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Lembit Öpik (, ; born 2 March 1965) is a former British politician. A former member of the Liberal Democrats, he served as the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) for the

constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger State (polity), state (a country, administrative region, ...

Montgomeryshire Montgomeryshire, also known as ''Maldwyn'' ( cy, Sir Drefaldwyn meaning "the Shire of Baldwin's town"), is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It is named after its county tow ...

in Wales from 1997 until he lost his seat at the 2010 general election.Members of the House of Commons. Lembit Öpik
— '' The Parliament of the United Kingdom''Lembit Opik's loss in Montgomery spoils Lib Dem night
— ''

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

'', 7 May 2010 He was the leader of the

Welsh Liberal Democrats The Welsh Liberal Democrats ( cy, Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol Cymru) are a branch of the United Kingdom Liberal Democrats that operates in Wales. The party is led by Jane Dodds, who served as MP for Brecon and Radnorshire from August to Decemb ...

from 2001 to 2007.Opik to step down from party post
— ''

...
'', 13 October 2007Race open for new Lib Dem leader
— ''

...
'', 11 October 2008 Öpik stood unsuccessfully for the position of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the party in 2004Hughes is new Lib Dem president
– ''

...
'', 2 September 2004 and 2008.Deborah Summers
Öpik gracious in defeat
— ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 10 November 2008 He was also unsuccessful in a bid to become the Liberal Democrats' nominee in the

2012 London mayoral election The 2012 London mayoral election was an election held on Thursday 3 May 2012, to elect the Mayor of London. It was held on the same day as the London Assembly election, and used a supplementary vote system. The election was won by the incumbe ...

.Brian Paddick beats Lembit Opik in Lib Dem London mayor vote
— ''

...
'', 2 September 2011 Beyond his political work, Öpik has also been in the public eye through his appearances on several television shows and as a result of his personal relationships with

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

weather presenter

Siân Lloyd Siân Mary Lloyd (born 3 July 1958) is a Welsh television presenter and meteorologist from Maesteg. She was the United Kingdom's longest-serving female weather forecaster, having appeared on ITV Weather for 24 years, from 1990 until 2014. Bio ...

and with pop star Gabriela Irimia of

The Cheeky Girls The Cheeky Girls are a Romanian singing duo consisting of identical twin sisters Gabriela and Monica Irimia (both born 31 October 1982). After appearing as auditionees on '' Popstars: The Rivals'', they achieved success in the UK charts with fou ...

, which drew considerable media attention.

Early life

Öpik's parents were from

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

, but after the Soviet occupation under Joseph Stalin, they fled to

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. Öpik was born in

Bangor, County Down Bangor ( ; ) is a city and seaside resort in County Down, Northern Ireland, on the southern side of Belfast Lough. It is within the Belfast metropolitan area and is 13 miles (22 km) east of Belfast city centre, to which it is linked ...

, the elder son of Liivi Öpik (née Vedo) and physicist Uno Öpik (19 October 1926 – 6 May 2005), and grew up there with sister Urve Öpik (born 1960, a

psychotherapist Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome pro ...

) and brother Endel "Tal" Öpik (12 April 1968 – 21 November 2005, a musician). His grandfather was

Ernst Öpik Ernst Julius Öpik ( – 10 September 1985) was an Estonian astronomer and astrophysicist who spent the second half of his career (1948–1981) at the Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland. Education Öpik was born in Kunda, Estonia, Kunda, Lä ...

, an Estonian astronomer who worked at

Armagh Observatory Armagh Observatory is an astronomical research institute in Armagh, Northern Ireland. Around 25 astronomers are based at the observatory, studying stellar astrophysics, the Sun, Solar System astronomy and Earth's climate. In 2018, Armagh Obs ...

.Silver Tambur
Former British MP Lembit Öpik considers running for Estonian presidency
– ''Estonian World'', 22 November 2018Lynn Barber
Interview: Lembit Opik
– ''

'', 15 June 2008From Bangor to Boris with Lembit Opik
— ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'', 3 January 2012 Öpik was educated at the

Royal Belfast Academical Institution The Royal Belfast Academical Institution is an independent grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. With the support of Belfast's leading reformers and democrats, it opened its doors in 1814. Until 1849, when it was superseded by what today is ...

before going on to 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 ...

, where he completed a degree in philosophy. He served as the President of the

University of Bristol Union The University of Bristol Students' Union (known as Bristol SU) is the students' union of the University of Bristol, England. It is among the oldest of the UK students' unions and was a founding member of the National Union of Students (United ...

