Sarah Dyke is the Liberal Democrat MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, having first been elected to parliament for the predecessor constituency of Somerton and Frome in a by-election on 20 July 2023.

In the 2024 general election for the new Glastonbury and Somerton seat, Dyke received 20,364 votes (42.7%). The Conservative candidate received 13,753 votes (28.9%), and the Reform UK candidate secured 7,678 votes (16.1%). Dyke was elected with a majority of 6,611.

The Glastonbury and Somerton constituency is located in Somerset and includes the towns of Glastonbury, Street, Somerton, Castle Cary, Bruton, and Wincanton. It was newly created for the 2024 election following boundary changes. The seat was formed primarily from the abolished Somerton and Frome constituency, represented by the Liberal Democrats from 1997 to 2015 and then by the Conservatives until the 2023 by-election, caused by the then-MP David Warburton’s resignation following harassment and drug claims.

Political Career

Dyke currently serves on the Liberal Democrat frontbench as rural affairs spokesperson. She was appointed to this role in September 2025.

Dyke has served as a member of the House of Commons environment, food and rural affairs (EFRA) committee since October 2024. The committee is responsible for scrutinising the work of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). It looks at issues from farming to the water sector to a circular economy.

At the 2023 Somerton and Frome by-election, Dyke won 21,187 votes (54.6%) and a majority of 11,008, on a swing of 29.0 per cent from the Conservative Party to the Lib Dems. The by-election was held alongside contests in Selby and Ainsty (won by Labour candidate Keir Mather), and Uxbridge and South Ruislip (won by Conservative candidate Steve Tuckwell).

During the campaign, Dyke was branded a “hardline eco-loon” by the Conservatives after the party issued a “dossier” of material which it claimed linked the Lib Dem candidate to Extinction Rebellion.

The dossier, according to a report in the Telegraph, pointed out that Dyke had “liked” a number of Facebook pages for radical climate groups such as Extinction Rebellion Somerset, Extinction Rebellion Bruton, Greenpeace, Green New Deal Rising, Green Alliance and Feminist Anarchist.

The dossier also alleged that Dyke has “actively promoted veganism” as a way of helping “reduce emissions from animal agriculture”.

At the time, a Lib Dem spokesperson responded: “This is an embarrassing attempt by the Conservatives to distract from their dire record of slashing support for farmers and undercutting them through botched trade deals.

“Sarah Dyke is proud to be from a local farming family and has used her council role to encourage people to buy high-quality, locally sourced meat.

“As Somerton and Frome’s next MP she would bang the drum tirelessly for local farmers who have been left without a voice for far too long.

Following her election, Dyke vowed to be an “active, hard-working champion” for Somerton and Frome. In her victory speech, she also thanked “lifelong Conservative voters” who had voted Lib Dem for the first time – as well as Labour and Green supporters who had tactically “lent” their votes.

She added: “People have said enough is enough. Instead of an absent Conservative MP letting you down, you have an active Lib Dem MP lifting you up.”

Dyke is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for gypsies, travellers and roma, rural services, women in parliament, and woods and trees.

Dyke delivered her maiden speech on 17 October 2023 during a debate on the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill. In it, she stated: “The importance of improving the environment is critical to a rural area such as Somerton and Frome, because we face the effect of climate change first-hand and the damage it can cause will be devastating for our local communities.”

She added: “Turning to the current debate, too often when we talk about levelling up we think of urban areas in the north of England. There is no doubt that those areas need support, but rural communities such as mine are often forgotten, and without action they risk falling even further back…

“Rural areas such as Somerton and Frome are suffering deeply with the cost of living crisis. The cost of housing is often disproportionate to the level of wages available, and people have to use their cars to travel further for work or to access services such as dentists, GPs, hospitals or schools.”

Dyke was elected to the newly formed Somerset Council in May 2022, representing the Blackmoor Vale ward. She served as the council’s lead member for environment and climate change and chaired the council’s regeneration board. She stood down from her council role in October 2024.

She previously served as Milborne Port councillor on South Somerset District Council.

