Louie French
Louie Thomas French (born 1988) 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. 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. 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. Parliamentary career. French was selected as the Conservative candidate for the 2021 Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election on 30 October 2021. The by-election was called after the death of the incumbent Conservative MP James Brokenshire of lung cancer on 7 October 2021. 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%. French had previously contested the Eltham seat in the 2019 general election, where he finished second to the incumbent Labour MP Clive Efford. 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. 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. French made his maiden speech on 18 January 2022.