Graham Norman Tope, Baron Tope, (born 30 November 1943) is a Liberal Democrat politician in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. He was also a councillor in the

London Borough of Sutton The London Borough of Sutton () is an Outer London London boroughs, borough in south London, England. It covers an area of and is the 80th largest local authority in England by population. It borders the London Borough of Croydon to the east, ...

until 2014. In 1972, Tope captured the seat of Sutton and Cheam at a parliamentary by-election from the

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

. The Conservatives retook the seat at the February 1974 general election. In November 1973, Tope was made spokesperson for the Liberal Party on health and social security and Northern Ireland. Having been appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the 1991 Birthday Honours, Tope was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

as Baron Tope, of

Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location * S ...

in the

on 4 October 1994. He is a member of the

Committee of the Regions The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the European Union's (EU) assembly of local and regional representatives that provides sub-national authorities (i.e. regions, counties, provinces, municipalities and cities) with a direct voice w ...

of the

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and is the only person in the country 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 council A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

lor all at the same time. At the

London Assembly The London Assembly is a 25-member elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds supermajority, to amend the Mayor's annual budget and to reject t ...

, he was leader of the Liberal Democrat Group until 2006, member of the Audit Panel, and member of the Transport Committee. He was also a member of the

Metropolitan Police Authority The Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) (2000–2012) was the local police authority responsible for scrutinising and supporting the work of the Metropolitan Police Service, the police force for Greater London (excluding the City of London Police ...

, which oversees the Metropolitan Police.

References

External links

Graham Tope: profile at the site of Liberal Democrats

Graham Tope: biography from the London Assembly
1943 births Living people Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Councillors in the London Borough of Sutton Liberal Democrats (UK) life peers Liberal Democrat Members of the London Assembly People educated at Whitgift School UK MPs 1970–1974 Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Life peers created by Elizabeth II London AMs 2000–2004 London AMs 2004–2008 Liberal Democrats (UK) councillors UK MPs who were granted peerages {{Life-peer-stub