Barry John Sheerman is a British politician who represented Huddersfield constituencies in Parliament for forty-five years between 1979 and 2024, making him one of the longest serving MPs in recent history. A member of both the Labour and Co-operative parties, he initially served the Huddersfield East constituency before representing Huddersfield following boundary changes.

Born on 17 August 1940, Sheerman built a distinguished parliamentary career spanning more than four decades. Throughout his tenure as an MP, he became known for his focus on education policy and public sector reform, chairing the influential Education Select Committee and championing issues relating to skills, training and educational standards. His extensive experience in Parliament also saw him engage with matters of industrial policy, cooperative enterprise and regional development affecting his Yorkshire constituency. Barry Sheerman writes commentary for Comment Central.