Group, having served in that role for longer than any of his predecessors. He sat on the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee and served as Chairman of Parliament's Delegation for relations with India. He also chaired a global network of legislators campaigning for a switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy known as The Climate Parliament, of which he had been a founder member in the late 1990s. 2014 European elections Watson lost his seat at the European Parliament in the elections of May 2014, despite having polled 10.7% of the vote, the largest vote share of any UK Liberal Democrat in the 2014 EP election. He established a global advocacy practice, Bagehot Limited, which he ran until reaching retirement age in 2021. In 2015 Watson was appointed by the UK Government to sit on the European Economic and Social Committee, an advisory body with a five-year mandate. He sat on the Transport and Energy section and on the Foreign Affairs section and from 2015 to 2017 was chairman of the EESC's China Contact Group. Other activities and family Watson lived in Langport, Somerset, from 1994 to 2017. He now lives in Edinburgh and in Brussels. His wife is from Italy and their children, one daughter and one son, were born in 1992 and 1995 respectively. Watson enjoys sailing, cycling, choir singing and music. He indulges in the restoration of Art Nouveau houses and classic wooden yachts. Watson was knighted in the 2011 Birthday Honours for political and public service. He is also the recipient of honours from the Republic of China (Taiwan), Georgia and Gibraltar. In 2021 he was elected to the Board of the European Cyclists' Federation and in November 2022 was elected Chairman of the World Cycling Alliance. Watson is a supporter of the Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, an organisation which advocates democratic reform of the United Nations. Bibliography Watson, Graham, Andrew Burgess (2014). Continental Drift. Bagehot Publishing. Watson, Graham, Andrew Burgess (2012). Letters from Europe. Bagehot Publishing.| References External links Graham Watson MEP, official site MEP Profile of Graham Watson, European Parliament Biographical details: Graham Watson MEP, ALDE Graham Watson Profile, UK Liberal Democrats |- |- 1956 births Living people Alumni of Heriot-Watt University British republicans HSBC people Knights Bachelor Liberal Democrats (UK) MEPs MEPs for England 1994–1999 MEPs for England 1999–2004 MEPs for England 2004–2009 MEPs for England 2009–2014