governor and had volunteered for Sheffield-based disability information services and charities.

With friends, he ran West Street Live, a bar and music venue in Sheffield.

Prior to being elected, O'Mara had stood as a Labour candidate in various Sheffield council elections.

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 the 2003 winner of Pop Idol, Michelle McManus, had "only won because she was fat".

He had also referred to gay men as "poofters" and "fudge packers", and referred to jazz musician Jamie Cullum as a "conceited cunt" who should be "sodomised with his own piano".

O'Mara apologised "if his comments caused offence" and resigned from the Women and Equalities Select Committee.

In a later speech, O'Mara said the homophobic words he used were part of an Eminem record he listened to at the time.

He supported Jeremy Corbyn's election as Leader of the Labour Party in 2015 and 2016.

It was claimed Nick Clegg was thought to be too anti-Brexit by voters, although Sheffield Hallam was estimated to have voted Remain in the 2016 European Union referendum and O'Mara also supported Remain.

A Progress and Momentum supporter, O'Mara was backed by them during the election campaign.

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; O'Mara had not expected to win the seat.

His acceptance speech called for politicians to do more to stand up for disabled people.

Elected at the 2017 general election for the Labour Party, O'Mara unexpectedly won the seat from former Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

In October 2017, it was revealed that O'Mara had posted misogynistic, racist and homophobic online comments before he became an MP.

He resigned from the Women and Equalities Select Committee, and was suspended from the Labour Party.

At the 2017 general election, O'Mara was selected for the constituency of Sheffield Hallam 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.

The seat had been held by former Liberal Democrat leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

O'Mara's campaign focused on disabled people's rights, protecting public services and on his personal background in Sheffield.

His campaign benefited from a national surge in the Labour vote and from university students in the constituency.

O'Mara asked his first Parliamentary written question in October 2017.

During his time as an MP, he campaigned for a second referendum on Brexit and against fracking.

He never asked an oral question in the House of Commons.

O'Mara became a member of the Women and Equalities Select Committee in September 2017.

However, a series of misogynistic and homophobic online comments posted by O'Mara over a decade before he became an MP were revealed by the Guido Fawkes site on 23 October 2017.

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".

O'Mara denied the allegation.

On 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.

After being briefly reinstated, he resigned from the Labour Party in July 2018.

He has cerebral palsy and hemiparesis, and later stated that he was the first autistic MP in history.

O'Mara took lengthy periods of time off for mental health issues, and never asked an oral question in his two-year parliamentary career.

He missed key Brexit votes in the House of Commons, and showed what was described by an aide as "vile, inexcusable contempt" for constituents who called for his resignation.

In July 2019, O'Mara was accused of corruption and sexual harassment.

His office was raided by police, and he was arrested but released without charge.

He stood down at the December 2019 general election.

In February 2023, O'Mara was found guilty of six counts of fraud by false representation, and was sentenced to four years in prison.