Liberal Democrat GLA member Graham Tope, responsible for human rights, and Green GLA member Darren Johnson, with the environment portfolio.

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Baroness Sally Hamwee also became a GLA member for the Lib Dems along with Graham Tope, Lynne Featherstone and Louise Bloom.

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He faces competition for a place up front from the likes of Billy Paynter and fellow loan signings Tope Obadeyi and Ben Hutchinson.

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Mr Burnett said the results raised questions about stocks of tope - an inshore shark commonly found in British coastal waters - in the area.

BBC: Tope shark

"Evidence from this and previous years' Sharkatags seems to confirm the anecdotal evidence that tope numbers are continuing to fall on an annual basis, " he said.

BBC: Tope shark

The fund is one of the largest in African private equity, and it was mobilized by Nigerian proprietors Tope Lawani and Babatunde Soyeye, both former staff of Texas Pacific Group.

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Later, a bid by Lib Dem Lord Tope to allow local authorities to cut the council tax reduction given to single people was defeated, by 299 votes to 64, majority 235.

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Even a genuine belief among the Lib Dems that they deserve to have been offered a greater role did not save Lord Tope from appearing churlish in his refusal to take it for want of something better.

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The four-strong Liberal Democrat group, more attuned to exercising power through coalition, gave it a day and a half before Lord Tope turned down the invitation to head the authority's fire and civil defence committee - seen by some as the equivalent of being paper clips monitor.

BBC: Mayor Ken's big tent