(1985–86) and as a member of the National Executive of the National Union of Students (1987–88).Vote 2001: Candidates. Lembit Opik
— ''

...
''Claire Phipps, Tamsin Irwin
The past masters on the present NUS
— ''

'', 16 March 1999 In 1988, Öpik joined

Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer hea ...

in Newcastle upon Tyne as a brand assistant. He became corporate training and organisation development manager in 1991 and was promoted to be global human resources training manager in 1996. Öpik was elected to the Liberal Democrats' Federal Executive Committee in 1991. He was elected as a councillor on

Newcastle City Council Newcastle City Council is the local government authority for the city and metropolitan borough of Newcastle upon Tyne. The council consists of 78 councillors, three for each of the 26 wards in the city. It is currently controlled by the Labou ...

in 1992.UK: Wales. Health on the agenda for public debate
— ''

...
'', 16 November 1999 Öpik stood unsuccessfully as a candidate for

Newcastle upon Tyne Central Newcastle upon Tyne Central is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Chi Onwurah of the Labour Party. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the f ...

in the 1992 general election and for

Northumbria la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria , common_name = Northumbria , status = State , status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...

in the 1994 European Parliament elections.

Parliamentary and party career

Member of Parliament

At the 1997 general election, the Liberal Democrat MP for Montgomeryshire,

Alex Carlile Alexander Charles Carlile, Baron Carlile of Berriew, (born 12 February 1948) is a British barrister and crossbench member of the House of Lords. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Montgomeryshire from 1983 to 1997. Early life and career ...

, retired and Öpik successfully stood as the Lib Dem candidate. He retained the seat at the 2001 general election and at the 2005 general election, increasing his share of the vote by 3.5% in 2001 and by a further 1.8% in 2005, giving him a majority of 7,173 over the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

candidate. However, he lost his seat to the Conservative Glyn Davies following a 13.2% swing in Montgomeryshire at the 2010 general election. Öpik served as the Liberal Democrat spokesman on education (1997), Northern Ireland (1997–2007), Wales (2001–07), business (2007), and housing (2007–08). During the 2001–05 Parliament, Öpik was a member of the

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the Committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department fo ...

in the House of Commons. He was the joint chair of the Middle Way Group, a cross-party parliamentary group which supported the regulation, rather than the banning, of

fox hunting Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of ho ...

Welsh party leadership

Öpik became leader of the

in 2001 following the retirement of

Richard Livsey Richard Arthur Lloyd Livsey, Baron Livsey of Talgarth (2 May 1935 – 16 September 2010) was a British Liberal Democrat politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brecon and Radnorshire from 1985 to 1992, and again from 1997 to ...

. He stood down in 2007 and was succeeded by

Mike German Michael James German, Baron German, OBE (born 8 May 1945) is a British politician, serving currently as a member of the House of Lords and formerly as a member of the National Assembly for Wales for the South Wales East region. He was leader ...

Campaigns for party presidency

In September 2004, Öpik stood for the position of President of the Liberal Democrats but was defeated by

Simon Hughes Sir Simon Henry Ward Hughes (born 17 May 1951) is a former British politician. He is now the Chancellor of London South Bank University, an External Adviser to The Open University, and UK Strategic Adviser to Talgo. Hughes was Deputy Leader ...

. The party president chairs a number of party committees and also represents the party at official functions. In 2008, a campaign amongst

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

party members backing him as a successor to Hughes, under the slogan "I Pick Öpik", emerged at the party's 2008 spring conference in Liverpool. On 24 September, Öpik announced that he was standing down as the party's housing spokesman to concentrate on a campaign for party president. However, in the party ballot in November, Öpik was defeated by

Baroness Scott of Needham Market Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

by 20,736 votes to 6,247.

Support for party leadership candidates

In successive

Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties See also *Liberal democracy *Lib ...

leadership contests, Öpik gained a reputation for backing campaigns that soon collapsed, leading some to talk of the "curse of Lembit" making his backing undesirable. In 1999, he was one of only two of the party's 46 MPs to back the abortive leadership campaign of Don Foster. Foster abandoned his campaign before nominations even closed, and backed

Charles Kennedy Charles Peter Kennedy (25 November 1959 – 1 June 2015) was a British Liberal Democrat politician who served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1999 to 2006, and was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ross, Skye and Lochaber from 1983 ...

