Paul Beresford

Sir Alexander Paul Beresford (born 6 April 1946) is a British Conservative Party politician, practising dentist and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Mole Valley. He sits on three Parliamentary committees.

Beresford was born in 1946 in Levin, New Zealand, and was educated in Richmond Primary School, Waimea College in Richmond; and the University of Otago in Dunedin, and is a practising dentist.

Beresford was elected as a Councillor to Wandsworth Borough Council in 1978, and was its Leader between 1983 and 1992, through much of the Thatcher Government. He pioneered the practice of hiring contractors to do jobs that council workers had previously done. In 1990 he was knighted for services to inner city rehabilitation.

Beresford was selected to fight the safe Conservative seat of Croydon Central following the retirement of former Cabinet minister John Moore. Beresford was elected at the 1992 General Election and made his maiden speech on 30 June 1992. He entered the Major Government in 1994 as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for the Environment and remained until the Government was defeated in 1997.

When the number of seats in Croydon was reduced from four to three before the 1997 General Election, he failed to be selected for the newly-drawn Croydon Central, and instead fought Mole Valley in Surrey, where he was elected in 1997. Croydon Central fell to Labour. Prior to the 2010 General Election Beresford was a member of the Communities & Local Government Select Committee. Beresford was named by Conservative Home as one of a minority of loyal Conservative backbench MPs not to have voted against the government in any significant rebellions.

During the referendum on EU membership the Tory member, who is an avowed Eurosceptic, campaigned on behalf of the Remain campaign because he believed it was the better option for future generations.

During the media coverage of the United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal, it was revealed that Beresford, who is a practising dentist, designated his west London property (which includes his dental surgery) as his second home, allowing him to claim allowances of three-quarters of the running costs of the property from the taxpayer.

Beresford has a son from his previous marriage who lives in New Zealand.

Beresford is currently married to Julie (née Haynes) and they have three sons and one daughter.