Logo Assembly Logo Hemicycle

Sir Christopher CHOPE (United Kingdom, ECPA)

Mandates

In the political groups

  • Bureau: European Conservatives, Patriots & Affiliates since 03/02/2025
  • Bureau: European Conservatives Group and Democratic Alliance from 30/09/2024 to 03/02/2025
  • Member: European Conservatives Group and Democratic Alliance from 05/10/2019 to 29/09/2024
  • Member: European Conservatives Group from 24/11/2017 to 04/10/2019
  • Chairperson: European Conservatives Group from 05/10/2014 to 07/11/2015
  • Chairperson: European Democrat Group from 29/09/2014 to 04/10/2014
  • Acting Chairperson: European Democrat Group from 10/04/2014 to 28/09/2014
  • First Vice-Chairperson: European Democrat Group from 27/01/2014 to 09/04/2014
  • Treasurer: European Democrat Group from 01/09/2005 to 26/01/2014

In the Assembly

  • since 29/11/2024 Representative - United Kingdom
  • from 24/11/2017 to 28/11/2024 Substitute - United Kingdom
  • from 01/09/2005 to 07/11/2015 Representative - United Kingdom

In the committee(s) and sub-committee(s)

  • Chairperson of the Special Committee on the New Democratic Pact: Bureau of the Assembly (since 29/01/2026)
  • Chairperson of the Special Committee on the New Democratic Pact: Standing Committee (since 29/01/2026)
  • Chairperson: Special Committee on the New Democratic Pact (since 29/01/2026)
  • Full Member: Special Committee on the New Democratic Pact (since 26/01/2026)
  • Full Member ECPA: Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights (since 03/02/2025)
  • Full Member: Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination (since 29/11/2024)
  • Member: Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee) (since 30/09/2024)
  • Third Vice-Chairperson: Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (from 25/01/2022 to 21/01/2024)
  • Full Member EC/DA: Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights (from 05/10/2019 to 03/02/2025)
  • Full Member EC: Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights (from 24/01/2019 to 04/10/2019)
  • Full Member: Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (from 01/06/2018 to 22/01/2023)
  • Full Member EC: Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights (from 22/01/2018 to 20/01/2019)
  • Full Member: Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination (from 24/11/2017 to 31/05/2018)
  • Full Member EC: Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights (from 26/01/2015 to 07/11/2015)
  • Ex officio (Rule 19.6 of the Rules of Procedure - Chairpersons of Political Groups): Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy (from 29/09/2014 to 07/11/2015)
  • Ex officio (Rule 19.6 of the Rules of Procedure - Chairpersons of Political Groups): Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee) (from 29/09/2014 to 07/11/2015)
  • Ex officio (Rule 19.6 of the Rules of Procedure - Chairpersons of Political Groups): (Former) Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs (from 29/09/2014 to 07/11/2015)
  • Chairperson of Political Group: Presidential Committee (from 10/04/2014 to 07/11/2015)
  • Chairperson of Political Group: Bureau of the Assembly (from 10/04/2014 to 07/11/2015)
  • Chairperson of Political Group: Standing Committee (from 10/04/2014 to 07/11/2015)
  • Member: Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee) (from 27/01/2014 to 28/09/2014)
  • Chairperson: Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (from 21/01/2013 to 26/01/2014)
  • Chairperson: Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (from 23/01/2012 to 20/01/2013)
  • Chairperson of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights: Standing Committee (from 23/01/2012 to 26/01/2014)
  • Ex officio (Rule 44.1 of the Rules of Procedure): Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee) (from 23/01/2012 to 26/01/2014)
  • Chairperson of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights: Bureau of the Assembly (from 23/01/2012 to 26/01/2014)
  • Full Member: Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (from 03/10/2011 to 07/11/2015)
  • Chairperson: (Former) Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population (from 01/09/2005 to 23/01/2012)
  • Member: (Former) Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs (from 01/09/2005 to 28/09/2014)
  • Full Member: Sub-Committee on Human Rights (since 27/01/2026)
  • Full Member: Sub-Committee on Gender Equality (from 30/01/2025 to 27/01/2026)
  • Full Member: Sub-Committee on the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (from 28/01/2025 to 26/01/2026)
  • Chairperson: Sub-Committee on the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (from 19/04/2021 to 25/01/2022)
  • Full Member: Sub-Committee on the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (from 22/03/2021 to 22/01/2023)
  • Chairperson: Sub-Committee on the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (from 28/01/2020 to 24/01/2021)
  • Full Member: Sub-Committee on the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (from 26/06/2018 to 24/01/2021)
  • Full Member: Sub-Committee on External Relations (from 14/12/2017 to 22/01/2023)
  • Full Member: Sub-Committee on the Middle East and the Arab World (from 28/01/2015 to 07/11/2015)
  • Full Member: Sub-Committee on External Relations (from 28/01/2015 to 07/11/2015)
  • Full Member EC: Sub-Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights (from 05/10/2014 to 25/01/2015)
  • Vice-Chairperson: Sub-Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights (from 28/01/2014 to 25/01/2015)
  • EDG Full Member: Sub-Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights (from 28/01/2014 to 04/10/2014)
  • Full Member: Sub-Committee on Detention (from 03/10/2013 to 26/01/2014)
  • Ex officio: Sub-Committee on Human Rights (from 23/01/2012 to 26/01/2014)
  • Ex officio: Sub-Committee on Crime Problems and the Fight against Terrorism (from 23/01/2012 to 26/01/2014)
  • Ex officio: Sub-Committee on Rule of Law (from 23/01/2012 to 26/01/2014)
  • Ex officio: Sub-Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights (from 23/01/2012 to 26/01/2014)
  • EDG Full Member: Sub-Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights (from 27/01/2011 to 23/01/2012)
  • Member: Sub-Committee on Refugees (from 01/09/2005 to 25/01/2011)
  • EDG Alternate: Sub-Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights (from 01/09/2005 to 27/01/2011)
  • Alternate of Ms Heather WHEELER (Full Member): Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (from 15/04/2024 to 28/11/2024)
  • Alternate of Ms Nickie AIKEN (Full Member): Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (from 23/01/2023 to 14/04/2024)
  • Alternate of Lord Richard KEEN (Full Member): Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (since 29/11/2024)
  • Alternate of Lord Andrew ADONIS (Full Member): Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy (from 26/06/2020 to 23/01/2022)
  • Alternate of Lord David BLENCATHRA (Full Member): Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy (from 24/11/2017 to 25/06/2020)
  • Alternate of Lord David BLENCATHRA (Full Member): Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy (from 24/01/2022 to 22/01/2023)
  • Alternate of Dame Angela WATKINSON (Full Member): (Former) Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons (from 21/01/2013 to 26/01/2014)
  • Alternate of Sir Edward LEIGH (Full Member): (Former) Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons (from 23/01/2012 to 20/01/2013)
  • Alternate of Mr Jim SHERIDAN (Full Member): (Former) Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons (from 27/01/2014 to 07/11/2015)
  • Alternate of Mr Nicholas BOLES (Full Member): Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (from 12/11/2010 to 02/10/2011)
  • Alternate of Ms Maggie THROUP (Full Member): Sub-Committee on Disability, Multiple and Intersectional Discrimination (from 07/12/2017 to 31/05/2018)
  • Alternate of Mr Robert NEILL (Full Member): Sub-Committee on Human Rights (from 28/01/2014 to 07/11/2015)

