South East · England · 74,257Boundary · 2023

Rochester & Strood

Follow⇄ Compare
Dispatch
Apr 2026

Represented by Lab since 2024. Covers Rochester, Hoo St Werburgh and Gillingham (Medway). Population 100,140.

Rochester and Strood's Labour MP made her only rebel vote in December 2024, opposing her party's Ten Minute Rule motion on proportional representation -- breaking from the Labour majority to back the existing first-past-the-post system. That single departure aside, Edwards attracted more attention in her first months in office for a different reason: historical tweets resurfaced in August 2024 in which she described giving an elbow to a homeless man, prompting a delayed apology that drew criticism from her predecessor. More recently, her public profile has been shaped by local casework -- calling on the Environment Agency to clear an illegal scrapyard, championing a constituency brewery onto the Commons bar menu, and engaging with young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) in Medway.

Edwards votes with Labour 100% of the time across recorded divisions, making her a wholly reliable government loyalist. Her 85% participation rate sits at a respectable level. Stance data shows she is consistently pro-government on taxation, fiscal policy, and crime -- voting alongside the government on the Victims and Courts Bill and against opposition motions on oil, gas, and defence in early 2026. She deviates slightly from party average on fiscal responsibility (91% vs 82%) and is notably below party average on welfare expansion (33% vs 41%).

397
Commons votes
This parliament
£30k
Median income
HMRC · 2024
74.3k
Electorate
2024 GE

Lab took this seat from Con after 3 consecutive elections.

Current Member of Parliament

Lauren Edwards

Lauren Edwards

Labour Party

Lauren Edwards is the Labour MP for Rochester and Strood, and has been an MP continually since 4 July 2024.

Notable Votes

A vote on whether to allow a Bill to be introduced that would replace the current first-past-the-post voting system with proportional representation (specifically single transferable vote) for UK parliamentary and English local government elections. The Bill was proposed by Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney, arguing the current system produces large parliamentary majorities on small vote shares.

MP voted NoAgainst party majority

Sign up free to read the full briefing on Lauren Edwards.

Sign up free

Voting at a Glance

Represented by Lab since 2024. Covers Rochester, Hoo St Werburgh and Gillingham (Medway). Population 100,140.

2024 General Election

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

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

§ 07The record, at a glance.435 divisions voted

Two readings of the same data. Issue volume shows where Edwards 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
Economy
89
Taxation
89
Crime & Policing
46
Employment
42
Education
37
Welfare and Benefits
27
Notable votes
Free votes and rebellions — moments the MP’s own judgment matters more than the whip
Elections (proportional representation): Ten Minute Rule Motion 03 Dec 2024 · free vote
No
§ 08The local picture.12 wards

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

WardCouncillorVotesParty
All SaintsChris Spalding295Independ
Chatham Central BromptonDamola Animashaun1,136Labour P
Chatham Central BromptonNina Gurung1,211Labour P
Chatham Central BromptonVince Maple1,394Labour P
Cuxton Halling RiversideMatt Fearn880Conserva
Cuxton Halling RiversidePhil Filmer685Conserva
Fort PittGareth Myton1,577Labour P
Fort PittHarinder Mahil1,634Labour P
Fort PittSmitha Campbell1,726Labour P
Gillingham NorthAdam Price1,419Labour P
Gillingham NorthDouglas Kudakwashe Hamandishe1,355Labour P
Gillingham NorthLia Mandaracas1,339Labour P
Population (2021 Census)
100,140
Electorate 74,257 · 2024 register
Median income
£29,500
HMRC SPI 2024
Households renting privately
17.8%
England average 20.0%
Schools
47
31 primary · 6 secondary
Next · dig deeperEvery division, question, speech and committee record

Mine the full
record → Data view

Filter divisions, search written questions, read every speech since the election. Sortable, searchable, downloadable.

More constituency data is being added, including local issue analysis and historical trends. Learn about our methodology. View data sources & attribution.