Sonia Kumar is the Labour MP for Dudley, having first been elected to parliament at the 2024 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Kumar received 12,215 votes, representing 34.1% of the vote. The Conservative candidate, Marco Longhi, received 10,315 votes (28.8%), while the Reform UK candidate, Andrew Southall, secured 9,442 votes (26.4%). Kumar was duly elected with a majority of 1,900 votes.

The Dudley constituency, located in the West Midlands, was re-established ahead of the 2024 general election. Marco Longhi of the Conservative Party was the MP for the main predecessor seat, Dudley North, from 2019 to 2024.

Political Career

Kumar currently serves as a parliamentary private secretary (PPS) in the Department for Health and Social Care. A PPS acts as an unpaid parliamentary assistant, providing a link between the senior frontbencher and backbench MPs. The role is widely regarded as the first step on the ministerial ladder. Although they cannot speak for the government in debates, a PPS is bound by collective responsibility and becomes part of the so-called “payroll vote”, expected to support the official line in all divisions. Kumar was appointed to this role in July 2026, following the Labour leadership contest and Andy Burnham’s elevation as prime minister.

Kumar was appointed as a PPS in the Cabinet Office in March 2026 on a temporary basis, covering for maternity leave. A PPS acts as an unpaid parliamentary assistant, providing a link between the senior frontbencher and backbench MPs. The role is widely regarded as the first step on the ministerial ladder.

In a statement at the time, Kumar said: “I am honoured to have been appointed cabinet parliamentary private secretary to Darren Jones, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and chief secretary to the prime minister.

“This appointment is on a temporary basis while covering maternity leave, and it is a privilege to support that work and to contribute to the Labour government’s mission to deliver change for communities across the United Kingdom.”

In May 2026, Kumar was among the over 100 Labour MPs who signed a joint statement insisting it was “no time for a leadership contest.” The letter was an intervention in the political crisis engulfing Keir Starmer’s premiership, after Labour suffered heavy losses in the 2026 local elections and devolved elections to the Scottish Parliament and Senedd Cymru. It was organised as a counterweight to a mounting rebellion that had seen high-profile figures, including some ministers, call for Starmer’s resignation.

The statement read: “Last week we had a devastatingly tough set of election results. It shows we have a hard job ahead to win back trust from the electorate.

“That job needs to start today – with all of us working together to deliver the change the country needs.

“We must focus on that. This is no time for a leadership contest.”

Kumar has sat as a member of the House of Commons business and trade committee (2024-2026).

Kumar is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for allied health professionals (chair) and osteoporosis and bone health (chair).

Kumar delivered her maiden speech on 4 September 2024 during a debate on the Budget Responsibility Bill.

In it, she said: “Seeing at first hand the ongoing issues faced by our NHS, and hearing at first hand the challenges my patients encountered, served as the catalyst for my decision to enter this House.”

She added: “My primary goal is to enhance the wellbeing of my residents in Dudley, and to secure an NHS that is equipped to meet the evolving needs of our country.”

Political views

Leadership elections

Labour deputy leadership 2025: Kumar was one of 175 Labour MPs who nominated Bridget Phillipson for the party’s deputy leadership in September 2025. The election followed the resignation of Angela Rayner, who stepped down as deputy prime minister and deputy party leader after an investigation into her tax affairs. It marked the first time since 2007 that Labour had held a deputy leadership contest while in government.

Phillipson, the serving education secretary, was widely viewed as the candidate favoured by Downing Street and the party leadership. She secured 175 nominations from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), comfortably exceeding the 80 required to reach the final ballot. She was ultimately defeated by Lucy Powell.

Factional identity and party tradition

Living Standards Coalition: Kumar is a member of the Living Standards Coalition. Established in July 2025, the group’s stated aim was to develop and promote policy ideas that directly reduce everyday costs for households, particularly in areas such as food, energy, housing and childcare. In an open letter published upon its founding, addressed to Keir Starmer, the MPs wrote: “Our constituents will ask one question at the next election: did this Labour government make me better off?”

They added: “To raise living standards, we support government interventions that will help to increase incomes and lower costs.”

SERA: Kumar has been listed as a member of the Socialist Environment and Resources Association (SERA) – a socialist society affiliated with the Labour Party. Founded in 1973, SERA is the party’s official environmental campaign group. The organisation campaigns on a wide range of issues, including renewable energy, biodiversity, air quality and the transition to a green economy. SERA describes its member MPs as “champions for the environment”.

Welfare

Welfare vote (July 2025): Kumar voted in favour of the government’s flagship welfare bill at second reading. The vote came after ministers agreed to significant concessions to avoid defeat via a mass rebellion of Labour MPs on 1 July 2025.

Assisted dying

Kumar 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).

Social values and conscience issues

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Kumar 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

Palestinian recognition letter (July 2025): In July 2025, Kumar was among the over 254 MPs to sign a cross-party letter calling for the government to immediately recognise the state of Palestine. The letter called on the prime minister and foreign secretary to recognise Palestine at the UN Conference then taking place in New York.

Before Politics

Kumar was born and raised in Birmingham, where her family owned a small shop. She attended Cadbury College.

Before entering parliament, Kumar worked as an NHS physiotherapist. She worked at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham.

She completed a master’s degree in business and management at Aston University, attending her graduation ceremony in July 2024 shortly after her election to parliament.

At the time, she said: “I am so happy. The prime minister gave me a day off to graduate. I put my request in quite early on as I knew I was graduating and everyone’s really pleased that I’ve graduated from Aston University with a distinction in MSc business and management…

“I want to encourage future students to be glass ceiling breakers. There is nothing you can’t achieve if you put your mind to it. Push boundaries and just keep going.”

Personal Life

Kumar’s father, Ashok Kumar, emigrated to Britain with his family at the age of nine.

In her 2024 maiden speech, Kumar said: “He set up his own business and is still working as a greengrocer 45 years on. He taught me the importance of hard work and heritage. As a new MP, nothing gives me more pleasure than talking to business owners like my dad.”

Trivia

Kumar is the first woman to represent Dudley in parliament.