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Christopher Chope

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Sir Christopher Chope
OBE MP
Official portrait, 2017
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
In office
22 July 1990 – 10 April 1992
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
John Major
Preceded byRobert Atkins
Succeeded byKenneth Carlisle
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment
In office
10 September 1986 – 22 July 1990
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Preceded byGeorge Young
Succeeded byPatrick Nicholls
Member of Parliament
for Christchurch
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 May 1997
Preceded byDiana Maddock
Majority7,455 (15.8%)
Member of Parliament
for Southampton Itchen
In office
9 June 1983 – 16 March 1992
Preceded byBob Mitchell
Succeeded byJohn Denham
Personal details
BornChristopher Robert Chope
(1947-05-19) 19 May 1947 (age 79)[1]
Putney, London, England
PartyConservative
Spouse
Christine Mary Hutchinson
​
​
(m. 1987)​
Children2
Alma materUniversity of St Andrews[2]
Websitewww.chrischope.com Edit this at Wikidata

Sir Christopher Robert Chope OBE (born 19 May 1947) is a British politician and former barrister who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Christchurch in Dorset since 1997. A member of the Conservative Party, he was first elected in 1983 for Southampton Itchen, but lost this seat in 1992 to Labour. He returned to Parliament in 1997 and has remained an MP ever since.

Early life

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Christopher Chope was born in Putney, the son of Pamela (née Durell) and Robert Charles Chope (1913–1988), a circuit judge and former judge of county courts.[3][4][5] He was privately educated at the St Andrew's Preparatory School in Eastbourne and then Marlborough College. He then attended Queen's College at the University of St Andrews (now the University of Dundee) where he was awarded an LLB degree in 1970. He was a contemporary of Michael Fallon and Michael Forsyth, and was influenced by Madsen Pirie.[6] He finished his education at the Inns of Court School of Law. Chope was called to the bar at the Inner Temple in 1972.

Chope was elected as a councillor on the Wandsworth London Borough Council in 1974 and became the council leader in 1979; he left the council on his first election to Parliament in 1983. Chope was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1982 New Year Honours for services to local government.[7]

Parliamentary career

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Chope was elected as an MP at the 1983 general election for Southampton Itchen where he defeated the Social Democratic Party (and previously Labour) MP Bob Mitchell by 5,290 votes and became the first Conservative MP for Southampton Itchen since the constituency was created in 1950.

Chope was appointed as the parliamentary private secretary to Peter Brooke, the Minister of State at the Treasury in 1986, before being promoted by Margaret Thatcher to serve in her government as the parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for the Environment later in the same year, where he was responsible for steering through the Council Tax legislation, the replacement for the community charge or Poll tax, which was withdrawn after a popular revolt.[8][9] He was moved under the leadership of John Major to serve in the same rank at the Department of Transport from 1990 until he lost his Southampton Itchen seat to John Denham at the 1992 general election.

Following his defeat, Chope took up a consultancy as a thought leadership advisor with Ernst & Young in 1992, but was re-elected at the 1997 general election for the Christchurch constituency. In 1997, he became a spokesman on the Environment, Transport and the Regions as well as being the Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party under William Hague, but left the frontbench later that year when he became a member of the Trade and Industry Select committee. He returned to the frontbench after the 2001 election as a spokesman on the Treasury. In 2002, he moved to Transport, then left frontbench politics after the 2005 general election. He currently serves on the Panel of Chairs.

Chope was chairman of the Thatcherite Conservative Way Forward group between 2001 and 2009.

During the expenses scandal of 2009, it emerged that Chope claimed £136,992 in parliamentary expenses in 2007–8. This included claiming £881 to repair a sofa.[10]

Chope was criticised following remarks made on 17 January 2013[11] when he referred to House of Commons dining room staff as "servants" in a speech.[12]

Chope was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 2018 New Year Honours for political and public service.[13] Following the 2024 general election, Chope was appointed as acting Second Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means.[14]

Political views

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On 10 February 2009 Chope co-sponsored an Employment Opportunities Bill to the House of Commons, which would have enabled workers to opt out of the minimum wage.[15] The bill was objected to and later dropped.[16]

The Guardian reported in 2010 that Chope was sceptical of climate change and attended a meeting of climate change sceptics in the Palace of Westminster in October 2010.[17]

Chope helped to lead backbench support for the motion calling for a referendum to leave the European Union. He was heavily involved in the use of private member's bills to achieve this aim.[18][19] Chope has consistently supported Britain's withdrawal from the European Union.[20] Prior to the 2016 referendum, he announced his support for Brexit.[21] He has been supportive of Leave Means Leave, a Eurosceptic pressure group.[22]

