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Paul Beresford

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Sir
Paul Beresford
Member of Parliament
for Mole Valley
In office
1 May 1997 – 30 May 2024
Preceded byKenneth Baker
Succeeded byChris Coghlan
(Dorking and Horley[a])
Parliamentary Under-Secretary
Department of Environment
In office
20 May 1994 – 2 May 1997
Member of Parliament
for Croydon Central
In office
9 April 1992 – 8 April 1997
Preceded byJohn Moore
Succeeded byGeraint Davies
Leader of Wandsworth Council
In office
1983–1992
Preceded byChristopher Chope
Succeeded byEdward Lister
Personal details
Born
Alexander Paul Beresford

(1946-04-06) 6 April 1946 (age 78)
Levin, Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand
NationalityBritish
New Zealander
Political partyConservative
SpouseJulie Beresford (2nd wife)
Children4
EducationWaimea College
Alma materUniversity of Otago

Sir Alexander Paul Beresford (born 6 April 1946) is a British–New Zealander politician who served as the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Mole Valley in Surrey from 1997 to 2024.[3] He previously served as MP for Croydon Central from 1992 to 1997.[4]

Early life and career

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Alexander Beresford was born on 6 April 1946 in Levin in the Horowhenua District of Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand. He moved to Nelson as a child, where he lived in Richmond, and attended Waimea College in Richmond before attending the University of Otago in Dunedin. Beresford holds dual British and New Zealand citizenship.[5]

Beresford was elected as a Councillor to Wandsworth Borough Council in 1978,[6] and was its Leader between 1983 and 1992, through much of the Thatcher Government. He was knighted in the 1990 New Year Honours for political and public service.[7]

In addition to his parliamentary career, Beresford is a practising dentist, operating his own private dental practice - The Beresford Clinic - in Putney, South West London. The practice received adverse publicity following a critical CQC inspection in 2021.[8]

Parliamentary career

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Beresford was selected to fight the safe Conservative seat of Croydon Central following the retirement of former Cabinet minister John Moore. Beresford was elected at the 1992 general election with 55.4% of the vote and a majority of 9,650.[9][10] He made his maiden speech on 30 June 1992.[11]

Beresford entered the Major Government in 1994 as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for the Environment[6] and remained until the Government was defeated in 1997.

When the number of seats in Croydon was reduced from four to three before the 1997 general election, Beresford failed to be selected for the newly drawn Croydon Central, and instead fought the safe Conservative Mole Valley seat in Surrey, where Kenneth Baker was retiring. At the 1997 general election, Beresford was elected with 48% of the vote and a majority of 10,221.[12]

Beresford was re-elected at the 2001 general election with an increased vote share of 50.5% and a decreased majority of 10,153.[13] He was again re-elected at the 2005 general election with an increased vote share of 54.8% and an increased majority of 11,997.[14]

Before the 2010 general election, Beresford was a member of the Communities & Local Government Select committee. At the 2010 United Kingdom general election, Beresford was again re-elected with an increased vote share of 57.5% and an increased majority of 15,653.[15] In 2012, Beresford was named by the Conservative Home website as one of a minority of loyal Conservative backbench MPs not to have voted against the government in any significant rebellions.[16]

Beresford, while serving as a backbencher, has been successful in utilising Private Members Bills and carefully chosen amendments to government legislation to achieve over ten legal changes which the BBC's Mark D'Arcy described as collectively having '...a significant impact'.[17] These primarily but not exclusively focused on child protection, an issue Beresford has campaigned on for decades.

At the 2015 general election, Beresford was again re-elected with an increased vote share of 60.6% and an increased majority of 25,453.[18]

He campaigned for a Remain vote during the 2016 referendum on EU membership.[19]

At the snap 2017 general election Beresford was again re-elected with an increased vote share of 61.9% and a decreased majority of 24,137.[20] He was again re-elected at the 2019 general election with a decreased vote share of 55.4% and a decreased majority of 12,041.[21]

In 2021 Beresford introduced a further Private Members Bill – the Local Government (Disqualification) Bill – intended to prevent individuals who have been given non custodial sentences for sexual offences from sitting as local councillors or mayors. This Bill received the backing of the government and completed successful passage through the Commons in January 2022. It subsequently passed through the House of Lords and received Royal Assent in April 2022.[22]

In July 2022, during the political crisis caused by the Pincher Scandal, Beresford announced that he had lost confidence in Prime Minister Boris Johnson and felt he should resign.[23] Beresford went on to back Rishi Sunak in both the first and second Conservative Party leadership contests of 2022.[24]

Beresford announced in early 2023 that he would step down at the 2024 general election.[25]

Expenses

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During the media coverage of the United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal, it was revealed that Beresford, who is a practising dentist, designated his west London property (which includes his dental surgery) as his second home, allowing him to claim allowances of three-quarters of the running costs of the property from the taxpayer.[3][26]

Personal life

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Beresford has a son from his previous marriage who lives in New Zealand. He and his present wife Julie have two sons and one daughter.[6]

Notes

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  1. ^ The Mole Valley constituency was renamed Dorking and Horley at the 2024 general election, with major boundary changes[1][2]

References

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  1. ^ "The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries in England – Volume one: Report – South West | Boundary Commission for England". boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  2. ^ "South East: New Constituency Boundaries 2023". Electoral Calculus. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b Prince, Rosa; Simpson, Aislinn (21 May 2009). "MPs' expenses: Sir Paul Beresford doubled as dentist and used waiting area as 'sitting room'". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 May 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
  4. ^ "Beresford, Sir (Alexander) Paul". Who's Who. A & C Black. 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U7305. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  5. ^ Beresford, Paul (24 March 2016). "I'm proud that Kiwis still fly a flag for the old country". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 December 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  6. ^ a b c "Meet the man who could be your next MP". Dorking Advertiser. No. 5489. 5 December 1995. p. 4.
  7. ^ "No. 51981". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 1989. p. 1.
  8. ^ "MP's dental practice receives enforcement action notice following CQC inspection". The Dentist. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  9. ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  10. ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  11. ^ HC Deb, 30 June 1992 cc787–788
  12. ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  13. ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  14. ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  15. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  16. ^ Barrett, Matthew (14 September 2012). "The 24 Conservative MPs who are still on the backbenches and have never rebelled". ConservativeHome. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  17. ^ D'Arcy, Mark (11 September 2012). "Making a difference". BBC News Online. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  18. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  19. ^ "EU referendum: How have Surrey's MPs reacted to the decision to leave the EU?". SurreyLive. 30 June 2016 [29 June 2016]. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  20. ^ "Statement of Persons Nominated 2017" (PDF). Mole Valley District Council. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  21. ^ "Mole Valley Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  22. ^ "Local Government, Disqualification Act 2022". Legislation.gov.uk.
  23. ^ Beresford, Paul (6 July 2022). "Many constituents have contacted me requesting an update on the Prime Minister and my thoughts on the trajectory of the current Government..." Facebook. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  24. ^ Beresford, Paul (24 October 2022). "Huge congratulations to Rishi Sunak who is the new Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister..." Facebook. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  25. ^ Atkinson, William (13 February 2022). "Beresford announces he will retire from Mole Valley". ConservativeHome. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  26. ^ Younger, Rebecca (26 May 2009). "Mole Valley MP 'pilloried' over surgery costs deal". Surrey Advertiser. Guildford. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
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News items

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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Croydon Central
1992–1997 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Mole Valley
1997–2024 		Constituency abolished
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