, the eventual winner, instead.Matthew Bell
The IoS diary
— ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', 27 January 2008 During the 2006 leadership contest, Öpik was initially a strong supporter of Kennedy, who then stood down. Öpik subsequently became campaign manager for

Mark Oaten Mark Oaten (born 8 March 1964) is a British politician who was a senior member of the Liberal Democrats. He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Winchester from 1997 to 2010. Born in Watford, Hertfordshire, Oaten became a councillor in ...

. However, Oaten quickly withdrew from the contest, having failed to attract enough support from within the parliamentary party; his only backers were Öpik and Baroness Ludford. In the 2007 leadership election, Öpik declared his backing for

Nick Clegg Sir Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967) is a British media executive and former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who has been president for global affairs at Meta Platforms since 2022, having previously been vicepr ...

, and when Clegg won the election Öpik said "My man won, so the curse of Öpik has at last become a blessing". Öpik supported

Jenny Randerson Jennifer Elizabeth Randerson, Baroness Randerson (born 26 May 1948) is a Welsh Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords. She is former junior minister in the Wales Office serving in the Cameron–Clegg coalition. Prior to her peerage she ...

in the 2008 contest for leadership of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. Randerson lost to

Kirsty Williams Victoria Kirstyn Williams (born 19 March 1971) is a Welsh politician who served as Minister for Education in the Welsh Government from 2016 to 2021. She was a Member of the Senedd (MS) from 1999 to 2021. She previously served as the Leader of ...

. Öpik supported

Tim Farron Timothy James Farron (born 27 May 1970) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2015 to 2017. He has also served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Westmorland and Lonsdale since 2005, before which he worked ...

in the 2015 Liberal Democrat leadership election, who eventually won with a margin of 13%.

Expenses row and criticism

In May 2009 ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'' published details of Öpik's parliamentary expenses claims. It showed that in 2008–2009 he claimed £23,083 in second home allowances out of public funds, including various items of furniture and a £40

summons A summons (also known in England and Wales as a claim form and in the Australian state of New South Wales as a court attendance notice (CAN)) is a legal document issued by a court (a ''judicial summons'') or by an administrative agency of governme ...

charge for non-payment of

Council Tax Council Tax is a local taxation system used in England, Scotland and Wales. It is a tax on domestic property, which was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, replacing the short-lived Community Charge The Community C ...

. Öpik told ''The Telegraph'' "I am willing to pay back the £40" but did not offer to repay anything else. ''The Telegraph'' also outlined a rejected expense claim he had attempted to make for £2,499 for a plasma screen television, after which he bought one costing £750.

2010 and beyond

Öpik lost his seat in parliament at the 2010 general election when he was defeated in his constituency of Montgomeryshire by Glyn Davies 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 ...

by 13,976 votes to 12,792. This represented a swing of 12.5% against Öpik and a swing of 13.8% in favour of the Conservatives in the constituency. Öpik put himself forward to be the Liberal Democrats' nominee for mayor of London in the 2012 mayoral election, but in the first round of the party's selection ballot, he came fourth with 252 votes and was eliminated from the process. Öpik was a candidate for the Liberal Democrats' federal executive committee in 2012 but was not elected. He also expressed an interest in becoming the Liberal Democrats' candidate for the position of Police and crime commissioner for

Northumbria Police Northumbria Police is a territorial police force in England. It is responsible for policing the metropolitan boroughs of Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and the City of Sunderland, as well as the ceremonial county ...

in 2012. However, he was ruled ineligible because he did not have a residence in the region. Late in 2012, he joined Leadenhall Consulting, a human resources consulting firm specialising in the insurance and financial sectors, as an associate director responsible for developing training. On joining the firm, Opik explained that training is his "first love". Öpik is a long-time supporter of the

Motorcycle Action Group The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) is a motorcycle riders' rights group based in the United Kingdom. MAG was formed by Dennis Howard, Mick Griffiths, George Potter and Mohar Singh. The minutes of the first meeting held on 28 June 1973 identifi ...

