Paul Burstow - Election and Parliamentary Career

Election and Parliamentary Career

Burstow first contested the Sutton and Cheam Parliamentary seat for the Liberal Democrats at the 1992 General Election. He was defeated by the Conservative Lady Olga Maitland despite achieving one of the largest swings to the Liberal Democrats in London at that election.

He contested the seat again in 1997, this time being elected as its Liberal Democrat MP with a majority of 2,097. Burstow joined several other new Lib Dem MPs as many other south west London seats were gained by the Liberal Democrats at the same election.

He made his maiden speech on 16 May 1997, speaking passionately about the needs of the blind and the disabled people. On his election, Burstow immediately became a spokesman on the Environment under Paddy Ashdown. He became the spokesman on Social Security in 1999 on the election of Charles Kennedy as the Leader of the Liberal Democrats. After the 2001 General Election he became the Health spokesman. He has been the parliamentary ambassador to the NSPCC since 2001. He was promoted to the Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet as the Shadow Secretary of State for Health in 2003. He stepped down from the Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet following the 2005 General Election, but was appointed as the spokesman on London. On 22 March 2006, Liberal Democrats MPs elected him their Chief Whip.

Burstow has a reputation for his work with and for older people. In 2003 The Guardian described him as "One of the most knowledgeable and effective politicians on older people's issues". He was voted by MPs as older people's champion in the epolitix Charity Champion awards in December 2005.

Burstow introduced the Care of Older and Incapacitated People (Human Rights) Bill in January 2006. It provided proposals to increase the protection of vulnerable adults from abuse and neglect. In 2007 he introduced an Early Day Motion congratulating the National Benevolent Fund for the Aged on its 50th anniversary.