What other laws has notorious bill-blocker Sir Christopher Chope objected to?

There were cries of "shame" in the House of Commons when Sir Christopher Chope derailed attempts to make 'upskirting' a specific criminal offence.

Campaigners expected the bill, that would criminalise the practice of taking unauthorised photographs under a person's skirt, to go through the house smoothly, however the Thatcherite MP intervened.

Sir Christopher, first elected in 1983, chose to shout "object" when the bill was proposed - and it's not the first time he's done so.

Throughout his long parliamentary career the MP for Christchurch, who was on the 2018 New Year's honours list, has made a habit of blocking laws that enjoyed huge support.

  • Posthumous pardon for WWII hero Alan Turing

In 2013 it was almost universally agreed that there should be a posthumous pardon for the man who cracked the Enigma code and helped win WWII - but Sir Christopher didn't agree and objected to the bill.

In 1952, retrospective national treasure Alan Turing was charged with homosexual offences and subsequently killed himself as a result of hormonal treatment intended to suppress his sexual orientation.

The bill was eventually passed but at the time of objection, Liberal Democrat MP John Leech, who introduced the bill said: “I’m very disappointed that one solitary objection has delayed this bill.”

  • Gay equal rights bills

In 2014 Gordon Stevenson and Peter Fraser married in a ceremony at the consulate of the United Kingdom in Sydney - the first same-sex marriage to take place in a UK consulate anywhere in the world. Credit: PA

Sir Christopher has voted against any bill to promote equal gay rights on several occasions. There have been 10 significant gay rights votes in the House of Commons since 1998 and Sir Christopher has objected to every one.

Though still a very contentious issue in many corners of the globe, same-sex marriage was finally made legal in the UK in 2013 but not before Sir Christopher twice voted against it in the same year.

After years of debate and progression on gay rights, MPs from all parties voted to legalise same-sex marriage and the UK's first gay marriage happened in 2014.

  • Bill to ban 'revenge evictions'

Former Lib Dem MP Sarah Teather introduced the bill to criminalise 'revenge evictions' but it was 'talked-out' after a long speech from Sir Christopher Chope. Credit: PA

A year after attempting to block same-sex marriage, Sir Christopher attracted more furious criticism when he "talked-out" a bill to make 'revenge evictions' illegal.

The bill, which was proposed by Liberal Democrat Sarah Teather and had cross-party backing, sought to make it illegal for landlords to evict tenants who complained about housing.

The bill ran out of time after Conservative MP Philip Davies spoke for an hour which was followed by a lengthy speech by Sir Christopher.

Sir Christopher, who was forced to deny he was a landlord himself, offered an explanation for his actions.

He said: “We don’t want to have a reduction in the number of tenancies available. My background goes back to the days when we had rent controls and it was almost impossible to evict people from tenancies and the consequence was there were hardly any tenancies to be had.”

  • Investigation into John Bercow bullying allegations

Speaker of the House John Bercow was accused of bullying by two former secretaries. Credit: PA

Earlier this year many Tory MPs, who want rid of John Bercow, thought their prayers were answered when two secretaries accused the Speaker of the House of bullying.

Mr Bercow denied the allegations but faced mounting pressure for him to resign.

His position was saved when a proposition to investigate the allegations was voted down by Sir Christopher, fellow Tory John Stevenson and Labour's Kate Green.

  • Hospital parking charge exemptions for carers

A debate about hospital car parking charges has been raging in the UK for years. Credit: PA

In 2014 a bill was proposed that would exempt carers from hospital car park charges, an idea that many found it hard to disagree with.

For many, visiting hospital is expensive, so the bill sought to help out carers who are required to visit hospital frequently

The bill was introduced by Labour MP Julie Cooper but was talked-out by Tory MPs Philip Davies, who spoke for 93 minutes, and Sir Christopher and David Nuttall, who spoke for another hour and 20 minutes between them.

The three Conservatives argued that by exempting carers from hospital parking the cost would rise for everyone else.

  • The use of wild animals in circus shows

Animal rights activists in the UK have been campaigning to ban the use of wild animals in circus shows (picture taken at a show in Germany). Credit: PA

Another bill proposed in 2014 was aimed at criminalising the use of wild animals in circus acts, a law hard to disagree with.

But Sir Christopher, along with follow Tories Andrew Rosindell and Phillip Davies, persistently blocked the bill.

There were seven votes on the issue between 2013 and 2014 which all failed to pass the legislation and in 2017 Sir Christopher was accused by PETA of having "betrayed animals and British citizens".

Peta director Elisa Allen said: “Mr Chope’s decision to scuttle animal protection legislation is shameful.

“He has betrayed animals and British citizens, who overwhelmingly support a ban on wild animal circuses.”

The law has still not been passed though the government expects it to become law by 2020.