Chope voted against the legislation for same-sex marriage in 2013.[23]

In June 2013 Chope was one of four MPs who camped outside Parliament in a move to facilitate parliamentary debate on an 'Alternative Queen's Speech' – an attempt to show what a future Conservative government might deliver.[24] 42 policies were listed including reintroduction of the death penalty and conscription, the privatisation of the BBC, banning the burka in public places, holding a referendum on same-sex marriage and preparing to leave the European Union.[24]

In 2014 Chope voted against requiring all companies with more than 250 employees to declare the gap in pay between the average male and average female salaries.[25]

In July 2017 Chope and Peter Bone, the Conservative MP for Wellingborough and Rushden, tabled 73 bills between them, of which 47 were placed by Chope.[26][27] In order to be at the front of the queue to table the bills, the pair had camped in the Palace of Westminster for three days. Chope's bills included legislation to privatise the BBC and Channel 4, limit the interest rate chargeable on student loan debt (and forgive it in certain circumstances), reduce stamp duty, and decriminalise TV licence-dodging. Because of the number of slots for bills they took, Chope and Bone were criticised, including by Paul Flynn, for their actions.[27]

In March 2019 Chope was one of 21 MPs who voted against LGBT inclusive sex and relationship education in English schools.[28][29]

In October 2022 Chope said that Rishi Sunak would be unable to unite the Conservative Party as Prime Minister.[30]

In March 2023 Chope voted against the Windsor Framework.[31] Later in the year he attended a conference hosted by the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban.[32]

In 2024 Chope stated, with regard to the leadership contender Kemi Badenoch during the 2024 Conservative Party leadership election: "As much as I like Kemi, she is preoccupied with her own children, quite understandably", and stating that Robert Jenrick brought more energy to the campaign.[33]

Approach to Bills

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Chope is a member of a group of backbench Conservative MPs who regularly object to private members bills which, in their view, have not received sufficient scrutiny. These have included a number which were previously believed to have widespread public and parliamentary support.[34]

The BBC's parliamentary correspondent, Mark D'Arcy, said the group claims to "make a practice of ensuring that what they see as well-meaning but flabby legislation is not lazily plopped on to the statute book by a few MPs on a poorly attended Friday sitting."[35] Chope said that he objects on principle to legislation being introduced to the statute books without debate: "[T]his is something I have fought for in most of my time as an MP and it goes to the very heart of the power balance between the government and Parliament. The government is abusing parliamentary time for its own ends and in a democracy this is not acceptable. The government cannot just bring in what it wants on the nod."[36]

There are multiple examples of Private Members' Bills to which Chope has objected "because he does not agree with legislation being brought before Parliament on a Friday without enough time for a full debate", they had not been debated and/or, in his view, had received selective criticism.[37] On 15 June 2018, Chope blocked the passage of a private member's bill that would have made upskirting a specific offence because the Bill had not been debated. Chope stated that his reason for blocking the passage was in objection to parliamentary procedure rather than to the bill itself: he stated that he would "wholeheartedly" support a government bill that outlawed upskirting.[36] Chope's actions drew immediate criticism from fellow MPs, including some in his own party.[38][39]

Some of Chope's Private Members' Bills have been successfully implemented as law. Most recently, a Bill to passed all of its House of Commons stages on on day and was enacted, with the consequence that pitch fees for park home residents can only increase by the consumer prices index rather than the retail prices index.[40] Other legislative proposals contained in Chope's Private Members' Bills have been adopted in Government legislation, for example, those which outlaw drug driving.

Chope has published regular commentary on aspects of his Bills and political views, including as a contributor to the Amazon #1 bestseller Canary in a Covid World and the Canary in a Climate World collections of essays.[41]

Personal life

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On 20 April 1987, Chope married Christine Mary, daughter of Robert Hutchinson, of Wimborne, in Wimborne Minster.[42] Prior to their marriage, Christine had been employed as Chope's House of Commons' secretary and researcher for three years.[42][43] They have two children.[44][45]

