He held the position Député-maire of Versailles, meaning that he was separately elected as both the Mayor of the city and as a Deputy in the National Assembly (Assemblée nationale), but decided not to run again for Mayor in the 2008 election.

Born in Ixelles, Belgium, he started his political career in 1973 when Alain Peyrefitte named him as substitute Deputy for his constituency in Seine-et-Marne.

In 1978, he stood for election and won his seat in the first constituency in Yvelines, which comprises part of Versailles, and he has held this ever since, having been re-elected seven times, most recently in 2007.

In January 2009, he blamed Britain for the number of illegal immigrants attempting to enter the UK and asked Britain to give asylum to all of them: "Why are the British rejecting them while at the same time they're welcoming thousands of citizens from eastern Europe and in particular from Poland?"

This article about a Union for a Popular Movement (France) politician is a stub.