Hydburn MP lands government job
Hyndburn and Haslingden MP Sarah Smith has been appointed to a Government role at the Department for Education
Hyndburn and Haslingden MP Sarah Smith has been appointed to a Government role at the Department for Education, giving the East Lancashire MP a position close to the heart of ministerial decision-making.
The first-term MP has previously carried out research and campaigned on issues relating to youth unemployment for years, with a particular focus on those termed as Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEETs).
With this background, Ms Smith has now been named as a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Education Secretary Lucy Powell, the Manchester Central MP who took charge of the department after Prime Minister Andy Burnham seized power earlier this summer.
Parliamentary Private Secretaries are unpaid ministerial aides who act as a link between ministers and backbench MPs, helping departments stay connected to parliamentary opinion while gaining valuable experience within government.
The appointment marks a significant step for the Hyndburn MP, who was first elected as Labour MP for Hyndburn at the 2024 general election, when she unseated Conservative incumbent Sara Britcliffe.
Announcing her new role, Ms Smith said she would continue to represent the concerns of people in her constituency a the national level, alongside supporting the work of the Education Secretary.
She said: “I am delighted to have been appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Lucy Powell. It is a real privilege to take on this role and to support her in delivering for people across the country.
“While I take on this additional responsibility, my priority will always remain representing the people of Hyndburn and Haslingden and continuing to champion the issues that matter most to our local communities.”
The appointment builds on Ms Smith’s previous work as Labour’s Opportunity Mission Champion, a role focused on helping to shape and promote the party’s policies aimed at improving life chances and reducing barriers facing young people.
Education has been a recurring theme throughout her career. Before entering Parliament, Ms Smith worked in the charity and voluntary sector and was involved in initiatives designed to improve opportunities for disadvantaged children and young people.
In a social media post following her appointment, Ms Smith described how volunteering at a youth club in her early twenties had shaped her views on education and opportunity, saying it exposed how ‘the system writes off far too many young people through no fault of their own’.