Sarah Joanne Dyke (born 1971) is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Glastonbury and Somerton and previously the MP for Somerton and Frome.
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Sarah Dyke
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Official portrait, 2023
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| Member of Parliament for Glastonbury and Somerton Somerton and Frome (2023–2024) | |
| Assumed office 20 July 2023 | |
| Preceded by | David Warburton |
| Majority | 6,611 (13.88%) |
| Member of Somerset Council for Blackmoor Vale | |
| Assumed office 5 May 2022 Serving with Nicola Clark | |
| Preceded by | Division established |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1971 (age 52–53) |
| Political party | Liberal Democrats |
| Education | Warminster School |
| Alma mater | Harper Adams University |
| Website | www |
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Sarah Joanne Dyke, born in 1971, comes from a Somerset farming family that can be traced back over 250 years to the local area.[1][2][3] She was educated at Warminster School and studied Agricultural and Business Studies at Harper Adams University.[2]
Dyke has represented Blackmoor Vale on Somerset Council since the 2022 election and was lead member for environment and climate change.[4] She chaired the regeneration board for the council.[5][6]
Dyke was selected as the Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for the constituency of Somerton and Frome in May 2022.[7] On 17 June 2023, David Warburton, MP for Somerton and Frome since 2015, announced his intention to resign from Parliament following allegations of sexual harassment.[8] During her campaign it was reported that Dyke was a supporter of Extinction Rebellion.[9]
Dyke was elected as MP for the seat at the July 2023 by-election, with 21,187 votes (54.6 per cent): a majority of 11,008 (28.4 per cent) on a swing of 29.0% from the Conservatives to the Liberal Democrats.[10] On her election, she commented on the absence of her predecessor, saying: "Instead of an absent Conservative MP letting you down, you have an active Lib Dem MP lifting you up."[11]
She was sworn in as an MP on 4 September 2023 following the summer break,[12] along with Keir Mather and Steve Tuckwell.[13] Mather, from the Labour Party, was elected for Selby and Ainsty, and Tuckwell, from the Conservative Party, was elected for Uxbridge and South Ruislipintwo by-elections held the same day as Dyke's.
Following the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, Somerton and Frome was abolished as a parliamentary constituency, to form two new constituencies: Glastonbury and Somerton and Frome and East Somerset, which were contested for the first time at the 2024 general election.[11]
Dyke was re-elected in the 2024 general election for the new seat of Glastonbury and Somerton, with 42.7% of the vote and a majority of 6,611 over the second-place Conservative candidate. The BBC had calculated that the changed boundaries made the new seat notionally Conservative, so categorised Dyke's victory as "Liberal Democrat gain from Conservative".[14][15]
At the time of her election she owned sixty sheep, four dogs and a cat.[2] She also runs a second-hand goods business, Vintage Ghetto.[2][16][17]
DYKE, Sarah Joanne
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Somerton and Frome 2023–present |
Incumbent |