Sir Graham Robert Watson (born 23 March 1956) is a British Liberal Democrat politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South West England from 1994 to 2014. Watson was the chairman of the Parliament's committee on citizens rights, justice and home affairs (1999–2002). He then served for seven and a half years as leader of the Liberal Group in the European Parliament, first as leader of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party Group (2002–2004) and then as leader of the new Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Group (2004–2009). From 2011 until 2015 he was the President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party. From 2015 to 2020 he was a UK Member on the European Economic and Social Committee. He is currently a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and a Visiting Scholar at Symbiosis University’s School of International Studies in Pune. Early life Graham Watson was born in Rothesay on the Isle of Bute (Scotland, United Kingdom), the eldest of six children. His father was an officer in the Royal Navy and his mother a teacher. Watson was educated at the City of Bath Boys' School following his father’s posting to the Admiralty in Bath. He returned to Scotland to attend Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh where he graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts in modern languages. He worked first as a freelance interpreter and translator and then (1980–83) as an administrator at Paisley College of Technology. He now speaks four European languages. Watson began his political activity in the National League of Young Liberals in 1972. As international officer of the Scottish Young Liberals he became involved in the International Federation of Liberal Youth, becoming a vice-president (1977) then General Secretary (1979) of the organisation. He was a founder of the European Communities' Youth Forum. He served as a council member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party between 1983 and 1993. Between 1983 and 1987 he also served as head of the private office of then leader of the British Liberal Party, Sir David Steel. In 1988 he began work for the bank HSBC in London and Hong Kong. His time there encompassed three months with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and gave him an interest in the Far East. He has