Edwards was born in Bristol as the daughter of Christopher Charles Davis and Nelly Davis. She was privately educated at Clifton High School, Bristol,[4] before studying theology at the London School of Theology, where she gained a First Class BA in Theology.[5] She went on to complete a master's MSc degree in International Development and Security at the University of Bristol, achieving a Distinction.[2][6] After graduation, she worked as a parliamentary researcher for then Shadow Minister for Home Affairs and Counter Terrorism Crispin Blunt. She then worked as a strategy consultant for Deloitte from 2010 to 2012.[7][2]
Edwards subsequently worked as a specialist for the Home Affairs Select Committee from 2012 to 2013.[8] She then completed a crime and justice research fellowship at the think tank Policy Exchange in 2013.[9] She left Policy Exchange to become Head of Cyber, Justice and Emergency Services at the trade association TechUK, where she worked from 2013 to 2015.[10][11] After this, Edwards worked as the head of commercial strategy and public policy for the telecommunications company BT from 2015 to 2019.[2][12][13]
In 2020 Edwards voted not to call on the Government to develop and implement a plan to eliminate the substantial majority of transport emissions by 2030. Ruth Edwards has generally voted against measures to prevent climate change. [20]
Outside of her parliamentary role, she was also an adviser to the HR payroll software company MHR, for which Mongoose Bridges, a company that she co-owns with her husband, received £5,000 a month between May 2021 and December 2021.[22][23]
^Chamber, Max; Davis, Ruth; McLeod, Charlotte. "Power Down"(PDF). Policy Exchange. Archived(PDF) from the original on 9 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
^"Drugs: Breaking the Cycle"(PDF). parliament.uk. 3 December 2012. Archived(PDF) from the original on 9 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
^Chambers, Max; McLeod, Charlotte; Davis, Ruth. "Future Courts"(PDF). Policy Exchange. p. 2. Archived(PDF) from the original on 9 November 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.