Sarah Deborah Champion has represented Rotherham as Labour Member of Parliament since winning a by-election in 2012. Born in July 1969, she studied psychology at Sheffield University and before entering Parliament worked as Chief Executive of a children's hospice in Rotherham and ran a Chinese Arts Centre in Manchester. Her professional background in the charitable sector has informed her parliamentary focus on vulnerable groups and international development.

Champion has held several frontbench positions during her parliamentary career. Jeremy Corbyn appointed her Shadow Minister for Preventing Abuse in September 2015, a role she briefly left in June 2016 before returning shortly afterwards. She was promoted to Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities in October 2016, stepping down from that position in August 2017 following controversy over an article she wrote concerning grooming gangs. Since 2020, Champion has chaired the International Development Select Committee, being re-elected to this position after the 2024 general election. She writes commentary for Comment Central.