# Old Bexley and Sidcup (UK Parliament constituency)

Old Bexley and Sidcup is a constituency in Greater London represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its 1983 creation. Its first Member of Parliament (MP) was former Prime Minister Edward Heath, who previously represented Bexley (1950–1974) and Sidcup (1974–1983). The seat has been held since a 2021 by-election by Louie French of the Conservative Party, following the death of incumbent James Brokenshire.

## History and profile

The seat was created in 1983 by combining a small part of the abolished seat of Bexleyheath, chiefly Old Bexley, with the abolished seat of Sidcup.
On 29 January 2008 the Conservative Party withdrew the whip from the constituency's MP, Derek Conway, following alleged misuse of funds revealed by the MPs expenses controversy, who declined to resign as MP and became an Independent. He retired from national politics in 2010.
Sir Edward Heath (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1970–1974) held this area (also referring to its main predecessor seats, Bexley and Sidcup) from 1950 until 2001 when he retired at the age of 84, at the time the longest-serving MP in the Commons, known as the Father of the House.

### Political overview

The seat has been won at general elections since creation by the Conservative Party candidate. The 1997 New Labour landslide saw the party's majority fall to its lowest level of 7% of the vote. Its greatest level has to date been 41.5% of the vote — in 1987.
In 2010 the seat was won by the Conservative candidate James Brokenshire, who had transferred to this seat and approved by his local party when his former seat of Hornchurch was abolished in boundary changes. His 2015 result made the seat the 105th safest of the Conservative Party's 331 seats by percentage of majority. The seat was left vacant following Brokenshire's death on 7 October 2021. until a by-election was held on 2 December which resulted in a Conservative hold.

## Boundaries
### Historic

1983–1997: The London Borough of Bexley wards of Blackfen, Blendon and Penhill, Cray, Lamorbey, St Mary's, Sidcup East, and Sidcup West.
1997–2010: The London Borough of Bexley wards of Blackfen, Blendon and Penhill, Cray, Danson, East Wickham, Falconwood, Lamorbey, St Mary's, Sidcup East, and Sidcup West.
2010–2024: The London Borough of Bexley wards of Blackfen and Lamorbey, Blendon and Penhill, East Wickham, Falconwood and Welling, Longlands, St Mary's, and Sidcup.
As its name suggests, the seat covers the Bexley and Sidcup areas; it formerly included Danson Park which owing to more development in the south was moved to the Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency.

### Current

Further to the 2023 periodic review of Westminster constituencies, which came into effect for the 2024 general election, the constituency is composed of:
* The London Borough of Bexley wards of: Blackfen & Lamorbey; Blendon & Penhill; East Wickham; Falconwood & Welling; Longlands; St. Mary’s & St. James; Sidcup.
The revised contents take into account the local government boundary review for Bexley which became effective in May 2018. Boundaries were extended slightly by adding the parts of the expanded East Wickham and Falconwood & Welling wards previously in Bexleyheath and Crayford.

## Constituency profile

Old Bexley and Sidcup has average incomes among the highest of all constituencies, a high proportion of semi-detached and detached homes and low unemployment with a lower than average dependency on social housing.
The constituency generally consists of middle-class and lower middle-class outer London suburbia, served by the Dartford Loop and Bexleyheath commuter railway lines to Central London. Sidcup has been largely developed to neat garden suburb-inspired building schemes for most homes.

## Members of Parliament

| Election | Member | Party |
| 1983 | Sir Edward Heath | Conservative |
| 2001 | Derek Conway | Conservative |
| 2008 | Derek Conway | Independent |
| 2010 | James Brokenshire | Conservative |
| 2021 by-election | Louie French | Conservative |

## Elections
### Elections in the 2020s

General election 2024: Old Bexley and Sidcup :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Louie French | 17,910 | 37.6 | −26.3 |
| | Labour | Edward Jones | 14,362 | 30.2 | +6.3 |
| | Reform UK | Maxine Fothergill | 10,384 | 21.8 | N/A |
| | Green | Brad Davies | 2,601 | 5.5 | +2.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Adrian Hyyrylainen-Trett | 1,927 | 4.0 | −4.3 |
| | Rejoin EU | Laurent Williams | 251 | 0.5 | N/A |
| | Independent | Andrew Still | 198 | 0.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,548 | 7.4 | −32.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,633 | 65.9 | −3.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 72,290 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −16.3 | |
By-election 2021: Old Bexley and Sidcup :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Louie French | 11,189 | 51.5 | −13.0 |
| | Labour | Daniel Francis | 6,711 | 30.9 | +7.4 |
| | Reform UK | Richard Tice | 1,432 | 6.6 | N/A |
| | Green | Jonathan Rooks | 830 | 3.8 | +0.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Simone Reynolds | 647 | 3.0 | −5.3 |
| | English Democrat | Elaine Cheeseman | 271 | 1.3 | N/A |
| | UKIP | John Poynton | 184 | 0.8 | N/A |
| | Rejoin EU | Richard Hewison | 151 | 0.7 | N/A |
| | Heritage | David Kurten | 116 | 0.5 | N/A |
| | CPA | Carol Valinejad | 108 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| | Monster Raving Loony | Mad Mike Young | 94 | 0.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,478 | 20.6 | −20.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 21,733 | 33.5 | −36.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 64,831 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −10.2 | |

