Sam Tarry

Tarry was born on 28 August 1982 in Westminster, London and grew up in Dagenham, London.[1] The son of The Revd. Canon Gordon Tarry, a Church of England clergyman, he attended Highlands Primary School in Ilford, and St Edward's Church of England School in Romford.[2][3][4][5]

From 2009 to 2011, Tarry was the Chairman of Young Labour, the youth wing of the Labour Party.[6]

Tarry served as a Labour Party Councillor for Chadwell Heath, in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, which he served as from 2010 to 2018.[7] Tarry was criticised for allegedly living in his home in Brighton, which is 70 miles away from his council seat in Barking and Dagenham.[8][9][10] Tarry was investigated by police for electoral fraud in relation to this matter. Tarry was cleared by the police investigation, as he was found to own a second home in Barking and Dagenham, and therefore was legally resident in Barking and Dagenham at the time of his election.[11]

During this time, Tarry worked with the campaign group, Hope not Hate, where he helped to organise against the British National Party (BNP).[12][13]

Tarry speaking in 2016

Tarry worked as the director of Jeremy Corbyn's 2016 Labour Party leadership campaign.[14]

Tarry subsequently worked as the national political officer for the TSSA trade union, and served as the president of the think tank, Centre for Labour and Social Studies (CLASS).[15]

In 2017, Tarry stood for selection to be the Labour parliamentary candidate for the Labour seat of Hull West and Hessle. He was the favourite to be selected, on account of his close relationship with Jeremy Corbyn.[16][17][18] However, the party selected Emma Hardy, a local teacher and trade union organiser.[19][20]

In 2019, Tarry stood for selection to be the Labour parliamentary candidate for the seat of Ilford South, previously held by Mike Gapes. On 4 October 2019, the evening before members were due to vote, local Redbridge Council leader Jas Athwal was suspended from the party over a serious allegation of sexual harassment.[21][22][23] On 22 October 2019, after a postponement of the vote, and with rival candidate Athwal ineligible due to his suspension, Tarry was selected.[24]

Tarry was elected as Ilford South MP in the 2019 general election with a majority of 24,101 votes.[25]

After being elected to Parliament, Tarry was appointed to the Transport Select Committee, on which he has been credited as being a "passionate advocate for public ownership"[26] In this role, he called for the introduction of a death in service payment scheme for London transport workers.[27] He also joined the Socialist Campaign Group of left-wing Labour MPs.[28]

During the 2020 Labour leadership election campaign, Tarry said that Keir Starmer would have to show how he would appeal to northern seats that had abandoned Labour, given that he was a "north London lawyer" and had opposed Brexit.[29] Tarry subsequently supported Rebecca Long-Bailey in the leadership contest.[30]

From April 2020, until January 2021, Tarry served as a Parliamentary Private Secretary to Ed Miliband in the Shadow Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy team and as part of the parliamentary team of Angela Rayner, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, when he was appointed to the role of Shadow Minister for Buses and Local Transport.[31][32][33]

During the 2019 general election campaign, Tarry said that "people associated with the Labour Party have sought to exploit the issue [of antisemitism] just because they don’t agree with Jeremy Corbyn over an issue of foreign policy".[34] The Jewish Labour Movement labelled Tarry's comments "beyond disappointing".[34] Tarry stated in response that antisemitism "is something I care deeply about and would never seek to downplay."[35]

In January 2020, Tarry faced criticism for refusing to condemn a motion about the Board of Deputies of British Jews, passed at a branch of the Labour Party in Ilford South.[36] At the meeting, members who spoke against the motion were reportedly called "agents of a foreign power".[37] The local Labour Councillors released a joint statement, stating that "We utterly condemn this motion ... [and] expect swift action to be taken against anyone responsible."[38] Tarry, who neither supported nor condemned the motion, said "there are conflicting accounts of what happened and what was said".[39] Tarry later added that "the allegations are very serious and should be looked at carefully" and "I've asked that any complaints go through the party’s formal channels to ensure that this matter is dealt with thoroughly and impartially."[36]

Tarry is married to paediatrician Dr. Julia Fozard.[40] Tarry is an avid supporter of Dagenham-based football club Dagenham and Redbridge FC.[41]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sam Tarry.

• Official website
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou