South East · England · 76,233Boundary · 2023

Ashford

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Dispatch
Apr 2026

A marginal seat — won by just 1,779 votes (3.8%) in 2024. Covers Ashford (Ashford), Hawkinge and Wye. Population 110,427.

All five of Sojan Joseph's rebel votes came on the same day -- June 2025 -- and on the same subject: the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. He backed amendments to close a loophole that would have allowed voluntary starvation to qualify someone as terminally ill, and supported a procedural motion to allow further scrutiny of the bill. These positions sit to the right of the Labour mainstream on assisted dying: his deviation scores show him 20-plus percentage points above his party on both end-of-life autonomy and assisted dying safeguards, suggesting he wants the legislation to proceed but with tighter eligibility controls. Outside that cluster of votes, he is a 97.4% party-line voter.

Joseph participates in 93% of Commons votes -- above the average for the chamber -- and his speech record is substantial: 182 contributions across 107 debates, concentrated heavily on health and social care, which together account for more than half his speaking topics. His professional background as a mental health nurse visibly shapes this focus. He co-chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Adult Social Care and has raised constituency-specific pressures, including 500 hospital-discharge delays in East Kent. His stance profile shows strong alignment with workers' rights and progressive taxation, but low scores on pro-business and criminal justice reform measures relative to his party.

453
Commons votes
This parliament
£30k
Median income
HMRC · 2024
76.2k
Electorate
2024 GE

Lab took this seat from Con after 4 consecutive elections.

Current Member of Parliament

Sojan Joseph

Sojan Joseph

Labour Party

Sojan Joseph is the Labour MP for Ashford, and has been an MP continually since 4 July 2024.

Notable Votes

MPs voted on the Third Reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill — the final Commons vote on whether to pass the assisted dying legislation in its amended form. Passing Third Reading sends the Bill to the House of Lords.

MP voted NoAgainst party majority

Vote on whether to add a provision to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill ensuring that if an independent doctor dies or becomes too ill to complete their assessment before signing off on an assisted dying request, a further referral can be made to another doctor — mirroring an existing provision in the Bill for the attending doctor.

MP voted YesAgainst party majority

Vote on whether to prevent someone from qualifying as 'terminally ill' under the assisted dying bill solely because they have voluntarily stopped eating and drinking. The amendment aimed to close a potential loophole where a person might use self-starvation to meet the terminal illness criteria they would not otherwise meet.

MP voted NoAgainst party majority

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Voting at a Glance

A marginal seat — won by just 1,779 votes (3.8%) in 2024. Covers Ashford (Ashford), Hawkinge and Wye. Population 110,427.

2024 General Election

§ 06This week in Westminster.Live · today’s sittingOrder Paper · refreshed daily

Joseph’s scheduled Commons activity this week — whipped divisions, oral questions, debates — drawn from the House of Commons Order Paper.

§ 07The record, at a glance.469 divisions voted

Two readings of the same data. Issue volume shows where Joseph has cast the most ballots — a proxy for engagement, not direction. Notable votes are the moments where the whip was free or where they broke ranks.

Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted · cumulative this Parliament
Taxation
97
Economy
90
Employment
51
Crime & Policing
43
Education
41
Welfare and Benefits
30
Notable votes
Free votes and rebellions — moments the MP’s own judgment matters more than the whip
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Third Reading20 Jun 2025 · free vote
No
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 1220 Jun 2025 · free vote
Aye
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Amendment 9420 Jun 2025 · free vote
No
§ 08The local picture.23 wards

Constituencies are not uniform. Below — the local council make-up, key facts worth knowing, and the neighbouring seats on either side.

WardCouncillorVotesParty
Aylesford East StourAl Arnold297Green Pa
Aylesford East StourSojan Joseph332Labour P
BeaverKate Leavey470Labour P
BeaverLyn Suddards410Labour P
BircholtSimon Bower Betty294Ashford
BockhangerDiccon Jeremy Spain340Labour P
BybrookAlan Edward Dean261Labour P
Conningbrook Little Burton FarmKaty Pauley272Ashford
FurleyAndrew Buchanan506Conserva
FurleyEuan Fergus Anckorn549Labour P
GodintonPeter Feacey330Conserva
HighfieldDawnie Nilsson464Green Pa
Population (2021 Census)
110,427
Electorate 76,233 · 2024 register
Median income
£30,300
HMRC SPI 2024
Households renting privately
18.9%
England average 20.0%
Schools
44
33 primary · 5 secondary
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