(MAG UK) and a keen motorcyclist. On 23 November 2013, it was announced that Öpik had joined MAG as director of communications and public affairs. In the post, he will work on behalf of motorcyclists in the UK and Europe. He presents programmes on

BBC Radio Kent BBC Radio Kent is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Kent. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at The Great Hall in Tunbridge Wells. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of ...

every Friday morning from 9:00 where he hosts the topical Kent Midmorning phone-in, and every Sunday from 11:00 where he presents a news panel format, digesting the week's local, national and international stories, looking at the newspapers, welcoming expert guests and politicians for discussions as well as taking calls from listeners. He also regularly stands in for Julia George on other weekday mornings. Since 2010, he has broadcast for

Press TV Press TV (stylised as PRESSTV) is an Iranian state-owned news network that broadcasts in the English and French languages owned by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the only organization legally able to transmit radio and TV broadc ...

, including hosting a news satire show and a number of political news programmes. He currently hosts ''A Simple Question''. On 24 June 2018, Öpik was elected as the chairman of the self-proclaimed Parliament of

Asgardia Asgardia, also known as the Space Kingdom of Asgardia and Asgardia the Space Nation, is a micronation formed by a group of people who have launched a satellite into Earth orbit. They refer to themselves as "Asgardians" and they have given thei ...

during the first parliamentary session in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Austria.Anthony Cuthbertson
'Space kingdom' Asgardia wants IQ tests for wannabe citizens
— ''

'', 26 June 2018New head of 'space nation' aims for the stars
— ''

France 24 France 24 ( in French) is a French state-owned international news television network based in Paris. Its channels broadcast in French, English, Arabic, and Spanish and are aimed at the overseas market. Based in the Paris suburb of Issy-les-M ...

'', 25 June 2018¿Qué es Asgardia, la primera 'nación espacial'?
— ''

Radio France Internationale Radio France Internationale, usually referred to as RFI, is the state-owned international radio broadcaster of France. With 37.2 million listeners in 2014, it is one of the most-listened-to international radio stations in the world, along with ...

'', 26 June 2018 "The birth of the new space nation Asgardia" was announced in a press conference in Paris, France, on 12 October 2016Daniel Clery
Space oddity: Group claims to have created nation in space
— ''

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

'', 12 October 2016Scientists plan to create 'Asgardia' nation state in space
— ''

...
'', 13 October 2016Dave Mosher
A multinational group wants you to join 'Asgardia'—the first outer space nation with a mission to defend Earth
— ''

Business Insider Australia ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...

'', 13 October 2016 In the autumn of 2018, Öpik considered participating in

Estonian elections Estonia elects a legislature on the national level. The Riigikogu has 101 members, elected for a four-year term by proportional representation. A head of state – the president – is elected for a five-year term by parliament (1st–3rd round) ...

. He said he had been asked to consider being either a member of the Estonian parliament, or to consider running as

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

. "One position is just to be a member of parliament, which I would not mind doing", he said. "The other position is president of Estonia. It is more than just a non-executive role—I could make quite a big splash. I have not got a campaign plan but I have said I would be interested. It's not an appointed job, I would have to stand for it."Lembit Opik considers president of Estonia race
— ''

...
'', 19 November 2018Jonny Drury
Former Montgomeryshire MP Lembit keen for Estonian parliament bid
— ''

Shropshire Star The ''Shropshire Star'' is reputedly the twelfth biggest-selling regional newspaper in the UK. It is based at Grosvenor House, Telford where it covers the whole of Shropshire plus parts of Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Cheshire a ...

'', 21 November 2018Steve Goodale
Former UK MP Lembit Opik endorsed in bid for Estonian presidency
. — ''News Growl'', 1 December 2018 In 2021, Öpik was reported to have been expelled from the Liberal Democrats following his appearance at a Conservative Party meeting as the sole speaker in an event called "How to Stop the Lib Dems, an insiders guide on how the Lib Dems plan their campaigns." In September 2022 he was announced as an upcoming speaker at the 2022

UKIP The UK Independence Party (UKIP; ) is a Eurosceptic, right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. The party reached its greatest level of success in the mid-2010s, when it gained two members of Parliament and was the largest p ...

conference. and addressed the conference on "wokeness" in October.

Personal life, charity and creative activities

Public appearances

Öpik has appeared several times on the

...
satirical current affairs quiz show '' Have I Got News for You'', including an appearance on the day after he lost his parliamentary seat. He has also appeared on the BBC's ''

Question Time A question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers (including the prime minister), which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be ca ...

'' and ''

Any Questions? ''Any Questions?'' is a British topical discussion programme "in which a panel of personalities from the worlds of politics, media, and elsewhere are posed questions by the audience". It is typically broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Fridays at 8 p ...

