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Lauren Edwards
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.[2] Early life and careerEdwards was born in Altona, Melbourne, Australia, and was educated at the University of Adelaide before moving to the UK in 2005 to study for a master's at the London School of Economics.[3][4] Edwards worked as a parliamentary researcher for a number of Labour MPs including Barbara Keeley, Teresa Pearce and Lisa Nandy from 2008 to 2013.[5][6] During this time she was Political Officer for Unite the Union's Parliamentary Staff Branch.[7] From 2013 to 2016 she worked as a researcher at the postal section of the Communication Workers Union.[8] Edwards worked at the Bank of England before her selection as a parliamentary candidate, as a manager in financial regulation including a secondment to HM Treasury for about six months working on Brexit related legislation.[3] Edwards has an English-born mother and holds British citizenship.[3] Political careerIn 2021, Edwards was elected to Medway Council in a by-election from Rochester East ward.[9] She was cabinet member for economic and social regeneration and inward investment.[10] In 2024, she defeated incumbent Conservative MP Kelly Tolhurst to gain Rochester and Strood. On 8 August 2024, Edwards issued an apology on Twitter following the emergence of tweets she wrote between 2009 and 2011 in which she used offensive language, described by The Guardian as a "series of 'racist' tweets", stating it was a "significant error of judgement".[11][12] In November 2024, Edwards voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which proposes to legalise assisted suicide.[13] References
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lauren Edwards.
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