Lauren Edwards MP
@laurenedwardsmp.bsky.social
Labour MP for Rochester and Strood
For all enquiries please contact: lauren.edwards.mp@parliament.uk
You can also visit my website here: www.laurenedwards.uk
For all enquiries please contact: lauren.edwards.mp@parliament.uk
You can also visit my website here: www.laurenedwards.uk
🎖️🏠 With over 8,500 veterans in Medway and 350+ military homes locally, I’m proud to have voted for new protections for veterans and service personnel. The new law invests in better military housing and strengthens the Armed Forces Covenant - recognising service, sacrifice and our national security.
February 1, 2026 at 12:16 PM
🎖️🏠 With over 8,500 veterans in Medway and 350+ military homes locally, I’m proud to have voted for new protections for veterans and service personnel. The new law invests in better military housing and strengthens the Armed Forces Covenant - recognising service, sacrifice and our national security.
🩺✅ This week, voted for the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill to improve access to local GPs and doctors. Too many trainees are sent far from home due to late placements. Prioritising UK‑trained doctors and ending “placeholder” roles means more stable training and better care locally.
January 31, 2026 at 12:16 PM
🩺✅ This week, voted for the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill to improve access to local GPs and doctors. Too many trainees are sent far from home due to late placements. Prioritising UK‑trained doctors and ending “placeholder” roles means more stable training and better care locally.
💷🏘️ Great news for local residents in flats, static homes and park homes: ground rents will be capped at £250 a year. No one should be forced to sell their home or worry about rising ground rents. This will make a real difference for thousands in Rochester and Strood.
January 30, 2026 at 12:16 PM
💷🏘️ Great news for local residents in flats, static homes and park homes: ground rents will be capped at £250 a year. No one should be forced to sell their home or worry about rising ground rents. This will make a real difference for thousands in Rochester and Strood.
🏙️🍺 Today I’ve written for Kent Online on business rates and what they mean for pubs and local businesses. Recent support is welcome - but it won’t fix everything. To help our high streets thrive, we need a better long‑term deal.
Read my full column here 👇
Read my full column here 👇
‘The help for pubs is great, but the industry needs even more’
MP Lauren Edwards shares her views on the government’s latest plans to try and help pubs.
buff.ly
January 29, 2026 at 5:30 PM
🏙️🍺 Today I’ve written for Kent Online on business rates and what they mean for pubs and local businesses. Recent support is welcome - but it won’t fix everything. To help our high streets thrive, we need a better long‑term deal.
Read my full column here 👇
Read my full column here 👇
I wrote to the Government about pavement parking, so I welcome new powers for councils to tackle it. They won’t work everywhere, but they can really help wheelchair users, parents with buggies and other pedestrians. I hope Medway Council targets suitable areas.
Full article 👇
Full article 👇
‘I can’t use my mobility scooter because the pavement is blocked with parked cars!’
A disabled woman has told how she is unable to use her mobility scooter because of pavement parkers, as Kent MPs call for action.
buff.ly
January 28, 2026 at 5:30 PM
I wrote to the Government about pavement parking, so I welcome new powers for councils to tackle it. They won’t work everywhere, but they can really help wheelchair users, parents with buggies and other pedestrians. I hope Medway Council targets suitable areas.
Full article 👇
Full article 👇
Today marks the 81st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz‑Birkenau. To mark Holocaust Memorial Day, I signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment to remember all those who were persecuted, and to reflect on all those who were lost.
January 27, 2026 at 12:16 PM
Today marks the 81st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz‑Birkenau. To mark Holocaust Memorial Day, I signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment to remember all those who were persecuted, and to reflect on all those who were lost.
From speaking to residents in Strood and Frindsbury to meeting with the head of the Environment Agency to discuss illegal fly‑tipping, learn more about last week’s highlights in my weekly round‑up:
January 26, 2026 at 5:30 PM
From speaking to residents in Strood and Frindsbury to meeting with the head of the Environment Agency to discuss illegal fly‑tipping, learn more about last week’s highlights in my weekly round‑up:
Following my work in Parliament, I met the Environment Agency’s CEO to discuss the illegal tip at Brambletree Wharf in Borstal. We covered the scale of the clean‑up and how to prevent this elsewhere. I’ll be meeting local partners again next week.
