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'People like me with ADHD can make great MPs'

UK Parliament Parliamentary portrait of Sarah Hall, the Labour MP for Warrington South. She has mid-length blonde hair and a red blouse on.UK Parliament
Sarah Hall said she is using her position as an MP to raise awareness

An MP who was diagnosed with ADHD three years ago says she wants to use her position to encourage more people with the condition to get involved in politics.

Sarah Hall, the Labour MP for Warrington South, told BBC Politics North West that finding out she had ADHD “clarified things”.

She has also joined forces with other MPs who have neurodivergent conditions and disabilities to support work on modernising Parliament.

“It is looking at ways that we can not just make life easier while you’re doing this job, but also encouraging more people from different backgrounds to come into the job as well,” she said.

Before the election in July, Mrs Hall was a councillor on Warrington Council from 2016 to 2024 including as the cabinet member responsible for children’s services from 2021.

As well as working with other MPs on modernising Parliament, Mrs Hall has joined All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) on autism and ADHD.

Sarah Hall Members of the APPG on autism standing in a board room against a wooden wall and green chairs. There is a table in front of them with various papers laid out on it.Sarah Hall
Sarah Hall has joined All Party Parliamentary Groups on autism and ADHD

She says she feels working in politics suits her condition.

“I’m always on the go and trying to do a million things at once, which is quite a good way to be in politics when you’re always trying to achieve as much as you can for people,” she said.

“I’m using the role I have now as a Member of Parliament to try and help others and raise awareness that obviously girls can have ADHD too and to try and make improvements to the system.”

“The system at the moment is completely broken in terms of diagnosis, medication and the availability of medication.

“It is a postcode lottery because resources are and the NHS is so overstretched.”

She also highlighted recent issues around medication shortages for ADHD and said she believed there was “not enough of an understanding” of how much people with ADHD need their medication.

“Even though I have gone for years and years not having medication, now that I know the benefits, when I don’t have it any more - there’s a big issue,” she said.

“So I’m trying to use my platform to raise awareness of just how difficult things can be if we don’t have that support in place.”

Sarah Hall Sarah Hall MP in the Palace of Westminster. She is wearing her mid-length blonde hair down in waves, and is wearing a red flowery dress with gold hoop earrings and a lanyard around her neck. She is standing in front of stone steps.Sarah Hall
Mrs Hall was elected to Parliament in July

Alongside working to support people with ADHD, Mrs Hall wants to encourage other people who are neurodivergent to get involved in politics.

“People like me with ADHD, I would really encourage people to get involved in politics because it is a fantastic job and I think we are very well placed to do jobs like this,” she said.

“I hope that people will look at me and realise that being neurodiverse, having ADHD, being autistic, it’s not a barrier.

“It's not a barrier to achieving what you want to do.”

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