Sir Paul Beresford was first elected as the Conservative MP for Mole Valley in 1992, being reelected in 2019 with a majority of 12,041.
The Mole Valley constituency contains the central and southern heart of Surrey including the towns of Dorking, Leatherhead, and Great Bookham. An affluent area that contains a high proportion of London commuters, this is safe Conservative territory and even returned the Conservatives with a five figure majority during the Labour landslide year of 1997. It was formerly represented in Parliament by the Conservative Home Secretary, Kenneth Baker.
Sir Paul Beresford was born in 1946, and was brought up in New Zealand. He graduated in dentistry in New Zealand and took a year’s postgraduate course at the Eastman Dental Hospital in London. He first practised in the East End of London before moving to the West End. The Register of Members Interests shows him to be still employed as part-time dental surgeon for Beresford Dental Practice Limited.
Sir Paul Beresford joined the Putney Conservatives and was elected to Wandsworth Council in 1978. He later served as the high profile Leader of Wandsworth Council between 1983 and 1992, notably at the time of the introduction of the Community Charge (poll tax).
Now a veteran Conservative MP, Sir Paul was part of the Major government, serving as a junior Minister at Department of the Environment between 1994 and 1997.
Beresford supported Boris Johnson in the 2019 Conservative leadership election.
He is married with four children, and he employs his wife Julia as a part time Secretary.
Sir Paul Beresford is Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Policing and Security; Antibiotics; and Electric Aviation. He is Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Groups on Australia and New Zealand; AEA Technology Pensions; and the Pacific Islands.
Email: annie.winsbury@parliament.uk
Twitter: @PaulBeresfordMP
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paul-Beresford/
