Paul Beresford

British–New Zealander politician

Sir

Paul Beresford

Member of Parliament
for Mole Valley

Incumbent

Assumed office
1 May 1997
Preceded by| Kenneth Baker
Majority| 12,041 (21.1%)
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 by| John Moore
Succeeded by| Geraint Davies
Leader of Wandsworth Council
In office
1983–1992
Preceded by| Christopher Chope
Succeeded by| Edward Lister
Personal details
Born|

Alexander Paul Beresford

(1946-04-06) 6 April 1946 (age 77)
Levin, Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand
Nationality| British
New Zealander
Political party| Conservative
Spouse| Julie Beresford (2nd wife)
Children| 4
Education| Waimea College
Alma mater| University of Otago

Sir Alexander Paul Beresford (born 6 April 1946) is a British-New Zealander dentist and politician who has served as the British Conservative Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Mole Valley in Surrey since the 1997 general election.[1] He was first elected as the MP for Croydon Central in the 1992 general election.[2]

## Early life[edit]

Beresford was born in 1946 in Levin in the Horowhenua District of Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand. He moved to Nelson at a young age, where he lived in Richmond; he attended primary school and Waimea College in Richmond before attending the University of Otago in Dunedin. He is a practising dentist. Beresford holds dual British and New Zealand citizenship.[3]

## Career in local government[edit]

Beresford was elected as a Councillor to Wandsworth Borough Council in 1978,[4] 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.[5]

## Parliamentary career[edit]

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 and made his maiden speech on 30 June 1992.[6] He entered the Major Government in 1994 as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for the Environment[4] 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, he 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, and he was elected at the 1997 election. Croydon Central fell to Labour. Prior to the 2010 general election Beresford was a member of the Communities & Local Government Select committee. 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.[7][needs update]

Beresford campaigned for a Remain vote during the 2016 referendum on EU membership.[8]

Since 1997 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'.[9] These primarily but not exclusively focussed on child protection, an issue Beresford has campaigned on for decades.

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.[10]

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.[11] Beresford went on to back Rishi Sunak in both the first and second Conservative Party leadership contests of 2022.[12]

Beresford announced in early 2023 that he would step down at the next general election.[13]

## Electoral history[edit]

General election results from 1983-2019

### Elections in the 2010s[edit]

General election 2019: Mole Valley[14] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Paul Beresford  | 31,656  | 55.4  | ―6.5
| Liberal Democrats | Paul Kennedy  | 19,615  | 34.4  | +15.1
| Labour | Brian Bostock  | 2,965  | 5.2  | ―8.7
| Green | Lisa Scott-Conte  | 1,874  | 3.3  | +0.7
| Independent | Robin Horsley  | 536  | 0.9  | New
| UKIP | Geoffrey Cox  | 464  | 0.8  | ―1.6
Majority  | 12,041  | 21.1  | ―21.5
Turnout | 57,110  | 76.5  | +0.2
| Conservative hold | Swing | ―10.7  |
General election 2017: Mole Valley[15] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Paul Beresford  | 35,092  | 61.9  | +1.3
| Liberal Democrats | Paul Kennedy  | 10,955  | 19.3  | +4.8
| Labour | Marc Green  | 7,864  | 13.9  | +5.6
| Green | Jacquetta Fewster  | 1,463  | 2.6  | ―2.8
| UKIP | Judy Moore  | 1,352  | 2.4  | ―8.8
Majority  | 24,137  | 42.6  | ―3.5
Turnout | 56,866  | 76.3  | +2.1
| Conservative hold | Swing | ―1.8  |
General election 2015: Mole Valley[16] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Paul Beresford[17] | 33,434  | 60.6  | +3.1
| Liberal Democrats | Paul Kennedy  | 7,981  | 14.5  | ―14.2
| UKIP | Paul Oakley[18] | 6,181  | 11.2  | +6.1
| Labour | Leonard Amos[19] | 4,565  | 8.3  | +1.3
| Green | Jacquetta Fewster[20] | 2,979  | 5.4  | +3.8
Majority  | 25,453  | 46.1  | +17.3
Turnout | 55,329  | 74.2  | ―0.6
| Conservative hold | Swing | +8.7  |
General election 2010: Mole Valley[21] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Paul Beresford  | 31,263  | 57.5  | +2.7
| Liberal Democrats | Alice Humphreys  | 15,610  | 28.7  | ―1.8
| Labour | James Dove  | 3,804  | 7.0  | ―3.7
| UKIP | Leigh Jones  | 2,752  | 5.1  | +2.1
| Green | Rob Sedgwick  | 895  | 1.6  | New
Majority  | 15,653  | 28.8  | +4.5
Turnout | 54,324  | 74.8  | +3.3
| Conservative hold | Swing | +2.3  |

