Lauren Rae Edwards is an Australian-born British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Rochester and Strood since

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

Early life and career

Edwards was born in Altona,

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Australia, and was educated at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

before moving to the UK in 2005 to study for a master's at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

. Lauren has cited the "hope and optimism" prevalent in the United Kingdom during the early 2000s - characterised by the cultural and political climate shaped by New Labour, Britpop, and the 'Cool Britannia' movement - as a key factor in her decision to relocate to the UK. Edwards worked as a parliamentary researcher for a number of Labour MPs including Barbara Keeley, Teresa Pearce and

Lisa Nandy Lisa Eva Nandy (born 9 August 1979) is a British Labour Party politician serving as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport since 2024. She has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Wigan constituency since 2010. Nandy previ ...

from 2008 to 2013. During this time she was Political Officer for

Unite the Union Unite the Union, commonly known as Unite, is a trade union in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland, formed on 1 May 2007 by the merger of Amicus (trade union), Amicus and the Transport and General Workers' Union. A general union ...

's Parliamentary Staff Branch. From 2013 to 2016 she worked as a researcher at the postal section of the Communication Workers Union. Edwards worked at the

Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the Kingdom of England, English Government's banker and debt manager, and still one ...

before her selection as a parliamentary candidate, as a manager in financial regulation including a secondment to

HM Treasury His Majesty's Treasury (HM Treasury or HMT), and informally referred to as the Treasury, is the Government of the United Kingdom’s economic and finance ministry. The Treasury is responsible for public spending, financial services policy, Tax ...

for about six months working on

Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...

related legislation. Edwards has an English-born mother and holds British citizenship.

Political career

In 2021, Edwards was elected to

Medway Council Medway Council is the local authority of Medway, a local government district in the ceremonial county of Kent, England. The council is a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council; it is ...

in a by-election from Rochester East ward. She was cabinet member for economic and social regeneration and inward investment. In 2024, she defeated incumbent

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

MP Kelly Tolhurst to gain Rochester and Strood. On 8 August 2024, Edwards issued an apology on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

following the emergence of tweets she wrote between 2009 and 2011 in which she used offensive language, described by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' as a "series of 'racist' tweets", stating it was a "significant error of judgement". In November 2024, Edwards voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which proposes to legalise

assisted suicide Assisted suicide, sometimes restricted to the context of physician-assisted suicide (PAS), is the process by which a person, with the help of others, takes actions to end their life. Once it is determined that the person's situation qualifie ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Lauren Date of birth missing (living people) Living people University of Adelaide alumni Alumni of the London School of Economics Labour Party (UK) councillors UK MPs 2024–present Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Councillors in Kent Australian emigrants to the United Kingdom Australian people of English descent People from Altona, Victoria Politicians from Melbourne Women councillors in England