Biography Wikipedia
Wikipedia:
Gregory James Pope (born 29 August 1960) is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hyndburn from 1992 until retiring at the 2010 general election. He was a government whip from 1997 until 2001.
Early life
He went to St Marys College R.C. Grammar School on Shear Brow in Blackburn, now St Mary's Sixth Form College, Blackburn. He studied Politics at the University of Hull, graduating in 1981.
Parliamentary career
Considered a Blairite, Pope is a signatory of the Henry Jackson Society. He was a member of the backbench committee on Northern Ireland from 1997-2001.
In April 2000 as a whip, Pope inadvertently approved a Liberal Democrat clause in the government's utilities bill, committing the government to meet 10% of electricity requirements from green sources by 2010. Pope said: "We were doing a series of government amendments. I realised I'd shouted aye too many times. I'm not overjoyed about it." The error led the government to instruct its MPs to vote against the clause.
In July 2003, Pope admitted leaking confidential Foreign Affairs Select Committee evidence to The Guardian newspaper chief political correspondent Patrick Wintour. The move was described as an attempt to "bounce" MPs on the committee into clearing Alastair Campbell of "sexing up" the so-called Dodgy Dossier of evidence into the threat posed by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
On 11 June 2009, Pope announced that he would stand down at the 2010 election.
Post Politics
On 19 April 2010 Pope was appointed as the deputy director of the Catholic Education Service for England and Wales (CESEW).
Personal life
In a survey of MPs, Pope somewhat controversially chose Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols as his favourite album. "It changed music forever and meant we never had to listen to Boney M again."
He married Catherine Fallon on 2 August 1985; they have three children.