Louie French is the Conservative MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup, having first been elected to parliament in a by-election on 2 December 2021.

In the 2024 general election, French won 17,910 votes, representing 37.6% of the vote. The Labour candidate, Edward Jones, received 14,362 votes (30.2%), while the Reform UK candidate, Maxine Fothergill, secured 10,384 votes (21.8%). French was duly elected with a majority of 3,548 votes.

The Old Bexley and Sidcup constituency is located in the London Borough of Bexley in South East London. It is considered a safe Conservative seat, having been represented by the party since its creation in 1983, including by former prime minister Sir Edward Heath. A majority of the constituency, 62.4%, voted Leave in the 2016 referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union (EU).

French’s immediate predecessor as the MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup was James Brokenshire, a former Conservative cabinet minister. His death in October 2021 triggered the by-election that French successfully contested. In his 2021 maiden speech, French described Brokenshire as a “true and loyal friend to me over many years”.

He added: “I humbly recognise that he is a tough act to follow. I hope to be able to continue his legacy in some way.”

Political Career

French currently serves as shadow minister of state for culture, media and sport (since July 2025). He previously served as shadow parliamentary under secretary of state for culture, media and sport (2024-2025).

Upon being declared the winner of the 2021 Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election, French vowed to “work tirelessly to repay the trust that you’ve placed in me and I will not let you down.”

French won 11,189 votes (51.5%). The Conservative Party’s majority was cut from 18,952 to 4,478, with a 10% swing to Labour.

Wearing the rosette of his predecessor, French added: “My focus will now be delivering on those promises that I made during the campaign – get our fair share of London’s police officers, securing more investment for local schools and hospitals, protecting our precious green spaces.”

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French served as a member of the House of Commons public accounts committee from March 2022 to June 2023.

French delivered his maiden speech on 18 January 2022 during a debate on the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill. In it, he said: “I thank colleagues for their warm reception today and for the party’s support throughout the by-election. Who would have thought that someone with the surname French would be so warmly welcomed by so many Brexiteers?

“If the home secretary could have forecast my voting against the government in my first month, she might have deployed the Navy even earlier.”

He added: “I am determined to use my time in this place to do everything I can for our community, and ensure that it continues to be a great place to live.

“That includes campaigning to secure extra facilities at Queen Mary’s Hospital; increased availability of GP appointments and police on our streets; working to ensure our schools stay excellent; protecting our precious local green spaces; and ensuring Southeastern commuters finally see a much-needed improvement to our rail services.”

Before entering parliament, French served as a Conservative councillor on Bexley London Borough Council representing the Falconwood and Welling ward from 2014 until 2022. He was deputy leader of the council from 2018 until 2021.

Political views

Leadership elections and loyalty

Tory leadership 2022 (I): French supported Rishi Sunak’s candidacy in the Conservative Party’s July-September 2022 leadership election. The contest was triggered by the resignation of Boris Johnson, following the mass exodus of more than 60 frontbenchers.

Sunak, the former chancellor, warned against “comforting fairytales” regarding unfunded tax cuts. Although he won every round of the parliamentary ballots, securing 137 votes in the final stage, Sunak was defeated by Liz Truss in the membership vote, finishing with 60,399 votes (42.6%).

Tory leadership 2022 (II): French also supported Sunak’s candidacy in the Conservative Party’s October 2022 leadership election. The contest was triggered by the resignation of Truss after just 45 days in office, following the financial and political tailspin triggered by her “mini-budget”.

Unlike the summer contest, this election featured an expedited process requiring each candidate to secure at least 100 nominations from MPs to proceed. Sunak, having emerged as the clear frontrunner, was declared leader of the Conservative Party unopposed on 24 October.

Factional identity and party tradition

Conservative Environment Network: French is listed as a member of the Conservative Environment Network (CEN) parliamentary caucus. CEN is an independent forum for conservatives that supports conservation and decarbonisation. It calls for the environment to be given a higher profile at the heart of policy making, describing “biodiversity loss, climate change, and wasteful resource use are threats to our national security”, and promotes “market-based policies” to environmental challenges. Members of its parliamentary caucus, such as French, are thought to generally align with the group’s “green” message and environmentalism.

Mass deportation: In May 2025, French signed an early day motion (EDM) concerning the mass deportation of illegal migrants. The motion, tabled by the independent MP Rupert Lowe, expressed “grave concern at the continued presence of over one million illegal migrants in the United Kingdom”.

The EDM urged the government to “implement a comprehensive national strategy to identify, detain, and deport all individuals found to be residing in the United Kingdom illegally, and to ensure that such policies are backed by the necessary legislative, diplomatic, logistical and financial resources to restore confidence in the rule of law and the security of our borders.”

Brexit and Europe

Customs union vote (2025): In December 2025, French voted against the UK-EU Customs Union (Duty to Negotiate) Bill. The bill, introduced under the ten-minute rule procedure by Liberal Democrat Europe spokesperson Al Pinkerton, sought to mandate the government to enter into negotiations with the European Union to establish a bespoke customs unio

Assisted dying

French 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).

In a statement setting out his position, issued ahead of the bill’s second reading, French said: “My fear is people will feel pressured to choose assisted dying because they feel like a burden on their family, the NHS and society. No one should end their life for fear of being a burden to others or, even worse, being coerced into doing so.”

He added: “Legalising assisted dying will also irreversibly change society’s view on death. While this legislation is defined to exclude children, non-terminal conditions, and mental illness, most other countries that have taken this step later expand the law – hence the concerns of many when describing the bill as a slippery slope.”

Social values and conscience issues

Abortion decriminalisation (2025): French voted against 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.

Civil liberties

Covid passes vote (2021): French was one of 99 Conservative MPs to vote against Covid passes in England in December 2021.

Commenting on his vote, French stated: “I fully support the booster rollout and I will get mine ASAP thanks to the efforts of the government, NHS, pharmacies, army and volunteers.

“But, I made a clear pre-election pledge that I would not support Covid passes for our domestic economy and voted accordingly.”

This vote came within days of French’s election to parliament.

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Before Politics

Born Louie Thomas French on 14 February 1988, he grew up in Welling and Sidcup within the Old Bexley and Sidcup constituency.

He attended local schools including Bishop Ridley Primary School, Harris Academy Falconwood and Blackfen School for Girls (which has a mixed sixth form.)

Before becoming an MP, French worked in financial services in the City of London, specialising in sustainable investment and research, latterly as a lead portfolio manager for Tilney.

Personal Life

French previously served as a school governor in Welling.

Trivia

French is the first MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup to have grown up within the constituency.