'' Away from politics, he has also appeared on '' Stand Up for the Week'', ''

Al Murray's Happy Hour ''Al Murray's Happy Hour'' is a television chat show presented by comedian Al Murray and produced by Avalon TV. The first series aired in early 2007 and contained stand-up, guest interviews and live music. The episodes ended with Murray performin ...

'', ''

All Star Mr and Mrs ''All Star Mr & Mrs'' is a British television show which first began airing on 12 April 2008 on ITV. It is a celebrity revival of the original '' Mr and Mrs'' that aired on ITV from 1968 to 1988 with two separate revivals in 1995–1996 and 1 ...

'', ''

Loose Women ''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...

'', '' Bargain Hunt Famous Finds'', ''

Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway ''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'' (referred to simply as ''Saturday Night Takeaway'' or ''SNT'') is a British television variety show, created and presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquially known as Ant & Dec), and b ...

'' and '' Come Dine with Me'', ''

Celebrity Juice ''Celebrity Juice'' is a British television comedy panel game on ITV2, broadcast since 24 September 2008. The show is written and presented by Leigh Francis in the role of his alter ego Keith Lemon, and its current team captains Laura Whitmore ...

'' and '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'' In June 2010, he made his debut as a comedian at the Backstage Comedy Club in

London's West End The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buil ...

. It was described by one audience member as "not fantastic, but not completely awful". Öpik also gained media attention for his part in a music video by unsigned band The Good Suns. The video featured the politician dancing and miming lyrics to their debut song "Pop Wound". In March 2012, Öpik began collaborating with rock band Adam and the Asbos on their action/adventure sci-fi film ''Adam and the Asbos: The Movie''. In April and May 2012, he made appearances in a

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

promotion, appearing from the audience to confront wrestler Kade Callous for cheating; Öpik was in turn challenged to appear in a later tag team match, which ended with Öpik "black and blue". In August 2016, Öpik performed in the comedy ''Rocking Your Vote'', in which he played himself. The play was on the

Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

Festival, and starred 2015 parliamentary candidate Will Goodhand.Amy Southall
Edinburgh Fringe: 'I don't hate the critics, I pity them', says Lembit Opik on his new comedy
— ''

Talkradio TalkRadio (previously styled as talkRADIO) is a talk radio station broadcasting nationally in the United Kingdom, which was relaunched on 21 March 2016. Based in London and owned by Wireless Group, a subsidiary of News Corp., it is the sist ...

'', 23 August 2016 Since 2021, Öpik has been a contributor to ''

GB News GB News is a British free-to-air television and radio news channel. The channel is available on Freeview, Freesat, Sky, YouView, Virgin Media and via the internet. Since 4 January 2022, an audio simulcast of the station is available on DAB+ ...

''.

Writings and journalism

In 2009 Lembit Öpik published an article in ''

'' named "We need a cosmic plan" about risks of asteroid impact on Earth.Lembit Öpik
We need a cosmic plan
— ''

'', 21 July 2009 Earlier, in 1999, he called on the government to invest between £500,000 and £1m annually in tracking asteroids to avert catastrophe. He wrote a column in the (now defunct) ''

Daily Sport The ''Daily Sport'' was a tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom by Daily Sport Ltd., which specialised in celebrity news and softcore pornographic stories and images. The daily paper was launched in 1991 by David Sullivan, followin ...

'' newspaper earning him up to £5,000 a year. With Hilary Bird and Ulvi Mustmaa, he is the author of the ''Xenophobe's Guide to the Estonians'', published by Oval Books in June 2010. In March 2012, Öpik released his first collaborative work with Edward Joyce, ''The Alternative View'', a book discussing the future of the Liberal Democrats in the UK, including a call for the then party leader

to step down as Leader of The Liberal Democrats, but to remain deputy prime minister in the coalition government. The book's cover pays tribute to The Orange Book, although Öpik has often been considered a member of the 'social liberal', left wing of the party. His book ''All at Sea'', a tale about a curious cruise, was published in 2015.

Personal life and charity work

Öpik speaks fluent English, Estonian and German. Talking about the 2004 Parliamentary Language Challenge, he said that he could "get by" in French and Welsh and was intending to become fluent in the

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language family, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut P ...

. In 2003 he was a "day president" at the

National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Eur ...

