John Francis Hodgess Roper, Baron Roper (born 10 September 1935) is a British politician. John Roper was educated at William Hulme's Grammar School (Manchester), Reading School, Magdalen College, Oxford (studying PPE) and the University of Chicago. Roper started has career as an economics lecturer at the University of Manchester. He then went into politics and was elected Member of Parliament for Farnworth. He sat as a Labour Co-operative MP (1970–81) and for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) from 1981 to 1983, when he was also the party's Chief Whip.