### Elections in the 2010s

2019 notional result :
| Party | Party | Vote | % |
| | Conservative | 33,158 | 63.9 |
| | Labour | 12,389 | 23.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 4,303 | 8.3 |
| | Green | 1,791 | 3.5 |
| | Others | 226 | 0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | 51,867 | 69.8 |
| Electorate | Electorate | 74,317 |
General election 2019: Old Bexley and Sidcup :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Brokenshire | 29,786 | 64.5 | +3.1 |
| | Labour | Dave Tingle | 10,834 | 23.5 | −5.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Simone Reynolds | 3,822 | 8.3 | +5.0 |
| | Green | Matt Browne | 1,477 | 3.2 | +1.5 |
| | CPA | Carol Valinejad | 226 | 0.5 | +0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 18,952 | 41.0 | +8.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,145 | 69.8 | −3.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 66,104 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +4.4 | |
General election 2017: Old Bexley and Sidcup :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Brokenshire | 29,545 | 61.5 | +8.7 |
| | Labour | Danny Hackett | 14,079 | 29.3 | +10.3 |
| | UKIP | Freddy Vachha | 1,619 | 3.4 | −14.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Drew Heffernan | 1,572 | 3.3 | −0.2 |
| | Green | Derek Moran | 820 | 1.7 | −1.2 |
| | BNP | Michael Jones | 324 | 0.7 | +0.2 |
| | CPA | Chinwe Nwadikeduruibe | 83 | 0.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,466 | 32.2 | −1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,042 | 72.8 | +2.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 66,005 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −0.8 | |
General election 2015: Old Bexley and Sidcup :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Brokenshire | 24,682 | 52.8 | −1.3 |
| | Labour | Ibby Mehmet | 8,879 | 19.0 | −0.3 |
| | UKIP | Catherine Reilly | 8,528 | 18.2 | +14.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jennifer Keen | 1,644 | 3.5 | −11.9 |
| | Green | Derek Moran | 1,336 | 2.9 | +2.0 |
| | NHA | Bob Gill | 1,216 | 2.6 | N/A |
| | Christian | Laurence Williams | 245 | 0.5 | N/A |
| | BNP | Nicola Finch | 218 | 0.5 | −4.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,803 | 33.8 | −1.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,748 | 70.8 | +1.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 66,035 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −0.5 | |
General election 2010: Old Bexley and Sidcup :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Brokenshire | 24,625 | 54.1 | +4.1 |
| | Labour | Rick Everitt | 8,768 | 19.3 | −8.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Duncan Borrowman | 6,996 | 15.4 | +1.5 |
| | BNP | John Brooks | 2,132 | 4.7 | +1.8 |
| | UKIP | David Coburn | 1,532 | 3.4 | −1.2 |
| | English Democrat | Elaine Cheeseman | 520 | 1.1 | N/A |
| | Independents to save Queen Mary’s Hospital | John Hemming-Clark | 393 | 0.9 | N/A |
| | Green | Jonathan Rooks | 371 | 0.8 | N/A |
| | Monster Raving Loony | Napoleon Dynamite | 155 | 0.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,857 | 34.9 | +12.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,492 | 69.3 | +4.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 65,699 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +6.4 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Old Bexley and Sidcup :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Derek Conway | 22,191 | 49.8 | +4.4 |
| | Labour | Gavin Moore | 12,271 | 27.5 | −10.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Nick O'Hare | 6,564 | 14.7 | +1.0 |
| | UKIP | Michael Barnbrook | 2,015 | 4.5 | +1.1 |
| | BNP | Claire Sayers | 1,227 | 2.8 | N/A |
| | Independent | Gregory Peters | 304 | 0.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 9,920 | 22.3 | +14.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,572 | 65.3 | +3.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 68,226 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +7.2 | |
General election 2001: Old Bexley and Sidcup :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Derek Conway | 19,130 | 45.4 | +3.3 |
| | Labour | Jim Dickson | 15,785 | 37.5 | +2.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Belinda Ford | 5,792 | 13.7 | −2.4 |
| | UKIP | Janice Cronin | 1,426 | 3.4 | +2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,345 | 7.9 | +0.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,133 | 62.1 | −13.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 67,841 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.5 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Old Bexley and Sidcup :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Heath | 21,608 | 42.1 | −18.3 |
| | Labour | Richard Justham | 18,039 | 35.1 | +13.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Iain King | 8,284 | 16.1 | +0.2 |
| | Referendum | Brian Reading | 2,457 | 4.8 | N/A |
| | UKIP | C. Bullen | 489 | 1.0 | N/A |
| | BNP | Valerie Tyndall | 415 | 0.8 | N/A |
| | Natural Law | Robert Stephens | 99 | 0.2 | −0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,569 | 7.0 | −31.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 51,391 | 75.5 | −6.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 68,079 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −14.1 | |
General election 1992: Old Bexley and Sidcup :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Heath | 24,450 | 60.3 | −1.8 |
| | Labour | Donna Brierly | 8,751 | 21.6 | +4.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David J. Nicolle | 6,438 | 15.9 | −4.7 |
| | Independent | Barry Rose | 733 | 1.8 | N/A |
| | Natural Law | Robert Stephens | 148 | 0.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 15,699 | 38.7 | −2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 40,520 | 81.9 | +4.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 49,449 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | −1.4 | |

### Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Old Bexley and Sidcup :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Heath | 24,350 | 62.1 | +1.9 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Pearce | 8,076 | 20.6 | −5.4 |
| | Labour | Howard Stoate | 6,762 | 17.3 | +3.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,274 | 41.5 | +7.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,188 | 77.1 | +2.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 50,831 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +3.7 | |
General election 1983: Old Bexley and Sidcup :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Heath | 22,442 | 60.2 | |
| | Liberal | Peter Vickers | 9,704 | 26.0 | |
| | Labour | Chris Kiff | 5,116 | 13.7 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,738 | 34.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 37,262 | 74.2 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 50,255 | | |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |