John Ambrose Cope, Baron Cope of Berkeley, PC (born 13 May 1937) is a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.
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Education
Cope was educated at Oakham School before qualifying as a Chartered Accountant.
Career
Cope contested Woolwich East in the 1970 general election, but was defeated by Labour's Christopher Mayhew. Thereafter he served as Member of Parliament for South Gloucestershire from 1974 to 1983. When that constituency was abolished for the 1983 general election, he was returned for the new Northavon constituency, serving until his defeat in the 1997 general election by the Liberal Democrat Steve Webb. Within the Conservative Party, he was an Assistant Whip from June 1979 to June 1981.
His first political office was as a Lord Commissioner of the Treasury (June 1981 to June 1983), and then he was Treasurer of HM Household (1983–1987), and was then appointed Minister of State for Employment (with a special focus on small businesses) 1987–1989. He was then Minister of State for Security and Finance at the Northern Ireland Office until November 1990. In the meantime, in 1988, he was sworn as a member of the Privy Council. Cope served as Deputy Chairman and Treasurer of the Conservative Party from 1 November 1990, succeeding David Trippier. He was succeeded by Dame Angela Rumbold on 1 April 1992. Cope served as Paymaster General (HM Treasury) in John Major's government between 1992 and 1994.