### Elections in the 2000s[edit]

General election 2005: Mole Valley[22] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Paul Beresford  | 27,060  | 54.8  | +4.3
| Liberal Democrats | Nasser Butt  | 15,063  | 30.5  | +1.5
| Labour | Farmida Bi | 5,310  | 10.7  | ―5.9
| UKIP | David Payne  | 1,475  | 3.0  | +0.2
| Veritas | Roger Meekins  | 507  | 1.0  | New
Majority  | 11,997  | 24.3  | +2.8
Turnout | 49,415  | 72.5  | +3.6
| Conservative hold | Swing | +1.4  |
General election 2001: Mole Valley[23] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Paul Beresford  | 23,790  | 50.5  | +2.5
| Liberal Democrats | Celia Savage  | 13,637  | 29.0  | ―0.3
| Labour | Dan Redford  | 7,837  | 16.6  | +1.8
| UKIP | Ronald Walters  | 1,333  | 2.8  | +2.0
| ProLife Alliance | William Newton  | 475  | 1.0  | New
Majority  | 10,153  | 21.5  | +2.8
Turnout | 47,072  | 68.9  | -9.5
| Conservative hold | Swing | +1.4  |

### Elections in the 1990s[edit]

This constituency underwent boundary changes between the 1992 and 1997 general elections and thus change in share of vote is based on a notional calculation.

General election 1997: Mole Valley[24] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Paul Beresford  | 26,178  | 48.0  | ―13.3
| Liberal Democrats | Stephen Cooksey  | 15,957  | 29.3  | +0.6
| Labour | Christopher Payne  | 8,057  | 14.8  | +5.4
| Referendum | Nick Taber  | 2,424  | 4.4  | New
| Ind. Conservative | Richard Burley  | 1,276  | 2.3  | New
| UKIP | Ian Cameron  | 435  | 0.8  | New
| Natural Law | Judith Thomas  | 197  | 0.4  | ―0.4
Majority  | 10,221  | 18.7  | -10.3
Turnout | 54,524  | 78.4  | −3.6
| Conservative hold | Swing | ―6.9  |
General election 1992: Croydon Central[25][26] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Conservative | Paul Beresford  | 22,168  | 55.4  | −1.2
| Labour | Geraint Davies | 12,518  | 31.3  | +7.0
| Liberal Democrats | Deborah Richardson  | 5,342  | 13.3  | −5.7
Majority  | 9,650  | 24.1  | −8.1
Turnout | 40,028  | 71.5  | +1.0
Registered electors | 55,798  |  |
| Conservative hold | Swing | −4.1  |

## Expenses[edit]

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.[1][27]

## Personal life[edit]

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.[4]

## References[edit]

1. ^ 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.
2. ^ "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.)
3. ^ 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.
4. ^ a b c "Meet the man who could be your next MP". Dorking Advertiser. No. 5489\. 5 December 1995. p. 4.
5. ^ "No. 51981". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 1989. p. 1.
6. ^ HC Deb, 30 June 1992 cc787–788
7. ^ 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.
8. ^ "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.
9. ^ D'Arcy, Mark (11 September 2012). "Making a difference". BBC News Online. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
10. ^ "Local Government, Disqualification Act 2022". Legislation.gov.uk.
11. ^ 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.
12. ^ 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.
13. ^ Atkinson, William (13 February 2022). "Beresford announces he will retire from Mole Valley". ConservativeHome. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
14. ^ "Mole Valley Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
15. ^ "Statement of Persons Nominated 2017" (PDF). Mole Valley District Council. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
16. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
17. ^ "UK ELECTION RESULTS: Mole Valley 2015". Retrieved 29 March 2023.
18. ^ "UK Polling Report". Retrieved 29 March 2023.
19. ^ "Leonard Amos PPC page". Labour Party (UK). Archived from the original on 13 February 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
20. ^ "Surrey Green Party | Mole Valley Green Party". Archived from the original on 12 January 2015.
21. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
22. ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
23. ^ "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
24. ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
25. ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
26. ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
27. ^ 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.

## External links[edit]

* Sir Paul Beresford Conservative Party
* Mole Valley Conservatives
* Your representatives – Paul Beresford Archived 14 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine BBC Democracy Live
*   * Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
* Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
* Voting record at Public Whip
* Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou

### News items[edit]

* MP fears 'truckloads of waste' BBC News, 7 December 2006 – Concern over an incinerator in Surrey

Parliament of the United Kingdom

Preceded by

John Moore

|  Member of Parliament for Croydon Central
1992–1997  | Succeeded by

Geraint Davies

Preceded by

Kenneth Baker

|  Member of Parliament for Mole Valley
1997–present  | Incumbent

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