Roger Maurice Knapman (born 20 February 1944) is a British politician who served as a
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 in ...
MP before becoming Leader of the
UK Independence Party
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 par ...
(UKIP).
Early life
The son of Harry Arthur Blackmore Knapman, a farmer, and Joan Margot née Densham, Roger Knapman was educated at Allhallows School, Lyme Regis, and the
Royal Agricultural College
;(from Virgil's Georgics)"Caring for the Fieldsand the Beasts"
, established = 2013 - University status – College
, type = Public
, president = King Charles
, vice_chancellor = Peter McCaffery
, students ...
, Cirencester. Before entering politics, he was a
Chartered Surveyor and partner with West Country, a firm of livestock auctioneers and surveyors, 1963–77. He was then a Chartered Surveyor in his own right 1978–85.
Parliamentary career
As a 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 ...
, Knapman was elected
MP for
Stroud
Stroud is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District. The town's population was 13,500 in 2021.
Below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills, at the meeting point of the Five Va ...
in
1987, and was Vice-Chairman of the Conservative European Affairs Committee.
[''Dod's 1991'', p.502.] Between 1990 and 1992, he served as
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) is a Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom who acts as an unpaid assistant to a minister or shadow minister. They are selected from backbench MPs as the 'eyes and ears' of the minister in the ...
to the armed forces minister,
Archie Hamilton. In this capacity he joined the
Conservative Monday Club
The Conservative Monday Club (usually known as the Monday Club) is a British political pressure group, aligned with the Conservative Party, though no longer endorsed by it. It also has links to the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Ulster Unioni ...
's Foreign Affairs Committee Delegation to the Croatian Government in October 1991 to observe their war of independence against
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...
. He resigned from his government position in order to oppose the
Maastricht Treaty
The Treaty on European Union, commonly known as the Maastricht Treaty, is the foundation treaty of the European Union (EU). Concluded in 1992 between the then-twelve member states of the European Communities, it announced "a new stage in the ...
. He successfully defended his seat in the
1992 general election. In 1995 he became a government
whip
A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally ...
. In
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
, however, he lost his seat to the
Labour candidate,
David Drew.
UKIP
Shortly afterwards, Knapman left the Conservative party to join UKIP. He stood as their candidate in the
2001 general election for
North Devon
North Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. North Devon Council is based in Barnstaple. Other towns and villages in the North Devon District include Braunton, Fremington, Ilfracombe, Instow, South Molton, Lynton and Lyn ...
, coming fourth yet narrowly retaining his deposit.
From 2000, he was UKIP's political advisor, and in 2002 he was elected unopposed as party leader. 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 ...
he was elected 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 ...
for the
South West England
South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities ...
constituency. As leader of the only British party in the European Parliament to vote against the expansion of the EU in 2004 (and publicly opposing immigration), there was some amusement in May 2006 when it was revealed that he had employed a team of Polish builders to renovate his Grade II listed home in Devon, claiming there were no suitable local workers – a claim denied by local builders.
He contested
Totnes at the
2005 general election, coming 4th with 7.7% of the vote.
In 2006, he announced that he had no intention of seeking re-election as party leader; the
leadership contest was won in September of that year by
Nigel Farage MEP. Knapman was the only leader of UKIP to have succeeded in completing a full four-year term until Farage did so in 2014 after returning to the role in 2010.
References
External links
*
*
Profile at European Parliament website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knapman, Roger Maurice
1944 births
Living people
Alumni of the Royal Agricultural University
British libertarians
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Leaders of the UK Independence Party
MEPs for England 2004–2009
People from Crediton
UK Independence Party MEPs
UK MPs 1987–1992
UK MPs 1992–1997
UK Independence Party parliamentary candidates
British Eurosceptics