Topic: Chris Patten

Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, CH, PC (born 12 May 1944) is a British Conservative politician, and a Patron of the Tory Reform Group.

He was a Member of Parliament, eventually rising to a cabinet minister and party chairman. In the latter capacity, he orchestrated the Conservatives' unexpected fourth consecutive electoral victory in 1992, but lost his own seat in the House of Commons.

He then accepted the post of Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Hong Kong, and oversaw its return to China in July 1997. From 2000 to 2004 he served as one of Britain's two members of the European Commission. After leaving that post, he returned to the UK and was elevated to the peerage in 2005. He is the Chancellor of the University of Oxford.