Daniel Francis is the Labour MP for Bexleyheath and Crayford, having first been elected to parliament at the 2024 general election.

In the 2024 general election, Francis received 15,717 votes (36.2%). The Conservative candidate, Mark Brooks, received 13,603 votes (31.3%), while the Reform UK candidate, Tom Bright, secured 9,861 votes (22.7%). Francis was elected with a majority of 2,114 votes.  

The Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency is located in the London Borough of Bexley, Greater London. It was created in 1997. The seat was held by Labour from 1997 to 2005, and then by the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2024.  

Francis’ immediate predecessor as the MP for Bexleyheath and Crayford was Sir David Evennett of the Conservative Party.  Evennett represented the seat from 2005 to 2024.

Political Career

Francis is a member of the House of Commons modernisation committee (since December 2025) – the committee that considers reforms to commons procedures, standards, and working practices.

Francis was also a member of the public bill committee for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill from January to March 2025.

In May 2026, Francis 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.”

In January 2026, Francis was one of over 60 Labour MPs to sign a letter to the prime minister calling for the introduction of an Australia-style ban on social media access for children under the age of 16. Organised by Plymouth Moor View MP Fred Thomas, the initiative brought together a cross-factional coalition of backbenchers – spanning the Socialist Campaign Group, Tribune Group and Blue Labour – to demand action.

The letter called on Keir Starmer to “show leadership” by introducing a minimum age for social media access “to protect young people from the consequences of unregulated, addictive social media platforms”.

It stated: “We are all strong supporters of technology, and of this Labour government’s ambition to use tech to improve lives. But successive governments have done far too little to protect young people from the consequences of unregulated, addictive social media platforms.”

In June 2025, Francis was one of 22 newly elected Labour MPs who co-signed a letter to the leader of the House of Commons, Lucy Powell, and the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) calling for improved paternity leave for parliamentary staff. The letter, organised in collaboration with the campaign group The Dad Shift, argued that the current provision of two weeks’ paid leave was “unfair” and left parliament trailing behind leading private and public sector employers.

The letter said current rules meant MPs were “unable to support our staff appropriately at some of the most important times of their lives”.

They added: “Dads in our offices get just two weeks off, a situation that is unfair and puts parliament many steps behind top employers across the country.”

In response, a government spokesperson told PoliticsHome: “We are committed to making sure parents receive the best possible support to balance their work and home lives as part of our Plan to Make Work Pay.”

Francis introduced the Aviation (Accessibility) Bill in November 2024. The proposed legislation sought to improve the accessibility of air travel for disabled passengers.

Francis is listed as a member of the all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) for access to disability equipment (chair) and wheelchair users (chair).

Francis delivered his maiden speech on 12 September 2024.

In it, he said: “Today, my day started as many others’ will have done: I lifted my child from her bed; I changed her nappy, dressed her, fed her and tidied her hair; and then I ensured that she was in her wheelchair and ready for her transport to collect her for school…

“The eldest of our twins has cerebral palsy and a range of complex disabilities. Like other carers, the greatest concern that my wife and I have is what will happen to her when we are gone…

“I will be the greatest of champions for carers and the disabled, because I really do know the challenges that families in our position face on a daily basis.”

He added: “I believe that this House really does need people like me, who know how badly reform is needed in the special educational needs system and for the rights of carers.”

Before entering parliament, Francis accumulated extensive experience in local government. He served as a Labour councillor on Bexley London Borough Council from 2000 to 2010, and again from 2014 to 2024. During his time on the council, he served as cabinet member for transport (2003-2006) and as leader of the Bexley Labour Group (2017-2021).  

Francis contested the 2021 Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election as the Labour candidate. He placed second with 6,711 votes (30.9%) and was defeated by Louie French, the Conservative candidate.

Political Views

Leadership elections

Labour deputy leadership 2025: Francis 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

Labour Housing: Francis was endorsed by the Labour Housing Group, a long-standing socialist society affiliated with the Labour party, at the 2024 general election. The group advocates a significant expansion of council and social housing, reform of the private rented sector to strengthen tenants’ rights, and tackling homelessness and poor housing conditions.

Usdaw: Francis 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.

Welfare

Welfare ‘reasoned amendment’ (June 2025): Francis was one of the over 120 Labour MPs to sign the reasoned amendment to the government’s flagship welfare bill which aimed to reject the proposed legislation.

The amendment, in the name of senior Labour MP Dame Meg Hillier, objected to the fact that the bill had not been subject to a “formal consultation with disabled people” and that “250,000 people will be pushed into poverty” as a result of it, according to a government impact assessment.

The motion also called on the government to wait for the publication of the review into the Personal Independence Payment (Pip), helmed by minister Sir Stephen Timms, and the independent review, conducted by Sir Charlie Mayfield, into how the employment of disabled people could be boosted.

Welfare vote (July 2025): Francis 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

Francis voted against 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): Francis 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.

Palestine

Palestinian recognition letter (July 2025): In July 2025, Francis was among the over 254 MPs to sign a cross-party letter calling for the government to immediately recognise the state of Palestine. The letter called on the prime minister and foreign secretary to recognise Palestine at the UN Conference then taking place in New York.

Before Politics

Francis has lived in the London Borough of Bexley for his whole life. He attended Bexley Grammar School and studied politics at London South Bank University.

He worked as a recruitment and staffing manager for Marks and Spencers from 1994 to 2003.

Personal Life

Francis is married. His wife is a teacher and they have twins.

One of his daughters has cerebral palsy.

Trivia

Francis served on the public bill committee that scrutinised the assisted dying bill in 2025.