Political engagements – New MPs announce wedding plans

Politicians are often accused of being married to their jobs, but two New Labor MPs have also found time to get engaged to each other.

Labor’s Jeevun Sandher asked Lewis Jones a question at his home on Sunday, almost two years after they met during the campaign.

House leader Lucy Powell publicly revealed the couple’s good news in the Commons, allowing “a few friends I forgot to tell” to find out about it through parliamentary debate, Sander said.

Speaking to the BBC he said, “It’s hard to get into politics, but with Lewis things are always incredibly easy”.

The two first met in January 2023, when Jones was running to become a councilor in Loughborough, where Sander was also campaigning.

Over the course of months, Sander and Jones went from feuding at debates to sharing dates, proving that romance can blossom even amid political campaigning.

“The more I got to know her, the more I loved her,” Sandher told the BBC.

By October 2023, their relationship had turned into a romance. Sander eventually realized that “the happiest times in my life were the times I spent with her on the couch”.

The duo became MPs for the first time in July. Sander led Labor to win the Loughborough constituency, while Jones claimed North East Derbyshire, more than 30 miles (48 km) away.

Distance does not seem to be a problem for Sandher.

“We’re in London four days a week and then we have to go back to our constituencies so we have to live a little bit differently,” he said.

“But I personally found it OK because there are so many things to do – it’s a hard job.”

For both, their shared understanding of the demands of politics has been the cornerstone of their relationship.

“I think we understand each other’s lives incredibly well,” Sander said.

“If Lewis said to me ‘Oh, look, we have to cut these plans for this reason,’ I would completely understand – and vice versa.”

The combination of forces has also made the commander’s job easier.

He said, “Lewis is amazing, so I think he’s better than me in every aspect”, including learning the ins and outs of Parliament.

“You can also ask each other things, some of these are big things but some are very small things like how do I fill out this admin form,” Sandher said.

Sander and Jones will not be the first married couple in the House of Commons.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper served in Gordon Brown’s cabinet with her husband Ed Balls, a former Education Secretary under Gordon Brown.

Former Health Secretary Baroness Virginia Bottomley and her husband Sir Peter Bottomley both served as Conservative MPs.

“We have to ask them how they did it and what worked and what didn’t work,” Sandher said.

“I’m always happy to get advice, because this is a new job and I’m trying to learn as much as I can.

“So, Ed Balls – call me.”

The couple had spent the beginning of the week telling family and friends.

But after the “bonkers” Commons announcement of their engagement, Sander said colleagues and constituents flooded her with support.

“It’s incredibly heartwarming because you know people are really happy for you,” she said.

In a demanding job that primarily focuses on serving voters, the kindness and encouragement made the experience even more special, she said.

The couple must now balance the demands of parliamentary life with their wedding planning.

“If anyone wants to plan a wedding, please get in touch,” Sandher said.

“There are a lot of decisions to be made, but we’ll take them together and get to the right thing for both of us.”