Graham Tope, Baron Tope
British politician and life peer (born 1943)
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Graham Norman Tope, Baron Tope, CBE (born 30 November 1943) is a British politician and life peer. A member of the Liberal Democrats, he has served in both the House of Commons (1972–1974) and House of Lords (1994–present). Locally he was also a councillor on Sutton London Borough Council from 1974 to 2014 and elected to the London Assembly from 2000 to 2008.[1][2]
The Lord Tope | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2020 | |
| Member of the House of Lords | |
| Life peerage 4 October 1994 | |
| Member of the London Assembly as an additional member | |
| In office 4 May 2000 – 1 May 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Assembly created |
| Succeeded by | Caroline Pidgeon |
| Member of Parliament for Sutton and Cheam | |
| In office 7 December 1972 – 8 February 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Sharples |
| Succeeded by | Neil Macfarlane |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Graham Norman Tope 30 November 1943 |
| Party | Liberal Democrats (formerly Liberal Party, 1972–1988) |
Career
In 1972, Tope captured the seat of Sutton and Cheam at a parliamentary by-election from the Conservatives for the Liberal Party. He became the first Liberal to represent the seat. The Conservatives retook it at the February 1974 general election.[3] Tope contested the seat again in October 1974 without success.
In November 1973, Tope was made spokesperson for the Liberal Party on health, social security and Northern Ireland.[4]
From 1974 to 2014 Tope was a councillor on Sutton London Borough Council.[5] He was leader of the council from 1986 to 1999.
Having been appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1991 Birthday Honours,[6] Tope was created a life peer as Baron Tope, of Sutton in the London Borough of Sutton on 4 October 1994.[7] He became the Liberal Democrats' spokesperson on education. He was a member of the European Committee of the Regions and is the only person to have served as a member of a European Institution, a member of the UK Parliament, a member of a regional government structure and as a borough councillor all at the same time.[3]
At the London Assembly, he was leader of the Liberal Democrat Group until 2006, a member of the Audit Panel and member of the Transport Committee. He was also a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority, which oversees the Metropolitan Police.[3] He retired after two terms at the 2008 London Assembly election.