Political Views

Dyke is a member of the Green Liberal Democrats, an official environmental group within the Liberal Democrats. It aims to “promote a green approach to policy formation within the Liberal Democrats” and “develop links with the wider green movement.” The grouping, formed in 1977 as a faction within the Liberal Party, is “committed to a net-zero and nature positive future and driving ambition across the national party and in local governance.”

Brexit and Europe

Customs union vote (2025): In December 2025, Dyke voted in favour of the UK-EU Customs Union (Duty to Negotiate) Bill. The bill, introduced under the 10-minute rule procedure by Liberal Democrat Europe spokesperson Al Pinkerton, sought to mandate the government to enter into negotiations with the European Union to establish a bespoke customs union. In total, 13 Labour MPs joined the Liberal Democrats in supporting the motion, while the majority of the party abstained.

Electoral reform

Proportional representation bill: In December 2024, Dyke voted in favour of the Elections (Proportional Representation) Bill – introduced by Liberal Democrat frontbencher Sarah Olney under the 10-minute rule procedure. The bill sought to “introduce a system of proportional representation for parliamentary elections and for local government elections in England”.

A total of 138 MPs supported the bill – with 136 opposed. Notably, 59 Labour MPs backed Olney’s bill.

Introducing the bill, Olney told the House: “First past the post is a broken and unfair system. This summer, the Labour party won a landslide election victory, securing 63% of seats in the House of Commons in return for just 34% of the vote.

“The system leaves millions of voices unheard and creates a divisive, adversarial political climate where collaboration is discouraged and accountability is often sidestepped.”

Assisted dying

Dyke voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, better known as the assisted dying bill, at both second reading (November 2024) and third reading (June 2025).

Speaking in a Westminster Hall debate, held April 2024 in the previous parliament, Dyke said she had “witnessed first hand the pain and struggles some people have in death”.

She told MPs: “I want to mention Dorothy House, which offers free palliative care and end-of-life care across much of my constituency… I cannot thank Dorothy House enough for the support that it provided me and my partner while we were caring for my partner’s mother in her final few months, as she was dying of cancer.

“Having cared and watched this strong, independent and dignified woman fade away in considerable pain, unable to have the dignified death that she wanted, will forever haunt me.”

In a statement setting out her support for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, issued after its second reading, Dyke said: “I do believe in the principle that terminally ill people deserve dignity in death and the right to choose. There are no truly conscionable other options for those who justifiably and rationally want to end their suffering.

“I want to reiterate that should this bill become law we must have the strongest, most rigorous safeguarding possible. I absolutely will not vote for the final bill unless I feel satisfied that is the case.”

Social values and conscience issues

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Dyke voted in favour of a backbench amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that sought to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales in June 2025. The amendment, which was passed by a majority of 242 votes, removed women from the threat of prosecution for ending a pregnancy at any stage. As an issue of conscience, MPs were allowed to vote according to their personal beliefs.

Palestine

Ceasefire vote (November 2023): Dyke voted for a Scottish National Party (SNP) amendment to the king’s speech in the House of Commons calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in the Israel-Hamas war. Labour had tabled a rival motion, making a more moderate appeal for a “humanitarian pause” in the conflict.

Before Politics

Born in 1971, Sarah Joanne Dyke comes from a Somerset farming family which has farmed locally for over 250 years. She was educated at Warminster School in Wiltshire.

She studied agricultural and business studies at Harper Adams University in Shropshire.

Prior to her election to parliament, she ran a business called Vintage Ghetto, which sold second-hand goods.

Personal Life

Dyke comes from a long-established Somerset farming family.

In her 2023 maiden speech, Dyke said: “I herald from a family that has been farming in the area for more than 250 years, so I will always stand up and fight for our farmers, who not only produce delicious and healthy food and drink, but protect our precious environment.”

In 2024, PinkNews listed Dyke among a number of out LGBTQ+ parliamentarians.

Trivia

Dyke owns a small flock of Shetland sheep.

At the time of her election, Dyke owned 60 sheep.