Old Bexley and Sidcup.

Defending Old Bexley and Sidcup against a Reform UK advance is where French has been most visible in recent months. A April 2026 article captured him on the front foot, attacking Reform's lack of local governance experience and warning of vote-splitting dangers -- a defensive posture that reflects the electoral pressure bearing down on London's outer Conservative seats. In Parliament, he backed the opposition's attempt to refer Keir Starmer to the Privileges Committee over the Peter Mandelson appointment, and voted against the government's King's Speech programme and its proposed power to direct pension fund investments.

French is a reliable Conservative loyalist -- 100% party-line across 365 votes -- though his 70% participation rate sits somewhat below the Commons average. His stance profile fits the Conservative mainstream: strongly pro-business and pro-parliamentary scrutiny, sceptical of workers' rights measures and progressive taxation. He deviates from his party colleagues in two directions: he is notably more sceptical of assisted dying than the average Conservative MP, and he has a modest lean toward public services funding. His speeches span economy and jobs, culture, local government, and health -- a broad constituency-focused mix rather than a specialist brief.

French holds no committee seats, limiting his formal parliamentary influence beyond the chamber. Local news coverage over the past 90 days -- 42 articles, heavily weighted toward crime -- is broadly neutral, with his most prominent coverage coming from his criticism of Metropolitan Police performance in Bexley. The most-read stories attached to his name still concern his predecessor, James Brokenshire, whose legacy shapes how the seat is perceived. Voting and speech data are available from 2021 onward.