Greg Pope

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Greg Pope MP
Greg Pope
Prime Minister Tony Blair
Member of Parliament
for Hyndburn
Incumbent
Assumed office 
9 April 1992
Preceded by Ken Hargreaves
Born 29 August 1960 (1960-08-29) (age 47)
Blackburn, England
Nationality British
Political party Labour
Alma mater University of Hull
Website www.gregpope.co.uk

Gregory James Pope (born 29 August 1960, Blackburn) is a politician in the United Kingdom. He is Labour member of Parliament for Hyndburn, and was first elected in 1992. He was a government whip until the reshuffle following the 2001 general election.

Contents

[edit] Early life

He went to St Marys College RC Grammar School on Shear Brow in Blackburn, now St Mary's College, a Sixth form college. He studied Politics at the University of Hull, graduating in 1981.

[edit] Parliamentary career

Considered a Blairite,[1] Pope is a signatory of the Henry Jackson Society. He was a member of the backbench committee on Northern Ireland 1997-2001

In April 2000 as a whip, Greg Pope inadvertently approved a Liberal Democrat clause in the government's utilities bill, committing the government to meet 10% of electricity requirements from green sources by 2010. Pope said: "We were doing a series of government amendments. I realised I'd shouted aye too many times. I'm not overjoyed about it." The error led the government to instruct its MPs to vote against the clause.[2]

In July 2003, Pope admitted leaking confidential Foreign Affairs Select Committee evidence to The Guardian newspaper chief political correspondent Patrick Wintour. The move was described as an attempt to "bounce" MPs on the committee into clearing Alastair Campbell of "sexing up" the so-called Dodgy Dossier of evidence into the threat posed by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.[3]

[edit] Personal life

In a survey of MPs, Pope somewhat controversially chose Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols as his favourite album. "It changed music forever and meant we never had to listen to Boney M again."[4]

He married (the former) Catherine Fallon on August 2 1985, and they have four children, including two sons born June 1986 and April 1991.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Cabinet concern over PM's stance, Tania Branigan and Alexi Mostrous, The Guardian, 29 July 2006
  2. ^ Whip's error on Lib-Dem clause "farcical", Financial Times, 19 April 2000
  3. ^ MPs' fury over ploy to rescue Campbell, Paul Eastham, Daily Mail, 4 July 2003
  4. ^ Seventies rock still a big hit with MPs, Daily Mail, 27 July 2006

[edit] External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Ken Hargreaves		 Member of Parliament for Hyndburn
1992 – present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Political offices


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