References

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  1. ↑ "Birthdays today". The Times. London. 19 May 1988. p. 14.
  2. ↑ Waller, Robert; Criddle, Byron (7 May 2007). The Almanac of British Politics. Routledge. p. 301. ISBN 978-1135206765.
  3. ↑ "Chope, His Honour Robert Charles, (26 June 1913–17 October 1988), a Circuit Judge (Formerly Judge of County Courts), 1965–85". Who Was Who. Oxford University Press. December 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u162881. ISBN 9780199540891. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  4. ↑ Dod's Parliamentary Companion, 2005, Vacher Dod Publishing, p. 121.
  5. ↑ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  6. ↑ "Christopher CHOPE" (PDF). Parliamentary Profile Services Ltd. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  7. ↑ "No. 48837". The London Gazette. 30 December 1981. p. 9.
  8. ↑ "Appointments". The Times. London. 2 May 1986. p. 14.[verification needed]
  9. ↑ "'Lost' MP discovers he's a minister". The Times. London. 17 September 1986. p. 5.[verification needed]
  10. ↑ Hennessy, Patrick (24 May 2009). "MPs' expenses: Tory Christopher Chope's £881 bill for repairing sofa". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 27 May 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2010.
  11. ↑ UK Parliament. "House of Commons Dining Rooms, Volume 556: debated on Thursday 17 January 2013". UK Parliament. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  12. ↑ "Tory MP Chope Calls Commons Staff 'Servants'". Sky News. 17 January 2013. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  13. ↑ "No. 62150". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2017. p. N2.
  14. ↑ "Deputy Speakers - Hansard - UK Parliament".
  15. ↑ "Employment Opportunities Bill" (PDF). United Kingdom Parliament. 10 February 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  16. ↑ "Employment Opportunities Bill 2008–09 — UK Parliament". U K Parliament. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  17. ↑ Hickman, Leo (26 October 2010). "Cabal of climate sceptics to descend on UK Parliament". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  18. ↑ D'Arcy, Mark (1 July 2010). "Three crafty Musketeers". BBC. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  19. ↑ "Voting Record — Christopher Chope MP, Christchurch (10103) — The Public Whip". Public Whip. Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  20. ↑ "Christopher Chope MP, Christchurch – TheyWorkForYou". TheyWorkForYou. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  21. ↑ "EU vote: Where the cabinet and other MPs stand". BBC News. 22 June 2016. Archived from the original on 3 October 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  22. ↑ "Co-Chairmen – Political Advisory Board – Supporters". Leave Means Leave. Archived from the original on 24 October 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  23. ↑ "Gay marriage how did your mp vote Map". The Guardian. 6 February 2013. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  24. 1 2 Watts, Robert (20 June 2013). "Conservative MPs launch attempt to bring back death penalty, privatise the BBC and ban burka". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 21 June 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  25. ↑ "Equal Pay: Seven male Tory MPs vote against bill to make big companies reveal gender pay gap". The Independent. 16 December 2014. Archived from the original on 25 April 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  26. ↑ "Brexit bank holiday among scores of measures proposed by MPs". Belfast Telegraph. 5 September 2017. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  27. 1 2 Slade, Darren (29 July 2017). "The 47 bills Christchurch MP Chris Chope wants to put before Parliament". Bournemouth Echo. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  28. ↑ Stroude, Will (28 March 2019). "These are the 21 MPs who Just Voted Against LGBT-Inclusive Sex and Relationship Education". Attitude. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  29. ↑ "Draft Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (England) Regulations 2019". UK Parliament. 27 March 2019. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  30. ↑ Rishi Sunak will face 'ungovernable' Tory party, warns Johnson supporter The Guardian. 24 October 2022
  31. ↑ "Two Dorset MPs part of Conservative rebel group over new Brexit deal with EU". Bournemouth Echo. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  32. ↑ Walker, Peter (6 June 2023). "Tory MPs accused of 'cosying up' to far-right Hungarian leader Orbán". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  33. ↑ Rogers, Alexandra (17 October 2024). "Badenoch hits back at Tory MP who said she's 'too preoccupied' with her children to be party leader". Sky News. Retrieved 24 October 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  34. ↑ "New upskirting law blocked by Tory MP". BBC News. 15 June 2018. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  35. ↑ "May 'disappointed' at upskirting law block". BBC News. 15 June 2018. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  36. 1 2 Martin, Andy (17 June 2018). "Christchurch MP Christopher Chope: I DO support upskirting ban". Bournemouth Daily Echo. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  37. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47173445
  38. ↑ Allegretti, Aubrey (16 June 2018). "Theresa May 'disappointed' as Tory MP Sir Christopher Chope blocks upskirting bill". Sky News. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  39. ↑ "Revealed: Conservative MPs turn on Christopher Chope on Tory WhatsApp | Coffee House". The Spectator Coffee House. 15 June 2018. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  40. ↑ https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/11
  41. ↑ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Canary-In-a-Covid-World/dp/B0DMKYX52H
  42. 1 2 "MP marries secretary". The Times. London. 21 April 1987. p. 2.
  43. ↑ "Hitched". The Times. London. 14 April 1987. p. 14.
  44. ↑ Dod's Parliamentary Companion, 2005, Vacher Dod Publishing, p. 80.
  45. ↑ Christopher Chope MP biography at the site of the Conservative Party.
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