John Pardoe - Liberal Party

Liberal Party

In the 1964 general election Pardoe stood as the Liberal candidate against Margaret Thatcher in Finchley. In the 1966 election, the Liberal Party increased its number of MPs from nine to twelve - one of them was Pardoe, capturing the North Cornwall seat from the Conservative Party's James Scott-Hopkins. He rapidly became the party's Economic Affairs spokesman in parliament, respected for the intellect of his views if not the often partisan nature of his comments.

In 1976, after the resignation of Jeremy Thorpe, Pardoe was a candidate for the leadership of the Liberal Party. He lost to David Steel, who received 12,541 votes to Pardoe's 7,032.

In 1978, John Pardoe MP played the fairy-tale Liberal prime minister in BBC Radio 4's Christmas Pantomime, Black Cinderella Two Goes East, on the basis that you only get Liberal prime ministers in fairy-tales. The 'often partisan nature of his comments' became a running gag within the programme.

In the 1979 general election, he lost his seat, possibly because of his outspoken support for neighbouring MP Jeremy Thorpe, who was then standing trial at the Old Bailey for conspiracy and incitement to murder.

In the general election of 1987, Pardoe served as campaign manager of the SDP-Liberal Alliance.

In the 1960s John Pardoe was a member of Mebyon Kernow as well as the Liberal Party.