East of England · England · 76,576Boundary · 2023

Rayleigh & Wickford

Follow⇄ Compare
Dispatch
Apr 2026

Represented by Con since 2024. Covers Rayleigh, Wickford and Hockley and Hawkwell. Population 104,754. Recorded crime is 47% below the national average.

A long-serving backbencher with a notably low voting participation rate of 59% -- well below the Commons average -- Francois has nonetheless been active in the current parliamentary ping-pong on Lords amendments, consistently voting to retain changes made by the upper chamber against the Labour government's wishes on the Children's Wellbeing Bill, Pension Schemes Bill, and Crime and Policing Bill. In local news, he recently submitted a seven-page formal objection to a 1,300-home development planned for south Essex, a high-profile intervention against what he frames as inappropriate green belt development. His most recent speech was on 15 April 2026.

A 100% Conservative party-line voter with no rebel votes on record, Francois nonetheless deviates from his party average in notable areas: he sits 22 percentage points above Conservative colleagues on civil liberties, and 17 points higher on assisted dying access. His 515 contributions across 149 debates show genuine parliamentary engagement -- his speeches concentrate heavily on defence (86 contributions), consistent with his seat on the Armed Forces Bill Select Committee, followed by economy and jobs, housing, and local government. He scores 92% alignment with pro-business stances and 80% against tax increases, but only 7% on workers' rights votes.

287
Commons votes
This parliament
£31k
Median income
HMRC · 2024
76.6k
Electorate
2024 GE

Sign up free to see how Mark Francois votes, their stance profile, speeches, and committee roles.

Sign up free
§ 06This week in Westminster.Live · today’s sittingOrder Paper · refreshed daily

Francois’s scheduled Commons activity this week — whipped divisions, oral questions, debates — drawn from the House of Commons Order Paper.

§ 07The record, at a glance.290 divisions voted

Two readings of the same data. Issue volume shows where Francois has cast the most ballots — a proxy for engagement, not direction. Notable votes are the moments where the whip was free or where they broke ranks.

Issue volume
Top issues by total divisions voted · cumulative this Parliament
Taxation
70
Economy
53
Education
32
Employment
29
Defence and Foreign Affairs
20
Housing
20
Notable votes
Free votes and rebellions — moments the MP’s own judgment matters more than the whip

No rebellions or free votes recorded yet.

§ 08The local picture.11 wards

Constituencies are not uniform. Below — the local council make-up, key facts worth knowing, and the neighbouring seats on either side.

WardCouncillorVotesParty
Castledon CrouchAlex Myers1,084Conserva
Castledon CrouchStuart Johns Allen987Conserva
Castledon CrouchTerri Lilian Joan Sargent992Conserva
Downhall RawrethJim Cripps891Liberal
Hawkwell EastMike Webb337Independ
Hawkwell WestIan Clive Wilson848Rochford
HockleyPhil Capon680Rochford
Hockley AshingdonRoger Paul Constable463Conserva
HullbridgeMichael Hoy1,091Independ
LodgeRobert Milne857Liberal
Sweyne Park GrangeLisa Jane Newport820Independ
TrinityMatt O'Leary900Liberal
Population (2021 Census)
104,754
Electorate 76,576 · 2024 register
Median income
£30,700
HMRC SPI 2024
Households renting privately
11.3%
England average 20.0%
Schools
32
24 primary · 5 secondary
Next · dig deeperEvery division, question, speech and committee record

Mine the full
record → Data view

Filter divisions, search written questions, read every speech since the election. Sortable, searchable, downloadable.

More constituency data is being added, including local issue analysis and historical trends. Learn about our methodology. View data sources & attribution.