Louie French

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Cllr
Louie French
MP
Official Portrait of Louie French MP.jpg
Official portrait, 2021
Member of Parliament
for Old Bexley and Sidcup
Assumed office
2 December 2021
Preceded byJames Brokenshire
Majority4,478 (20.6%)
Member of Bexley London Borough Council
for Falconwood & Welling
Assumed office
23 May 2014
Personal details
Born
Louie Thomas French

February 1988 (age 34)
Greenwich, London, England
Political partyConservative
OccupationPolitician, former portfolio manager
Websitewww.louiefrench.org.uk

Louie Thomas French[1] (born 1988)[2][3] is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Old Bexley and Sidcup since 2021. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been a councillor on Bexley London Borough Council since 2014.

Early life and career[]

French was born in Greenwich, London, and grew up in Welling and Sidcup.[4][5] He was elected as a Conservative councillor for the Falconwood and Welling ward in the 2014 Bexley Borough Council election and was re-elected in 2018.[6] Alongside his role as councillor, he was also a senior research analyst and later lead portfolio manager for sustainable portfolios and services for the financial planning and investment firm Tilney.[7][8]

Parliamentary career[]

French was selected as the Conservative candidate for the 2021 Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election on 30 October 2021.[9] The by-election was called after the death of the incumbent Conservative MP James Brokenshire of lung cancer on 7 October 2021.[10] The constituency is considered a safe Conservative seat and has been represented by a member of the party since its creation in 1983. He was elected with a majority of 4,478 (20.6%), reduced from 18,952 (41.0%) in the 2019 election. The turnout was low at 33.5%.[11][12] French had previously contested the Eltham seat in the 2019 general election, where he finished second to the incumbent Labour MP Clive Efford.[13] After his election, he pledged to focus on increasing the number of police officers, investment in schools and hospitals, and protecting green spaces in the constituency.[14] French had also pledged to quit his job as a lead portfolio manager for Tilney if he was elected as MP and reported doing so in his first week.[15][16] French made his maiden speech on 18 January 2022.[17][18]

References[]

  1. ^ "Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election 2021: The candidates standing". BBC News. 22 November 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  2. ^ Bond, David (29 November 2021). "Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election: 'They feel sorry for me' ... the Tory battling for votes after sleaze". Evening Standard. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Entry Information". FreeBMD. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Louie French selected as candidate for Eltham". Greenwich Conservatives. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  5. ^ "About Louie French". Louie French. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Councillor Louie French". Bexley London Borough Council. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  7. ^ "Register of interests". Bexley London Borough Council. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  8. ^ "Louie French". The Law Society. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  9. ^ Bryant, Miranda (30 October 2021). "Tories select councillor Louie French for Old Bexley and Sidcup byelection". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  10. ^ Rawlinson, Kevin; Walker, Peter (8 October 2021). "Former Tory minister James Brokenshire dies aged 53". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  11. ^ Allegretti, Aubrey; Bland, Archie (3 December 2021). "Old Bexley and Sidcup byelection: Tories retain true-blue seat". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  12. ^ Craig, Jon (3 December 2021). "Old Bexley and Sidcup: Tories will be relieved over by-election result but 'sleaze' claims will make it much harder in North Shropshire". Sky News. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  13. ^ Somerville, Ewan (13 December 2019). "Eltham constituency results 2019: Labour's Clive Efford wins". Evening Standard. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  14. ^ "Old Bexley and Sidcup: Tories hold safe London seat at by-election". BBC News. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  15. ^ Mulligan, Euan (16 November 2021). "Tory candidate in Bexley election rules out second job". News Shopper. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  16. ^ @louie_french (12 December 2021). "My first week in Parliament is over and I have already delivered some of my election promises: Resigned from my day job ✅ Given up my councillor allowances ✅ Voted for the Borders Bill to stop illegal immigration & people smugglers ✅Supported local businesses & community" (Tweet). Retrieved 13 December 2021 – via Twitter.
  17. ^ Uyal, Berk (19 January 2022). "Old Bexley and Sidcup MP Louie French pays tribute to James Brokenshire". News Shopper. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  18. ^ "Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill [Lords]". Hansard. 18 January 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Old Bexley and Sidcup
2021–present 		Incumbent
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