John Cope, Baron Cope of Berkeley

John Ambrose Cope, Baron Cope of Berkeley, PC (born 13 May 1937) is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.[1]

The Lord Cope of Berkeley
Opposition Chief Whip of the House of Lords
In office
18 September 2001  2 July 2007
LeaderIain Duncan Smith
Michael Howard
David Cameron
Preceded byThe Lord Henley
Succeeded byThe Baroness Anelay of St John's
Paymaster General
In office
14 April 1992  20 July 1994
Prime MinisterJohn Major
Preceded byThe Lord Belstead
Succeeded byDavid Heathcoat-Amory
Deputy Chairman and Treasurer of the Conservative Party
In office
1 November 1990  1 April 1992
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
John Major
Preceded byDavid Trippier
Succeeded byAngela Rumbold
Minister of State for Northern Ireland
In office
25 July 1989  28 November 1990
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Preceded byIan Stewart
Succeeded byBrian Mawhinney
The Lord Belstead
Minister of State for Employment
In office
13 June 1987  25 July 1989
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Preceded byKenneth Clarke
Succeeded byTim Eggar
Treasurer of the Household
In office
11 June 1983  15 June 1987
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Preceded byAnthony Berry
Succeeded byDavid Hunt
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
In office
9 January 1981  13 June 1983
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Preceded byJohn MacGregor
Assistant Whip
In office
16 May 1979  9 January 1981
Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher
Preceded byJames Tinn
Member of Parliament
for Northavon
In office
9 June 1983  8 April 1997
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded bySteve Webb
Member of Parliament
for South Gloucestershire
In office
28 February 1974  13 May 1983
Preceded byFrederick Corfield
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
In office
4 October 1997  13 May 2020
Life Peerage
Personal details
Born (1937-05-13) 13 May 1937
Political partyConservative
EducationOakham School

Education

Cope was educated at Oakham School before qualifying as a Chartered Accountant.[2]

Career

Cope contested Woolwich East in the 1970 general election, but was defeated by Labour's Christopher Mayhew. Thereafter he served as Member of Parliament for South Gloucestershire from 1974 to 1983. When that constituency was abolished for the 1983 general election, he was returned for the new Northavon constituency, serving until his defeat in the 1997 general election by the Liberal Democrat Steve Webb. Within the Conservative Party, he was an Assistant Whip from June 1979 to June 1981.

His first political office was as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury (June 1981 to June 1983), and then he was Treasurer of HM Household (1983-1987), and was then appointed Minister of State for Employment (with a special focus on small businesses) 1987–1989. He was then Minister of State for Security and Finance at the Northern Ireland Office until November 1990. In the meantime, in 1988, he was sworn as a member of the Privy Council.[3] Cope served as Deputy Chairman and Treasurer of the Conservative Party from 1 November 1990,[3] succeeding David Trippier. He was succeeded by Dame Angela Rumbold on 1 April 1992.[4] Cope served as Paymaster General (HM Treasury) in John Major's government between 1992 and 1994.[3]

He was made a life peer as Baron Cope of Berkeley, of Berkeley in the County of Gloucestershire on 4 October 1997.[5] He served as Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Lords, on the Conservative front bench, from 2001 to 2007, when he was replaced by Baroness Anelay.

In 2012 Cope made the opening speech to the House of Lords, presenting a motion for the Loyal Address on the opening day of Parliament.[6]

He retired from the House of Lords on 13 May 2020, his 83rd birthday.[7]

Charity work

Cope is a patron of the charity Kids for Kids, helping children in rural areas of Darfur, Sudan.[8] He is a patron of The West of England MS Therapy Centre,[9] a charity helping those in Bristol and the surrounding areas live independent lives whilst coping with MS and other neurological conditions, Cope is also President of the Friends of the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases in Bath.[10]

Cope has also been a Trustee of War Memorials Trust since 1999; this is a conservation charity that works for the protection of war memorials across the United Kingdom.[11]

References

  1. "The American Sniper and Red Dot Sights". 18 April 2016.
  2. "Members of the House of Lords". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 17 June 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  3. "Parliamentary career for Lord Cope of Berkeley - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament". members.parliament.uk.
  4. Butler, David; Butler, Gareth (1994). British Political Facts, 1900–1994 (7th ed.). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 128. ISBN 0-333-52617-1.
  5. "No. 54914". The London Gazette. 8 October 1997. p. 11339.
  6. "Lords Hansard text for 9 May 201209 May 2012 (pt 0001)". parliament.uk.
  7. "Lord Cope of Berkeley". UK Parliament. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  8. "Kids For Kids". Kids For Kids.
  9. "Charity in Bristol The Brightwell". The Brightwell.
  10. "Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases - Help Fundraise". rnhrd.nhs.uk. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  11. "War Memorials Trust". warmemorials.org.
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