Ashford: MP, 2024 result and local figures
Sojan Joseph (Labour) is the MP for Ashford, elected at the general election of 4 July 2024. On 4 July 2024 Sojan Joseph (Labour) won 15,262 votes, 32.5% of the valid vote; Damian Green (Conservative) came second with 13,483. 46,975 valid votes were cast by an electorate of 76,233, 61.6% of those registered. The majority was 1,779.
Key figures
What the figures show
The ONS estimates 112,689 people lived in Ashford in mid-2024, up 11.6% on 2014. 19,250 were aged 65 or over and 23,008 were under 16.
The Annual Population Survey puts the employment rate for 16 to 64 year olds at 74.1% for April 2025 to March 2026, give or take 7.2 points. 23.6% were economically inactive.
The median price paid for a home was £325,000 in the year to March 2026 (ONS, from HM Land Registry data). Ten years earlier, in the year to March 2016, it was £220,000. The highest March-year median in the series was £327,000, in the year to March 2023. It ranks 221st highest of 575 constituencies. 1,333 sales were registered in the period, against 1,619 in the year to March 2025.
Residents of Ashford earned more than jobs based there paid in April 2025: median full-time pay was £34,551 for workplace jobs and £37,653 for residents. In April 2024 the residents' figure was £35,187. The residents' figure ranks 284th lowest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
In 2024/25, 23.3% of children under 16 in Ashford (5,358) lived in relative low income families once housing costs are taken off, says the DWP; the UK figure is 26.0%. On the before-housing-costs measure it rose from 14.7% in 2021/22 to 14.9% in 2024/25.
The claimant count for September 2026 was 2,165, or 3.1% of the working-age population. A year earlier the count was 2,145.
Workplaces in Ashford accounted for 54,000 jobs in 2024; the business register lists 4,750 local units for March 2026.
Ashford counted 42,351 households on Census day 2021; 20.1% of adults were retired and 27.8% of those in work were mostly working from home.
MP
Sojan Joseph, Labour
- MP for Ashford since 4 July 2024
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by Sojan Joseph on this site
In Parliament
The 5 most recent spoken contributions by Sojan Joseph in Hansard, from 2 September 2026 to 10 September 2026, quoted from the official report. Hansard search returns 235 spoken contributions by Sojan Joseph since 4 July 2024.
I am proud of the high streets in my constituency, as every other Member is proud of the high streets in theirs, and I want to see them continue to flourish. We should be doing everything we can to encourage more people to travel to their high street to support local businesses.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
The protest on Saturday caused widespread disruption across east Kent. It affected not just Dover residents and people travelling to the port, but communities further along the A20 and the M20, including those in my constituency.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
My constituents, and people in Kent generally, cannot wait any longer to see an improvement in their roads, bus services, social care and SEND provision. They were let down by decades of Tory administration, and are now being let down by Reform.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
This is an incredibly important and timely debate. The latest UK Health Security Agency data, published on Tuesday, underlined how vaccine rates have continued to decline. It also showed that uptake of the meningitis B booster for children aged two fell slightly last year.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
It is a real pleasure to see this Bill back on the Floor of the House. I pay tribute to my hon.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 26 October 2026. Up to two items per debate; remarks under 40 characters are left out. All contributions in Hansard.
General election, 4 July 2024
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change in share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sojan Joseph | Labour | 15,262 | 32.5% | +8.7 |
| Damian Green | Conservative | 13,483 | 28.7% | −30.5 |
| Tristram Kennedy Harper | Reform UK | 10,141 | 21.6% | |
| Mandy Rossi | Green Party | 4,355 | 9.3% | +4.7 |
| Adam Rowledge | Liberal Democrat | 2,445 | 5.2% | −5.4 |
| James Ransley | Consensus | 1,289 | 2.7% |
Result summary as published: Lab gain from Con. Change in share is in percentage points against the notional 2019 result on the new boundaries. Source: House of Commons Library, election results (data, read 14 October 2026).
Results on these boundaries
| Date | Election | First | Second | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 July 2024 | General election | Labour 32.5% | Conservative 28.7% | 1,779 | 61.6% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Conservative 59.2% | Labour 23.8% | 17,211 | 66.1% |
Only results on the constituency boundaries first used at the 2024 general election are shown. The 2019 figures are the House of Commons Library's notional estimates of how votes cast in 2019 would have fallen on these boundaries, not a result that was declared. Source: House of Commons Library, constituency results.
Councils
Ashford covers wards in 2 local authority areas, listed by the number of wards in the constituency.
- Ashford E07000105
- Folkestone and Hythe E07000112
Who has power over Ashford
Every body that makes decisions for Ashford, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Parish, town and community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
England has no devolved parliament of its own: its laws are made by the UK Parliament.
Level 6: National government
- Ashford this page: Sojan Joseph (Labour) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
| Figure | Period | Publisher | Read | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | mid-2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimants as a share of residents aged 16 to 64 | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimant count | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Employment rate, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of residents | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of people working here | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median house price | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Homes sold | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, after housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, before housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Business sites (local units) | March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| People employed by businesses here | 2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Economically inactive, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Households | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents per square kilometre | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Workers mainly working from home | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents aged 16+ who are retired | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
"Data" is the file or query each figure was read from (its SHA-256 is in the link title); "area" shows the same table for this constituency alone.
Common questions
Who is the MP for Ashford?
Sojan Joseph (Labour), elected on 4 July 2024, according to UK Parliament records.
What was the 2024 general election result in Ashford?
The House of Commons Library records 15,262 votes for Sojan Joseph of Labour and a majority of 1,779; 61.6% of the electorate cast a valid vote.
What is the unemployment claimant rate in Ashford?
The ONS claimant count for September 2026 is 2,165, 3.1% of the 16 to 64 population.
What is the average house price in Ashford?
£325,000: the middle price of homes sold in the year to March 2026, published by the ONS from Land Registry records.
What is the average salary in Ashford?
For full-time employees living here the ONS puts median annual pay at £37,653 (April 2025).
How many children in Ashford live in low income families?
5,358 children under 16, 23.3%, after housing costs in 2024/25, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
What is the population of Ashford?
112,689 in mid-2024, the latest ONS estimate.
Built 14 October 2026 from official records; how these pages are compiled. This page lists what the record shows and gives no verdict on the MP or the area. Link moved or figure wrong? Tell us.