I am Gareth Bacon, your Conservative Member of Parliament for Orpington.
I took my Bachelors Degree at the University of Kent in 1996, before studying for a Masters Degree in European Politics at the same university the following year. The subject of my Masters Degree dissertation was an examination of the democratic deficit in the European Union – I concluded that this was a problem that could not be resolved and that Britain would be better served by leaving the European Union. This forms much of the foundation of my support for Brexit.
After university, I worked in financial services before moving into financial recruitment, latterly as a Director of a large financial recruitment business.
In 1998, I was elected to serve as a local councillor in the London Borough of Bexley. For a total of nine years I served as a Cabinet Member in a number of positions including as Deputy Leader of the Council, Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services, and Cabinet Member for Environment and Public Realm.
I was a Greater London Assembly Member between 2008 and 2021, initially as a London-wide Member but subsequently was proud to represent the GLA constituency of Bromley and Bexley, which includes Orpington, holding the Mayor of London to account and delivering for outer London. In the final 18 months of Boris Johnson's mayoralty, I served as Chairman of the London Fire & Emergency Planning Authority. This body oversaw the London Fire Brigade and co-ordinated the emergency planning work for London. Subsequently, I led the GLA Conservatives in the Assembly between 2015 and 2020 and endeavoured to protect our green spaces, keep our communities safe, and ensure that every penny of taxpayers' money was well spent.
I was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Orpington in December 2019. In Parliament I was a member of the Public Accounts Committee (2020-2022) before serving in a succession of Parliamentary Private Secretary positions in the Department for Work and Pensions, the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Health and Social Care. In November 2023 I became a Minister, serving as Under Secretary of State in the Ministry of Justice, a position I held until the 2024 General Election. Following the election, I was appointed Shadow Ministry of State for Business and Trade, Shadow Minister of State for Justice and Shadow Minister for London.
As your MP, I have campaigned on multiple local issues. Amongst these, I strongly opposed the Mayor of London's plan to extend ULEZ to the outer London Boroughs, including Orpington. I also understand the challenges facing Orpington: crime and the fear of crime are rising, calls for building to be allowed on the greenbelt are getting louder. I will continue to stand up for local people in the face of these and other threats.
It was a great privilege to be re-elected as the Member of Parliament for Orpington in July 2024. I am proud to represent you and will continue to stand up for the people of Orpington.