Sarah Olney is the Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park, having first been elected to parliament at a by-election on 1 December 2016. She lost the seat at the 2017 general election but returned to parliament two years later.

In the 2024 general election, Olney received 28,528 votes, representing 55.4% of the vote share. The Conservative candidate, Sara Gezdari, received 11,373 votes (22.1%), while the Labour candidate, Laura Coryton, secured 5,048 votes (9.8%). Olney was duly re-elected with a majority of 17,155 votes.

The Richmond Park constituency is located in South West London, covering parts of the London Boroughs of Richmond upon Thames and Kingston upon Thames. It includes areas such as Richmond town, Barnes, East Sheen, Kew, Mortlake, Ham, Petersham and North Kingston. It is one of London’s most affluent constituencies with a high proportion of graduates and professional workers.

The seat has a history of being a Liberal Democrat and Conservative marginal. It was held by the Liberal Democrats (Dr Jenny Tonge) from 1997 to 2010, then by the Conservatives (Zac Goldsmith) from 2010 to 2016. Olney won it for the Liberal Democrats in a 2016 by-election, before Goldsmith regained it for the Conservatives in the 2017 general election. Olney won the seat back in the 2019 general election.

Political Career

Sarah Olney MP currently serves on the Liberal Democrat frontbench as business spokesperson. She was appointed to this role in September 2025. Earlier in this parliament, she served as Cabinet Office spokesperson from September 2024 to September 2025.

Olney is also a member of the House of Commons public accounts committee (since March 2020). The PAC is the oldest and arguably one of the most powerful select committees in the House of Commons. Its primary function is to scrutinise the value for money of public spending, ensuring taxpayers’ money is spent wisely. First established in 1857, the committee does not examine the merits of government policy, only the cost and effectiveness of its implementation.

In addition, Olney serves as a trade envoy to North Africa (since January 2025). Appointed by the trade secretary, envoys are tasked with boosting British exports and attracting foreign investment. An envoy’s duties typically involve leading trade delegations, lobbying host governments on market access issues, and building relationships with overseas businesses.

In December 2024, Olney introduced the Elections (Proportional Representation) Bill to parliament under the 10-minute rule procedure. A total of 138 MPs supported the bill – with 136 opposed. Notably, 59 Labour MPs backed Olney’s 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.”

Olney was previously a Liberal Democrat spokesperson for the Treasury (2022-2024), business, energy and industrial strategy (2020-2024), transport (2020-2022), and international trade (2020-2020).

Olney first entered parliament by winning the Richmond Park by-election in December 2016. The by-election was triggered by Goldsmith, the resignation of the sitting Conservative MP, over the government’s decision to support a third runway at Heathrow Airport. Olney overturned Goldsmith’s previous majority, campaigning heavily against both Heathrow expansion and Brexit.

Olney subsequently served as MP for six months but lost the seat back to Goldsmith (standing again as a Conservative) in the 2017 general election by just 45 votes. While out of parliament, Olney served as chief of staff to the then leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Vince Cable. Olney regained the Richmond Park seat from Goldsmith at the 2019 general election with a majority of 7,766.

Olney is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for ethnic minority business owners, ethnicity transplantation and transfusion and loan charge and taxpayer fairness.

Olney delivered her maiden speech on 19 December 2016 during a debate on Brexit.

In it, she said: “I wish to pay tribute to my predecessor, Mr Zac Goldsmith, and thank him for his excellent constituency work on behalf of my fellow residents of Richmond Park over the past six years.

“In particular, we owe him our unending thanks for his efforts to block plans to build a third runway at Heathrow. The fact that he felt he could no longer be a part of a Conservative Party that approved expansion demonstrates beyond all question his passion and commitment to the cause.

“It is a cause that I take up willingly on behalf of constituents who know that the claimed economic benefits of expansion will not compensate for the impacts of the increased noise and air pollution that millions will suffer if expansion goes ahead.”

She added: “I did not aspire to be a politician. I did not ever expect to be standing here addressing honourable and right honourable members as I am today, but I felt compelled by the events of the last few months – not just the referendum result, but the government response in the aftermath and the divided society that has resulted – to put myself forward.”

Political Views

Fair elections APPG: Olney is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for fair elections – a cross-party group of MPs and peers that campaigns for electoral reform. The group’s stated aims include replacing the first past the post (FPTP) voting system with a form of proportional representation, eliminating “dark money” and “undemocratic influence” from politics, and countering disinformation.

Brexit and Europe

Brexit referendum: Olney supported Remain in the 2016 Brexit referendum, and therefore agreed with the vast majority of her constituents, 71.3% of whom also voted to remain.

Article 50: In February 2017, Olney voted against the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill. The legislation empowered the prime minister to notify the Council of the European Union of the UK’s intention to withdraw, formally triggering the process set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. MPs supported the bill by 498 votes to 114 at second reading.

Customs union vote (2025): In December 2025, Olney 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.

Assisted dying

Olney voted against 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).

Social values and conscience issues

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Olney 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): Olney 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.

Civil liberties

Covid passes vote (2021): Olney was one of 126 MPs to vote against Covid passes in England in December 2021. The measure, introduced by Boris Johnson’s government, was carried by 369 votes to 126.

Covid passes campaign (2021): Olney was one of over 70 MPs and peers who launched a cross-party campaign against the “divisive and discriminatory use” of Covid passes in April 2021. The campaign was triggered by government reviews into “vaccine passports”, which signatories argued would create a two-tier society and infringe upon fundamental civil liberties.

Before Politics

Born Sarah Jane McGibbon on 11 January 1977 in Frimley, Surrey, she attended All Hallows Catholic School in Farnham.

She studied English literature at King’s College London. She subsequently qualified as a chartered certified accountant in 2016.

Olney joined the Liberal Democrats in 2015.

Personal Life

Olney is married to Ben Olney, a town planner. They have two children.

Trivia

Olney introduced the Elections (Proportional Representation) Bill to parliament in December 2024, which MPs approved in a symbolic vote.