Tris Osborne is the Labour MP for Chatham and Aylesford, having first been elected to parliament at the 2024 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Osborne won 13,689 votes, representing 33.5% of the vote. The Conservative candidate, Nathan Gamester, received 11,691 votes (28.6%), while the Reform UK candidate, Thomas Mallon, secured 9,989 votes (24.5%). Osborne was duly elected with a majority of 1,998.

The Chatham and Aylesford constituency is located in Kent in the South East of England. It was represented by the Conservative Party (Tracey Crouch) from 2010 to 2024, and before that by Labour from 1997 to 2010.

Political Career

Osborne is a member of the House of Commons public accounts committee (since October 2025). The PAC is the oldest and arguably one of the most powerful select committees in the House of Commons. Its primary function is to scrutinise the value for money of public spending, ensuring taxpayers’ money is spent wisely. First established in 1857, the committee does not examine the merits of government policy, only the cost and effectiveness of its implementation.

In May 2026, Osborne was among the over 100 Labour MPs who signed a joint statement insisting it was “no time for a leadership contest.” The letter was an intervention in the political crisis engulfing Keir Starmer’s premiership, after Labour suffered heavy losses in the 2026 local elections and devolved elections to the Scottish Parliament and Senedd Cymru. It was organised as a counterweight to a mounting rebellion that had seen high-profile figures, including some ministers, call for Starmer’s resignation.

The statement read: “Last week we had a devastatingly tough set of election results. It shows we have a hard job ahead to win back trust from the electorate.

“That job needs to start today – with all of us working together to deliver the change the country needs.

“We must focus on that. This is no time for a leadership contest.”

Osborne has been listed as a member of the advisory council of Labour Future, a grassroots political network and pressure group within the Labour Party. The organisation describes its core mission as “ensuring that the Labour Party remains a whole-nation party, deeply rooted in the traditions of working people.”

The group argues that Labour “must invest in British manufacturing, protect key industries, and create economic conditions that support local businesses.”

Labour Future’s literature states: “Our campaigns focus on protecting workers’ rights, investing in British jobs, building affordable homes, and strengthening local communities.

“By advocating for stronger employee protections, pushing for investment in key industries, demanding action on the housing crisis, and promoting fair regional development, Labour Future aims to create a fairer future that puts working people first.”

Osborne is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for entrepreneurship (chair), the ocean, schools, learning and assessment (co-chair), sustainable resources (chair) and wine of Great Britain.

Osborne delivered his maiden speech on 12 September 2024.

In it, he said: “My constituents embody aspiration and determination…

“I believe that community wealth building should be central to our approach to government. By focusing on wealth creation, we can drive and support local businesses and revitalise our town centres.”

He added: “I pledge to work across party lines to ensure economic security and improvements in our public services – and I will do so in a friendly, open and approachable way.

“The government must of course deal with the £22 billion in-year deficit, and we must work to secure our economic prosperity to ensure that all our people, especially our young people, have the skills that will give them a future.”

Before entering parliament, Osborne was elected as a Labour councillor on Medway Council in May 2011. He stood down as a councillor in 2024.

Osborne previously stood unsuccessfully as the Labour candidate for Chatham and Aylesford in the 2015 general election, and as the Labour candidate for Kent police and crime commissioner in 2016.

Political Views

Leadership elections

Labour deputy leadership 2025: Osborne was one of 175 Labour MPs who nominated Bridget Phillipson for the party’s deputy leadership in September 2025. The election followed the resignation of Angela Rayner, who stepped down as deputy prime minister and deputy party leader after an investigation into her tax affairs. It marked the first time since 2007 that Labour had held a deputy leadership contest while in government.

Phillipson, the serving education secretary, was widely viewed as the candidate favoured by Downing Street and the party leadership. She secured 175 nominations from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), comfortably exceeding the 80 required to reach the final ballot. She was ultimately defeated by Lucy Powell.

Factional identity and party tradition

Usdaw: Osborne is a member of the Usdaw Union Parliamentary Group – a group of MPs who are members of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) and work generally to represent the union’s interests within parliament.

Living Standards Coalition: Osborne is a member of the Living Standards Coalition. Established in July 2025, the group’s stated aim was to develop and promote policy ideas that directly reduce everyday costs for households, particularly in areas such as food, energy, housing and childcare. In an open letter published upon its founding, addressed to Keir Starmer, the MPs wrote: “Our constituents will ask one question at the next election: did this Labour government make me better off?”

They added: “To raise living standards, we support government interventions that will help to increase incomes and lower costs.”

Welfare

Welfare vote (July 2025): Osborne voted in favour of the government’s flagship welfare bill at second reading. The vote came after ministers agreed to significant concessions to avoid defeat via a mass rebellion of Labour MPs on 1 July 2025.

Assisted dying

Osborne voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, better known as the assisted dying bill, at both second reading (November 2024) and third reading (June 2025).

Social values and conscience issues

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): Osborne voted in favour of a backbench amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that sought to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales in June 2025. The amendment, which was passed by a majority of 242 votes, removed women from the threat of prosecution for ending a pregnancy at any stage. As an issue of conscience, MPs were allowed to vote according to their personal beliefs.

Before Politics

Tristan John Osborne grew up in Rochester, Kent. He attended St William of Perth Catholic Primary School.

Osborne studied natural sciences at Durham University, graduating in 2004, and later obtained a master’s in business management from the same institution. He later secured a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) from Canterbury Christ Church University.

Osborne initially held finance and consultancy roles, including at Lethwaite International. During this time, he also served as a special constable with the Metropolitan Police.

Upon moving to teaching, he worked as a geography teacher at Strood Academy, including as head of the geography department, and a humanities teacher at Stone Lodge School.

Personal Life

Osborne lives in his Chatham and Aylesford constituency.

Trivia

Osborne expressed support for Keir Starmer during the May 2026 government crisis.