Graham Watson

Graham Watson
Graham Watson in 2010
President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party
In office 25 November 2011 – 21 November 2015
Preceded by	Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck
Succeeded by	Hans van Baalen
Leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Group
In office 25 May 2004 – 1 July 2009
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Guy Verhofstadt
Member of the European Parliament for South West England
In office 19 July 1994 – 30 June 2014
Preceded by	Constituency established
Personal details
Born	(1956-03-23) 23 March 1956 (age 68) Rothesay, Scotland, United Kingdom
Citizenship	United Kingdom • Italy
Political party	Liberal Democrats (1988–present) LDE (2024–present)
Other political affiliations	NLYL (1972–1988)
Spouse	Rita Giannini
Children	2
Alma mater	Heriot-Watt University

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).^[1] 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 an adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.

He will be the United States of Europe top candidate in the North-East constituency for the 2024 European Parliament election in Italy, as he is also an Italian citizen due to being married to one.^[2]