Lauren Edwards was elected as the Labour MP for Rochester and Strood in July 2024.  Prior to this she was the Medway Council Cabinet Member for Economic and Social Regeneration and Inward Investment and sat on regional bodies such as the South East Local Enterprise Partnership, the Kent and Medway Economic Partnership, and the Kent and Medway Business Fund board.  

She was a Labour and Co-operative councillor in Rochester East from 2021 to 2024. Prior to being elected, she worked as a Manager in financial regulation at the Bank of England, with a period seconded to HM Treasury. Her time at the Bank was spent in both the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Markets Infrastructure Directorate. She also worked for the Communication Workers Union and for several Labour MPs in Westminster both in government and opposition.  

In addition to co-Chairing the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Digital Money and Digital Markets, she is Deputy Chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee and Co-Chair of the APPGs on Skills, Careers, and Employment and Insurance and Financial Services. She also chairs the Policy Liaison Group for Regeneration and Growth and is Vice Chair of the APPG on Cricket.