‘People like me with ADHD are well placed to be MPs’

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.

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.”

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.”