Christopher Beazley (born 5 September 1952) is a British politician who served as a

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

(MEP) from 1984 to 1994 and again from 1999 to 2009. He was member of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

until 2019, when he joined the Liberal Democrats.

Background

Beazley is the son of

Peter Beazley Peter George Beazley (9 June 1922 – 23 December 2004) was a British businessman and Conservative Party politician who worked for Imperial Chemical Industries for over thirty years. He went on to serve for fifteen years as a Member of the Eur ...

, and earned a BA in History at the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

in 1974. From 1974 to 1976, he worked at the

Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker, and still one of the bankers for the Government of ...

, then as a teacher 1976–1983 and as a research officer at the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

1983–1984. He has since been a consultant and writer on European affairs.

Political career

Beazley was elected at the

1984 European Parliament election Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

as the MEP for

Cornwall and Plymouth Cornwall and Plymouth was a European Parliament constituency covering the county of Cornwall and the city of Plymouth in Devon, England. Prior to its uniform adoption of proportional representation in 1999, the United Kingdom used first-past-t ...

, serving alongside his father

, who was the MEP for Bedfordshire South. He was re-elected in

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

, but when his constituency was abolished at the

1994 European Parliament election The 1994 European Parliamentary election was a European election held across the 12 European Union member states in June 1994. This election saw the merge of the European People's Party and European Democrats, an increase in the overall number ...

, he was defeated in the new Cornwall and West Plymouth constituency by the Liberal Democrat candidate Robin Teverson. He returned to the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

at the 1999 European election 1999 to 2009, when the single-member constituencies were replaced by regional constituencies using a party list form of election. He was elected as an MEP for the

East of England The East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. This region was created in 1994 and was adopted for statistics purposes from 1999. It includes the ceremonial counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire ...

, and re-elected in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

. He was a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. He has been the Conservative spokesman on Culture and Education, Regional Development, Home Affairs and Justice, and Constitutional Affairs. A centrist conservative, he has been vice-chairman of the

Conservative Group for Europe The Conservative European Forum (CEF) was founded in 1969 to promote the UK's entry into the European Economic Community. The organisation is committed to a positive and constructive approach to the UK's relationships with the democracies of Eur ...

, and has criticised the UK Conservative Party of leaving the European People's Party group. A few months before he left the European Parliament in

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, he became a full member of the

European People's Party The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party with Christian-democratic, conservative, and liberal-conservative member parties. A transnational organisation, it is composed of other political parties. Founded by primarily Ch ...

, despite the UK Conservative Party's plans to withdraw from their parliament group, saying, "I cannot watch and say nothing while the Tories walk away from their allies, friends and colleagues in Europe."

Positions

Beazley is a signatory of the Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism.

Quote

* ''"Europe is no more divided, but we are still divided by our experience."''
–Christopher Beazley, Prague, June 2008, in his speech at the conference "Conscience of Europe and Communism" ''(Svědomí Evropy a komunismus)'' closing with the

Prague Declaration The Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism was a declaration which was initiated by the Czech government and signed on 3 June 2008 by prominent European politicians, former political prisoners and historians, among them former ...

''(Pražská deklarace)''

Respekt ''Respekt'' is a Czech weekly newsmagazine published in Prague, the Czech Republic, reporting on domestic and foreign political and economic issues, as well as on science and culture. History and profile ''Respekt'' was founded very soon a ...

, 4 June 200
Odsoudit komunismus jako nacismus
/ref>

References

External links

Profile on European Parliament website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beazley, Christopher 1952 births Living people Conservative Party (UK) MEPs People from Bexhill-on-Sea MEPs for England 1984–1989 MEPs for England 1989–1994 MEPs for England 1999–2004 MEPs for England 2004–2009 Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 3rd Class Alumni of the University of Bristol Liberal Democrats (UK) politicians