Roger Casale Explained

Roger Casale
Constituency Mp:Wimbledon
Term Start:1 May 1997
Term End:11 April 2005
Predecessor:Charles Goodson-Wickes
Successor:Stephen Hammond
Birth Date:22 May 1960
Nationality:British
Party:Labour (until 2017)
Alma Mater:Brasenose College, Oxford
Committees:European Scrutiny Committee

Roger Mark Casale (born 22 May 1960) was the Labour Member of Parliament for Wimbledon, England from 1997 to 2005.

In June 2013, Casale founded New Europeans, a pro-EU campaigning group.

Early life

He was educated at King's College School, Hurstpierpoint College, Brasenose College, Oxford, and Johns Hopkins University.

Political career

He gained the Wimbledon seat at the 1997 general election, one of the surprise results of the Labour landslide as Wimbledon had only ever previously been won by the Labour Party at the 1945 general election. Casale successfully retained the seat with a slightly increased majority at the 2001 general election but lost it to the Conservatives at the 2005 general election.[1]

After Parliament

Since losing his seat Casale has run his own parliamentary advisors company, Roger Casale Associates Ltd. In June 2013, Casale founded New Europeans, a pro-EU campaigning group.[2]

In May 2017, Casale resigned from Labour in order to contest the Vauxhall constituency, held by Kate Hoey, a pro-Brexit Labour MP.[3] [4] For this purpose, Casale announced the creation of Yes2Europe as a new political party.[5] Lambeth for Europe, the local pro-EU group, did not endorse Casale, instead opting for the Liberal Democrat candidate, George Turner.[6] In the end, Casale did not contest the constituency in the 2017 general election.[7]

In 2019, Casale joined Change UK and became a candidate for the party in the 2019 European Parliament election, contesting the seven-member constituency of East of England.[8] The party polled 3.7%; he was the last candidate on Change UK's party list for the constituency and was not elected.[9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Roger Casale: Electoral history and profile . 2010-03-27 . guardian.co.uk.
  2. Web site: We are New Europeans | Politics @ Surrey . Blogs.surrey.ac.uk . 2013-06-20 . 2016-10-14.
  3. News: Roger Casale resigns from the British Labour Party. 9 May 2017. Europa United. 18 June 2018. en-US.
  4. News: 2017 General Election – List of Candidates Coffee House. 10 May 2017. Coffee House. 18 June 2018. en-US.
  5. Web site: Roger Casale, former labour MP, announces the creation of the new pro European Party in UK Yes2Europe Press Club Brussels Europe. www.pressclub.be. en-GB. 18 June 2018.
  6. News: George Turner endorsed by Lambeth For Europe. 9 May 2017. Lambeth Lib Dems. 18 June 2018. en.
  7. News: Vauxhall parliamentary constituency - Election 2017. BBC News. 18 June 2018. en-GB.
  8. Web site: Change UK candidates for European Elections 2019: Who is standing?. Speare-Cole. Rebecca. 23 April 2019. Evening Standard. en. 25 April 2019.
  9. Web site: Harlow voters back The Brexit Party in European Elections. Staff Reporter. 26 May 2019. Your Harlow. en-US. 28 May 2019.