View source for Graham Tope, Baron Tope

{{Short description|British politician (born 1943)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2018}}
{{BLP sources|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name = The Lord Tope
| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|commas=on|CBE}}
| image = Lord Tope.jpg
| caption =  Official portrait, 2020
|office = [[Member of the House of Lords]]<br />[[Lord Temporal]]
|term_start = 4 October 1994<br />[[Life Peerage]]
|term_end = 
| office1 =[[Member of the London Assembly]]<br />for (London-wide)
| assembly1 = London
| term_start1 = 4 May 2000
| term_end1 = 1 May 2008
| predecessor1 = Assembly Created
| successor1 = [[Caroline Pidgeon]]
| office2 = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br />for [[Sutton and Cheam (UK Parliament constituency)|Sutton and Cheam]]
| term_start2 = 7 December 1972
| term_end2 = 8 February 1974
| predecessor2 = [[Richard Sharples]]
| successor2 = [[Neil Macfarlane (politician)|Neil Macfarlane]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1943|11|30|df=yes}}
| birth_place = 
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| nationality = [[United Kingdom|British]]
| spouse = 
| party = [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]], [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] (1972-1988)
| relations = 
| children = 
| residence = 
| alma_mater = 
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| signature = 
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}}
'''Graham Norman Tope, Baron Tope''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE}} (born 30 November 1943) is a [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] politician in the [[United Kingdom]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Mr Graham Tope |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/people/mr-graham-tope/index.html |website=Hansard |access-date=13 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Parliamentary career for Lord Tope - MPs and Lords |url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/1703/career |website=UK Parliament |access-date=13 May 2021 |language=en}}</ref> He was also a councillor in the [[London Borough of Sutton]] until 2014.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sutton Central Ward |url=https://www.andrewteale.me.uk/leap/ward/596/ |website=Local Elections Archive Project |access-date=13 May 2021}}</ref>

In 1972, Tope captured the seat of [[Sutton and Cheam (UK Parliament constituency)|Sutton and Cheam]] at a [[1972 Sutton and Cheam by-election|parliamentary by-election]] from the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservatives]] for the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]]. The Conservatives retook the seat at the [[February 1974 United Kingdom general election|February 1974 general election]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Experience for Lord Tope - MPs and Lords |url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/1703/experience |website=UK Parliament |access-date=13 May 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

In November 1973, Tope was made spokesperson for the Liberal Party on health and social security and Northern Ireland.<ref>{{Cite news|newspaper=The Times|title='Portfolios' for Liberal MPs|last=Groser|first=John |date=23 November 1973|page=2|issue=58946}}</ref>

Having been appointed a [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE) in the [[1991 Birthday Honours]],<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=52563 |date=15 June 1991 |page=9 |supp=y}}</ref> Tope was created a [[life peer]] as '''Baron Tope''', of [[Sutton, London|Sutton]] in the [[London Borough of Sutton]] on 4 October 1994.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=53812 |date=7 October 1994 |page=14073}}</ref>  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 council]]lor all at the same time.<ref>{{cite web |title=Experience for Lord Tope - MPs and Lords |url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/1703/experience |website=UK Parliament |access-date=13 May 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

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]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Experience for Lord Tope - MPs and Lords |url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/1703/experience |website=UK Parliament |access-date=13 May 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110604072928/http://www.libdems.org.uk/people/lord-tope-of-sutton Graham Tope: profile at the site of Liberal Democrats] 
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080506204247/http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/members/former_members/topeg.jsp Graham Tope: biography from the London Assembly]

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{{s-par|uk}}
{{succession box
  | title  = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Sutton and Cheam (UK Parliament constituency)|Sutton and Cheam]]
  | years  = [[1972 Sutton and Cheam by-election|1972]]–[[February 1974 United Kingdom general election|February 1974]]
  | before = [[Richard Sharples]]
  | after  = [[Neil Macfarlane (British politician)|Neil Macfarlane]]
}}
{{s-prec|uk}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Alf Dubs, Baron Dubs|The Lord Dubs]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom|Gentlemen]]'''<br />''Baron Tope'' '''}}
{{s-fol|after=[[Baron Hope of Craighead|The Lord Hope of Craighead]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Current Liberal Democrat Peers}}
{{Authority control}}

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


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