Graham Tope, Baron Tope
Graham Norman Tope, Baron Tope, CBE (born 30 November 1943) is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom. He was also a councillor in the London Borough of Sutton until 2014.
The Right Honourable The Lord Tope CBE | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2020 | |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| Assumed office 4 October 1994 Life Peerage | |
| Member of the London Assembly for (London-wide) | |
| 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 | 30 November 1943 |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Liberal Democrats, Liberal Party (1972-1988) |
In 1972, Tope captured the seat of Sutton and Cheam at a parliamentary by-election from the Conservatives for the Liberal Party. 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 (CBE) in the 1991 Birthday Honours, Tope was created a life peer as Baron Tope, of Sutton in the London Borough of Sutton on 4 October 1994. He is a member of the Committee of the Regions of the European Union 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 councillor all at the same time.
At the London Assembly, 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, which oversees the Metropolitan Police.