Labour MP apologises 'wholeheartedly' for tweets

Rochester and Strood MP Lauren Edwards said the tweets were a "significant error of judgment"

The Labour MP for Rochester and Strood has apologised after offensive social media posts resurfaced.

In a statement on Thursday, Lauren Edwards said: "I have recently been made aware of a small number of tweets that I posted on twitter from over a decade ago, which I now deeply regret."

One of the since-deleted tweets posted to X, formerly Twitter, in July 2009, read: I want these [expletive] Estonian retards out of my flat now!"

The Labour Party declined to comment.

The 2009 post was made while Ms Edwards was working as parliamentary researcher for Barbara Keeley, the then MP for Worsley and Eccles South, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

'Error of judgment'

In her statement on Thursday, she said the tweets were "a significant error of judgment on my part, and I apologise wholeheartedly".

She was one of 11 new Labour MPs elected in Kent on 4 July.

Ms Edwards has also served as a Medway councillor since 2021.

"Since becoming a local councillor and more recently an MP, I have seen first-hand the importance of bringing communities together and working with tolerance and respect for all in our society," her statement continued.

"I pledge to use my platform to continue that important work and dedicate myself to serving all residents of Rochester & Strood."

Kelly Tolhurst, the former Conservative MP for Rochester and Strood, said she was "shocked & concerned by the views" held by Ms Edwards.

"She had no concern airing them publicly when working for a Labour MP, only deleting them after public pressure," Ms Tolhurst said on X."