21 Facts About Paul Tyler

Paul Tyler was a Member of Parliament from February to October 1974 and from 1992 to 2005, and sat in the House of Lords as a life peer until October 2021.

Paul Tyler was privately educated at the independent Sherborne School and Exeter College, Oxford.

In 1964 Tyler was elected Britain's youngest County Councillor, and re-elected in 1967.

At the 1970 general election, Paul Tyler stood as the Liberal candidate in the Bodmin constituency, defending the seat held by the outgoing Liberal MP Peter Bessell.

At the February 1974 general election, Paul Tyler defeated Hicks by a majority of only nine votes.

Paul Tyler stood again at the 1979 general election, but Hicks was re-elected with a large majority, in line with the national swing away from the Liberals and Labour to the Conservatives.

Paul Tyler contested the 1982 Beaconsfield by-election, increasing the Alliance vote and pushing the Labour candidate into third place.

Paul Tyler was the Liberal Democrat candidate for Cornwall and Plymouth in the 1989 European Parliament election.

Paul Tyler was a member of the Liberal Democrats' shadow cabinet until he retired from the House of Commons at the May 2005 general election.

Paul Tyler was appointed Liberal Democrat Spokesman on Rural Affairs, Agriculture and Transport following his election 1992.

Paul Tyler gained the Country Life Parliamentarian of the Year Award for his persistent and effective challenging of Agriculture Ministers during the BSE Beef crisis.

Paul Tyler served on the Modernisation Select Committee, and led Liberal Democrat efforts to make the Commons more effective.

Paul Tyler led for the party on both the modernisation of the Commons and the reform of the Lords to create a democratic and representative Second Chamber.

On 13 May 2005 it was announced that Paul Tyler would be created a life peer, and on 15 June 2005 he was created Baron Paul Tyler, of Linkinhorne, in the County of Cornwall.

Paul Tyler was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Cornwall in February 2006.

Paul Tyler has worked with allies in all Parties, and in both Houses, to advance the cause of constitutional reform.

Paul Tyler convened a cross-party group from within the Joint Committee on the Draft House of Lords Reform Bill to secure majority support for positive recommendations in favour of progress with reform.

Paul Tyler retired from the House of Lords in October 2021, a week before his 80th birthday, making a widely acclaimed "valedictory speech", fully assessing the constitutional challenges presented by the Johnson Government.

In 2006 Lord Paul Tyler called on Planning Minister, Yvette Cooper to honour the pledges and position of her predecessor, Keith Hill, to keep the Cornish Saint Piran's Flag flying across the Cornwall When he was MP for North Cornwall, Paul Tyler led a successful campaign, backed by the local media, to gain reassurances from the Planning Minister that rules which prevent the St Piran's flag flying without permission could be ignored by local Councils.

In 2007 Lord Paul Tyler confirmed his support for a Cornish Assembly when he was interviewed by the BBC regarding proposals for a Constitutional Convention.

Paul Tyler led a campaign to uncover the truth behind the Lowermoor Water Poisoning incident, and the ensuing cover-up, which occurred shortly before the Conservative Party privatised the water industry.