John Butterfill - Parliamentary Career

Parliamentary Career

In 1979 Butterfill contested London South East Inner at the European Parliamentary election but was defeated comfortably by Labour's Richard Balfe. He was selected to contest the Croydon North West by-election in 1981 which was caused by the death of Conservative MP Robert Taylor. It came as a great surprise when Bill Pitt won the seat for the Liberal Party, on a 24% swing and with a majority of 3,254. He was subsequently chosen to contest the south coast seat of Bournemouth West on the retirement of the veteran MP John Eden. Butterfill won the seat at the 1983 General Election with a majority of 13,331, and remained the MP there until 2010.

Butterfill remained a backbencher for the entirety of his parliamentary career. He was the Parliamentary Private Secretary PPS to the Secretary of State for Energy Cecil Parkinson in 1988, remaining Parkinson's PPS when he became the Secretary of State for Transport in 1989. His job ended when Parkinson resigned from the Cabinet at the election of John Major to succeed Margaret Thatcher in 1990.

Butterfill has served on many select committees during his more than 20 year Westminster career. He has been responsible for introducing many Acts of Parliament including the Registered Homes (Amendment) Act 1991; the Insolvency (Amendment) Act 1994; and the Policy Holders Protection Act 1997. He has recently been noted for campaigning for an increase in parliamentary pay and been quoted in the press as saying that "there are a lot of unhappy bunnies" in relation to MP's remuneration.

In 1995, he entered a bill to place the UK in the Central European Time. It was opposed by many Scottish MPs.

He introduced the Financial Mutuals Arrangements Bill which was renamed and became the Building Societies (Funding) and Mutual Societies (Transfers) Act 2007.