The addition of a member for Tobago gave the island its first elected representatives since 1877, when Crown colony government had been instituted.
Hope ran as a labour candidate, and was endorsed by Captain Arthur Andrew Cipriani and the Trinidad Workingmen's Association.
[3]: 79–82 After Biggart died in 1932, Hope ran unopposed as an independent in the by-election to fill the seat and was sworn in on 21 October 1932.
[3] As a member of the Legislative Council Hope advocated for Tobago's interests including the needs for a more reliable steamer service between the islands and an improved wharf in Scarborough.
He saw Tobago's problems as similar to those faced by more rural parts of Trinidad, and believed that a stronger central government would be in a better position to address these issues.