Who is Chris French? The Lib Dem who wants to 'build a bridge' between communities as London mayor
Chris French wants to reform the Met Police, saying he has seen both sides of the law working as a special constable and being wrongly stopped and searched.
Wednesday 19 July 2023 09:23, UK
Chris French says he wants to be the "bridge to bring the broad variety of London communities together".
The "adopted Londoner" has been shortlisted to be the Liberal Democrats' candidate for London mayor; the party will announce its final candidate in September.
He has lived for the last 10 years in Vauxhall, where he has also been selected to stand as the Lib Dems' candidate in the next general election.
Here, Sky News looks at his political background and campaign priorities as he makes his bid for City Hall.
Party: Liberal Democrats
Campaigning priorities: Reforming the Met Police, addressing inequality
Notable achievements: Lib Dem's parliamentary candidate for Vauxhall in next general election
Policing and being policed
Mr French is a former Met Police special constable.
He said he has "seen and experienced both sides of the law", having worked in uniform and been "wrongly stopped and searched".
He said he will use his experience of "policing and being policed" to bring about "sorely needed change" to the Met.
'A diverse candidate for a diverse city'
Mr French founded Lambeth Links, a community forum for LGBTQ people in Lambeth, the borough with the highest LGBTQ population in the city.
He is the chair of infrastructure charity LGBT Consortium and also chairs the Liberal Democrats' racial diversity campaign.
A career in health
Mr French has worked in the health sector for almost 10 years in roles he says have had "public protection as their main purpose".
He is a community advocate, working with the NHS, local authorities and charities to tackle health inequalities in the capital.
He founded social consultancy firm Solico in 2022.
"I will use my professional and lived experience to address the health inequalities that affect many in London," he said in a video announcing his bid for mayor.
Political background
Mr French is the Lib Dems' Lambeth and Southwark London Assembly candidate for the 2024 elections.
He has been selected to represent the Liberal Democrats as the party's parliamentary candidate for Vauxhall ahead of the next general election.
He stood in the Lambeth local elections in 2022, narrowly missing out to Labour.
Campaigning priorities
Tackling health inequalities and reforming policing are Mr French's top priorities.
He says he wants to "build a truly liberal London".