January 25, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Following my work in Parliament, I met the Environment Agency’s CEO to discuss the illegal tip at Brambletree Wharf in Borstal. We covered the scale of the clean‑up and how to prevent this elsewhere. I’ll be meeting local partners again next week.
Great day out in Frindsbury and Strood Rural talking to residents with Labour's Strood North councillors and members #labourdoorstep
January 24, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Great day out in Frindsbury and Strood Rural talking to residents with Labour's Strood North councillors and members #labourdoorstep
🎓🛠️ Hospitality plays a vital role in helping young people into work. But apprenticeships must also help them build new skills and progress. That’s why this week I urged Ministers not to cut higher‑level hospitality apprenticeships, but to continue supporting them.
January 24, 2026 at 12:16 PM
🎓🛠️ Hospitality plays a vital role in helping young people into work. But apprenticeships must also help them build new skills and progress. That’s why this week I urged Ministers not to cut higher‑level hospitality apprenticeships, but to continue supporting them.
Last week I chaired a meeting with Kent and Medway MPs and local colleges on how we can better support young people into education, training and work. We discussed apprenticeships, SEND support and making the most of the new Construction Technical Excellence College.
January 23, 2026 at 12:16 PM
Last week I chaired a meeting with Kent and Medway MPs and local colleges on how we can better support young people into education, training and work. We discussed apprenticeships, SEND support and making the most of the new Construction Technical Excellence College.
⚡ The Isle of Grain, in my constituency, is becoming a vital hub for UK‑EU electricity interconnectors, supporting energy security and clean energy goals. So, this week I hosted a roundtable with Ministers, MPs, ambassadors and industry on the future of UK‑EU energy cooperation.
January 22, 2026 at 5:32 PM
⚡ The Isle of Grain, in my constituency, is becoming a vital hub for UK‑EU electricity interconnectors, supporting energy security and clean energy goals. So, this week I hosted a roundtable with Ministers, MPs, ambassadors and industry on the future of UK‑EU energy cooperation.
📉🏥 Due to record NHS investment, more patients in Rochester and Strood are getting the care they need sooner at Medway Maritime Hospital - and waiting lists have fallen by over 6,700 since the General Election as a result.
Learn more 👇
Learn more 👇
January 21, 2026 at 7:04 PM
📉🏥 Due to record NHS investment, more patients in Rochester and Strood are getting the care they need sooner at Medway Maritime Hospital - and waiting lists have fallen by over 6,700 since the General Election as a result.
Learn more 👇
Learn more 👇
Another productive week in Parliament and in Rochester and Strood - from strengthening local skills and supporting carers, to backing local hospitality:
January 20, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Another productive week in Parliament and in Rochester and Strood - from strengthening local skills and supporting carers, to backing local hospitality:
🤝 Productive meeting with Alison McGovern MP, Minister for Local Government, to discuss the 32% uplift to Medway’s local government settlement, worth £89 million. We also talked about local government reorganisation and ensuring we secure the right structure and powers to improve residents’ lives.
January 20, 2026 at 12:16 PM
🤝 Productive meeting with Alison McGovern MP, Minister for Local Government, to discuss the 32% uplift to Medway’s local government settlement, worth £89 million. We also talked about local government reorganisation and ensuring we secure the right structure and powers to improve residents’ lives.
Great to attend Monday’s launch of a report on removing barriers for young adult carers who want to go to university. It was inspiring to meet Holly, a local carer who helped produce the report. I look forward to reading it and exploring how we can better support young carers like her.
January 18, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Great to attend Monday’s launch of a report on removing barriers for young adult carers who want to go to university. It was inspiring to meet Holly, a local carer who helped produce the report. I look forward to reading it and exploring how we can better support young carers like her.