, held at Meifod within his constituency; this required him to make a speech in Welsh, for which he was coached by his then girlfriend,

. On 13 April 1998 Öpik came close to death in a

paragliding Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like 'po ...

accident. He fell onto a Welsh mountain in his constituency and broke his back in 12 places, as well as his ribs,

sternum The sternum or breastbone is a long flat bone located in the central part of the chest. It connects to the ribs via cartilage and forms the front of the rib cage, thus helping to protect the heart, lungs, and major blood vessels from injury. Sh ...

and jaw. This experience caused him to take a keen interest in the Spinal Injuries Association, of which he is a member. He later underwent a series of surgical procedures to correct the damage to the bones in his face. Despite the accident, he continued with his interest in aviation. He talked about the accident to the July 2010 edition of Flaps Podcast, where he recounted his accident and its aftermath. He has since become a glider pilot at the Midland Gliding Club in

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

. He holds a pilot's licence and spoke for British gliding in the House of Commons. Öpik also rides motorcycles (he was the chair of the all-party parliamentary motorcycling group when he was an MP), and since November 2013, he has been employed as the campaigns and communications director for the

. Öpik supports the English

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club

Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...

. His mother lives in the city of

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

. He participated in a celebrity edition of ''

The Apprentice ''The Apprentice'' is a Reality competition, reality talent game show franchise originally aired in 2004 in the United States. Created by U.S.-based British producer Mark Burnett, the show depicts contestants from around the country with variou ...

'' to raise money for charity. ''

Sport Relief Does The Apprentice ''Comic Relief Does The Apprentice'' (also known as ''The Celebrity Apprentice for Comic Relief'') is a special celebrity version of British reality television series ''The Apprentice'', initially produced to raise money for Comic Relief. The fi ...

'' was part of

Sport Relief ''Sport Relief'' was a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, established in 2002. It was the idea of Kevin Cahill, CBE, who had joined Comic Relief in 1991 to establish a new department as Director of Educati ...

, the

Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...

...
charity initiative that aired on 12 and 14 March 2008. In 2006 he became president of the

Motor Neurone Disease Association The Motor Neurone Disease Association (MND Association) focuses on improving access to care, research and campaigning for those people living with or affected by motor neurone disease (MND) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. MND is also know ...

, following his father's death from the disease the previous year. He and

weather presenter

appeared on ''Celebrity

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (often informally called ''Millionaire'') is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and ...

'' on 15 April 2006, winning £64,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association and

Action for Children Action for Children (formerly National Children's Home) is a United Kingdom, UK children's charity created to help vulnerable children & young people and their families in the UK. The charity has 7,000 staff and volunteers who operate over 475 ...

.Opik seeks legal advice on Sian
— ''

'', 17 March 2008 The couple came close to marrying, but she ended the relationship in October 2006 and made unflattering comments about Öpik in her autobiography, ''A Funny Kind of Love''. According to

Lynn Barber Lynn Barber (born 22 May 1944) is a British journalist who has worked for many publications, including ''The Sunday Times''. Early life Barber attended Lady Eleanor Holles School in south-west London. While she was studying for her A-Levels she ...

, the author's "main purpose seems to have been demolishing love-rat Lembit". Öpik later became involved with then-24-year-old Gabriela Irimia of pop music double-act

. They split up in July 2008 after a "difficult period" in the relationship. At the age of 52 he had a daughter, born in June 2017, with his partner Sabina Vankova. Later that year she was reported to have left him. The couple had a second daughter in November 2020.

Electoral record of Lembit Öpik

References

External links

*
Lembit Opik MP
profile at the site of Liberal Democrats
Lembit Öpik MP
profile at the site of Welsh Liberal Democrats
Times Online Student Section: Lembit Opik
Interview with Lembit Opik

* ttps://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/lembit_opik/montgomeryshire TheyWorkForYou.com – Lembit Öpik MP
The Public Whip – Lembit Öpik
voting record
BBC News – Politics: Lembit Opik
profile 10 February 2005
Evening Standard (London); "Lembit and his Very Cheeky Family"

Guardian article
on election 27 April 2010

: Opik urges tactical voting against Liberal Dems
Flaps Podcast, July 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Opik, Lembit 1965 births Living people Alumni of the University of Bristol Welsh libertarians Councillors in Newcastle upon Tyne People from Northern Ireland of Estonian descent British male professional wrestlers Liberal Democrats (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies People educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution People from Bangor, County Down Press TV people Politicians from Northern Ireland UK MPs 1997–2001 UK MPs 2001–2005 UK MPs 2005–2010 Welsh-speaking politicians Liberal Democrats (UK) councillors I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series) participants