During the
expenses scandal of 2009, it emerged that Chope claimed £136,992 in parliamentary expenses in 2007-8. This included claiming £881 to repair a sofa.
[11]
On 11 October 2011, Chope questioned the time allotted to a debate on MPs' pensions. Because this debate came before a debate into the
Hillsborough disaster inquiry, it was reported that Chope had threatened to delay the inquiry, leading to widespread criticism of Chope's actions.
[12][13]
Chope was criticised in January 2013 for referring to House of Commons dining room staff as "servants" in a speech.
[14]
On 10 February 2009, Chope co-sponsored an Employment Opportunities Bill to the House of Commons, which would have enabled workers to opt out of the
minimum wage.
[
Chope is
sceptical of climate change and attended a meeting of climate change sceptics in the
Palace of Westminster in October 2010.
[18]
Chope voted against the
legislation for same-sex marriage in 2013.
[21]
In 2014, Chope voted against requiring all companies with more than 250 employees to declare the gap in pay between the average male and average female salaries.
[22]
In June 2013, Chope was one of four MPs who camped outside Parliament in a move to facilitate parliamentary debate on an "Alternative Queen’s Speech" – an attempt to show what a future Conservative government might deliver.
[23] 42 policies were listed including reintroduction of the
death penaltyand
conscription, the privatisation of the
BBC, banning the
burka in public places, holding a referendum on same sex marriage and preparing to leave the
European Union.
[23
On 12 March 2010, he blocked a bill to protect poor countries from
vulture funds, despite his party's support for the bill.
[31]
In December 2013, Chope objected to the second reading of the
Alan Turing (Statutory Pardon) Bill in the
House of Commons.
[32]
In November 2014, Chope blocked a bill that would have banned the use of wild animals in circus performances, on the basis that a bill on EU membership should have been called before the bill.
[35] In the same month, Chope, alongside
Philip Davies, the Conservative MP for
Shipley,
filibustered a bill intended to make
revenge evictions an offence.
[
In October 2015, Chope, Davies and Conservative MP
David Nuttall filibustered a private member's bill that would have placed restrictions on hospital parking charges for carers.
[39]
On 15 June 2018, Chope blocked the passage of a private member's bill that would have made
upskirting a specific offence.
On the same day as the upskirting bill, Chope and Davies forced a delay to the final debate on a bill which would have improved the oversight of the use of force in mental health units. Chope also blocked a bill which would have given extra legal protection to
police dogs and
horses.
[28][45][46], an action the BBC subsequently cited for the continued lack of protection for police dogs.
[47]
On 16 July 2018, Chope blocked a motion calling for the House of Commons chamber to be used for a Women MPs of the World Conference on a day in November when MPs were not sitting.