Interventions

Last speeches

21/04/2026 | 19:47:05 Mr President, selecting the best possible candidates to hold judicial office is essential and in my time as a member of the Committee and its predecessor sub-committee, I think there have been significant improvements. I think one can say fairly now that all the women elected as judges are elected on merit, and it wasn't always that way. And secondly, many of the conflicts of interest identified in a series of critical reports by the European Centre for Law and Justice have been addressed... 21/04/2026 | 11:14:36 United Kingdom colleagues, I wish to bring some historical context to this important debate. As a newly elected MP in 1984, I was at the Grand Hotel in Brighton when the Irish Republican Army (IRA) blew up the hotel, attempting to murder our prime minister, but instead killing my parliamentary colleague Tony Berry. The IRA also murdered three other MPs. When I started out in politics in the 1970s, threats and violence from left-wing trade unionists were commonplace. But we were not... 26/01/2026 | 17:23:22 Thank you for calling me, Madam Chairman. I'm looking forward to the establishment of the New Democratic Pact committee, because this is a very important initiative. I think what is clear is that we have a Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee), most of whose activities are conducted in private. We have, as the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe said in his opening remarks, we've got a... 03/10/2025 | 10:45:56 As a member of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination for this year and having been to the meeting in Malta where this report was discussed, what concerned me was that, often, the Committee seems to engage in tokenism towards males whilst putting all the emphasis on the equality of women. I don't see any reason why we in this Parliamentary Assembly should be differentiating between sexual violence against men and boys as against sexual violence against women and children. It seems... 29/09/2025 | 17:17:00 Excusez-moi. On a point of order, in the light of the contents of this debate, I request that the Assembly annuls the decision of the Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights to reject the Hungarian list on procedural grounds. The Committee of Ministers has confirmed that the right procedure was followed and it seems that the Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights, on which I have the privilege of serving, was given...

Activities