Paul Kohler (politician)

Last updated

2024–present
Paul Kohler
MP
Official portrait of Paul Kohler MP crop 2.jpg
Official portrait, 2024
Member of Parliament
for Wimbledon
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Transport
Personal details
Born
Paul Christopher Kohler

1958or1959(age 65–66)
Political party Liberal Democrats
Alma mater Jesus College, Cambridge

Paul Christopher Kohler (born 1958or1959) [1] is a British politician, nightclub owner, and academic serving as the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Wimbledon since 2024. [2] Prior to his election, he was a scholar of property law who served as head of SOAS University of London's School of Law.

Contents

Early life and education

Kohler was the first person in his extended family to go to university. However, he dropped out from his maths degree, because of touring commitments in the Gotham City Swing Band, a new wave outfit whose greatest claim to fame was playing the last night of the infamous punk venue, The Roxy. He subsequently returned to university and graduated from Jesus College, Cambridge, in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in law. During his time at Cambridge he was May Ball President, where fellow Jesus undergraduate Prince Edward served on his committee. He was also elected JCR President. [3]

Career

In the 1990s and 2000s, Kohler taught at University College London (UCL) and New College, Oxford. He was also Head of Best Practice at Nabarro Nathanson. Until 2019 before standing for Parliament, Kohler was a senior lecturer and former undergraduate tutor at SOAS University of London, where he served as head of the SOAS School of Law. [4] He is also a Visiting Fellow at Queen Mary University of London and owner of Covent Garden speakeasy CellarDoor, which he converted from a disused underground Gentlemen's public lavatory in 2006. He was also a Fellow at Moscow's Russian State University of Justice but resigned in the wake of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Kohler first represented the Liberal Democrats in the 2018 local elections, achieving election as a councillor in the Trinity ward of Merton London Borough Council. [5] A year later, he was selected as the party's candidate for the constituency of Wimbledon at the 2019 general election. He was defeated by the incumbent Conservative MP, Stephen Hammond, but greatly increased the Lib Dems' vote share to a second-placed 19,745 (37.2%), reducing Hammond's majority to just 628 votes. [6] He was once again elected to the council in Merton at the 2022 local elections, this time as one of three Lib Dem councillors in the Wimbledon Town and Dundonald ward. [7] After once again securing the party's nomination for the Wimbledon parliamentary constituency at the 2024 general election, he gained the seat from the Conservatives (Hammond having not sought re-election [8] ), with a vote share of 24,790 (45.1%) and a majority of 12,610 (22.9%). [9]

He is currently the Lib Dem front bench spokesperson on Transport and a member of the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee.

Personal life

Kohler is married with four daughters. [10] He sustained severe injuries after he was beaten by burglars during a raid at his home in 2014. He suffered a fractured eye socket, broken nose and severe internal bleeding. [1] However he credits that attack, and the subsequent restorative justice session in which he met one of his attackers, as the reason for his belated decision to enter active politics. [11]

Bibliography

Books

Articles and chapters

References

  1. 1 2 "Attack victim Paul Kohler loses police stations battle". BBC News. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  2. "Wimbledon - General election results 2024". BBC News.
  3. Middleton, Becky (19 August 2014). "Brave academic Paul Kohler chased violent burglars after brutal Wimbledon assault". Your Local Guardian. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  4. "Paul Kohler (Wimbledon)". The Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  5. Services, CS-Democracy (3 May 2018). "Councillors". democracy.merton.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  6. "Wimbledon parliamentary constituency - Election 2019 - BBC News" . Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  7. Services, CS-Democracy (5 May 2022). "Councillors". democracy.merton.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  8. "Wimbledon: Tory MP Stephen Hammond to stand down at next election". BBC News. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  9. "Wimbledon - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  10. Clarke, Amy (11 January 2023). "Stranger saves daughter of Wimbledon councillor during attempted mugging". Wimbledon Times. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  11. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/paul-kohler-prime-minister-commons-wimbledon-government-b1207870.html
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Wimbledon
2024–present
Incumbent