🌳 Ahead of the New Year, I spoke to KMTV about my work in Parliament challenging the Government and Environment Agency to clear the illegal tip at Brambletree Wharf in Borstal. It’s been there for years, and I’m determined to make progress in 2026 so residents can be free of this eyesore.
January 18, 2026 at 12:16 PM
🌳 Ahead of the New Year, I spoke to KMTV about my work in Parliament challenging the Government and Environment Agency to clear the illegal tip at Brambletree Wharf in Borstal. It’s been there for years, and I’m determined to make progress in 2026 so residents can be free of this eyesore.
🎨 The arts are vital to our local economy. We have incredible talent and spaces like Intra Arts & filming locations like Chatham Historic Dockyard. It was great to talk about the value of arts degrees - and learning for learning’s sake - on BBC’s Week in Westminster.
🎧Full episode: buff.ly/HWKijkA
🎧Full episode: buff.ly/HWKijkA
January 17, 2026 at 5:30 PM
🎨 The arts are vital to our local economy. We have incredible talent and spaces like Intra Arts & filming locations like Chatham Historic Dockyard. It was great to talk about the value of arts degrees - and learning for learning’s sake - on BBC’s Week in Westminster.
🎧Full episode: buff.ly/HWKijkA
🎧Full episode: buff.ly/HWKijkA
🎙️ I spoke to KMFM about my priorities for 2026. Locally and nationally, we must create lasting opportunities for young people to find meaningful work—reducing those not in employment, education or training (“NEETs”). I’m determined Westminster work makes a real impact in Rochester and Strood.
January 17, 2026 at 12:17 PM
🎙️ I spoke to KMFM about my priorities for 2026. Locally and nationally, we must create lasting opportunities for young people to find meaningful work—reducing those not in employment, education or training (“NEETs”). I’m determined Westminster work makes a real impact in Rochester and Strood.
📚 Great to discuss the Government’s investment in getting more young people into technical education on the latest episode of Week in Westminster - something I’ve championed since my election.
🎧 Listen here: buff.ly/HWKijkA
Short clip below 👇
🎧 Listen here: buff.ly/HWKijkA
Short clip below 👇
January 16, 2026 at 5:31 PM
📚 Great to discuss the Government’s investment in getting more young people into technical education on the latest episode of Week in Westminster - something I’ve championed since my election.
🎧 Listen here: buff.ly/HWKijkA
Short clip below 👇
🎧 Listen here: buff.ly/HWKijkA
Short clip below 👇
Thanks to Richard and David from AliDeck for showing me around their Medway City Estate site last Friday. AliDeck employs local people to make UK aluminium decking and construction products here in Rochester and Strood, supplying customers across the UK and internationally.
January 16, 2026 at 12:16 PM
Thanks to Richard and David from AliDeck for showing me around their Medway City Estate site last Friday. AliDeck employs local people to make UK aluminium decking and construction products here in Rochester and Strood, supplying customers across the UK and internationally.
📉🏥 Waiting lists at Medway Maritime Hospital have fallen by over 6,700 since the election. This progress matters - helping people get back to health and back to living their lives. There’s more to do, but we’re on the right track to restore NHS services for everyone.
January 15, 2026 at 7:21 PM
📉🏥 Waiting lists at Medway Maritime Hospital have fallen by over 6,700 since the election. This progress matters - helping people get back to health and back to living their lives. There’s more to do, but we’re on the right track to restore NHS services for everyone.
Looking ahead to 2026, there’s a great opportunity for local groups to celebrate Rochester and Strood’s heritage. Medway’s Heritage Place Partnership offers grants from £250-£30,000 to support local history and culture.
Deadline: 1 February
More info here: buff.ly/exCWbVJ
Deadline: 1 February
More info here: buff.ly/exCWbVJ
January 15, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Looking ahead to 2026, there’s a great opportunity for local groups to celebrate Rochester and Strood’s heritage. Medway’s Heritage Place Partnership offers grants from £250-£30,000 to support local history and culture.
Deadline: 1 February
More info here: buff.ly/exCWbVJ
Deadline: 1 February
More info here: buff.ly/exCWbVJ