Angela Smith, Baroness Smith of Basildon

Last updated

2009–2010

In June 2009 Smith had to repay over £1,000 for wrongly claimed Council Tax expenses and service charges for her second property in Elephant and Castle. A review by Sir Thomas Legg uncovered further monies over-claimed by Baroness Smith making a total of £1,429 which she later returned. [9]

House of Lords

Smith at the Lords' dispatch box in 2021 Baroness Smith of Basildon (51111275944).jpg
Smith at the Lords' dispatch box in 2021

Smith was created a Life Peer as Baroness Smith of Basildon, of Basildon in the County of Essex, on 7 July 2010, [10] following the 2010 Dissolution Honours List. She was introduced into the House of Lords the next day. [11]

In the Lords, Smith was Labour Spokeswoman for Energy and Climate Change from 2010 to 2013, Northern Ireland from 2011 to 2012 and the Home Office from 2012 to 2015. She also served as Opposition Deputy Whip in the House of Lords from 2012 to 2015. On 27 May 2015, Smith was elected unopposed as Labour's Leader in the Lords, and so joined Harriet Harman's Shadow Cabinet. [12]

In June 2016, Smith and Lords chief whip Lord Bassam of Brighton stated they would boycott shadow cabinet meetings while Jeremy Corbyn remained leader of the Labour Party, but returned to attending shadow cabinet four months later. [13] [14]

In September 2017, she was named at Number 71 in 'The 100 Most Influential People on the Left' by commentator Iain Dale. [15]

Shadow cabinet

In April 2020, Corbyn resigned and as the leadership election ensued which was later won by Keir Starmer, Smith remained as Shadow Leader of the House of Lords.

In September 2021, she made comments regarding Corbyn and the Labour Party's conference in Brighton. She stressed that Corbyn should not attempt to disrupt Starmer's efforts to reshape the party's direction. This was in light of Corbyn's planned participation in a parallel event linked to Momentum, which had supported his leadership. [16]

Smith strongly advocated for reforming the House of Lords, aligning with Labour's broader constitutional review led by former prime minister Gordon Brown. She favoured replacing the current House with an elected chamber, acknowledging the existing system as "indefensible." However, she was pragmatic about the time and the complexities involved in immediate constitutional change. Smith emphasised that the initial years of a Labour government would likely focus on more immediate issues such as economic growth and addressing the cost of living crisis, rather than undertaking a complete overhaul of the Lords. [17]

Leader of the House of Lords (2024–present)

Smith holding the Cap of Maintenance at the 2024 King's Speech. State Opening Pages of Honour 2024.jpg
Smith holding the Cap of Maintenance at the 2024 King's Speech.

Following the Labour Party's landslide victory in the 2024 general election, Baroness Basildon was appointed as Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal by Prime Minister Keir Starmer on 5 July. [18]

Political positions

An active supporter of animal welfare, Smith is a patron of Freedom for Animals, a charity campaigning for an end to the use of animals in circuses, zoos and the exotic pet trade. [19]

Notes

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References

  1. ↑ "Ministerial Appointments: July 2024". Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street. Gov.UK. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  2. ↑ House of Lords Business — 8 July 2010 UK Parliament
  3. ↑ New Fire Minister in Basildon Essex Fire and Rescue Service; Accessed 9 October 2006 Archived 1 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ "Seats with Labour candidates from all-female shortlists" . The Independent. 9 January 1996. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  5. ↑ Waste Minimisation Act 1998 National Archives
  6. ↑ Angela Evans Smith is new Third Sector Minister Third Sector, 8 June 2009
  7. ↑ "Angela Smith" . Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  8. ↑ "Monday 17 January 2011: 17 Jan 2011: House of Lords debates". TheyWorkForYou.
  9. ↑ Angela Smith overclaimed nearly £1,500 of expenses Third Sector, 5 February 2010
  10. ↑ "No. 59485". The London Gazette . 12 July 2010. p. 13181.
  11. ↑ Lords Debates 7 July 2010, c 333 UK Parliament
  12. ↑ "Baroness Smith of Basildon" . Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  13. ↑ "Who's staying and who's going in the shadow cabinet?". BBC News. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  14. ↑ Edwards, Peter (11 October 2016). "Peers return to shadow Cabinet four months after summer rebellion". LabourList. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  15. ↑ Dale, Iain (25 September 2017). "The 100 Most Influential People On The Left: Iain Dale's 2017 List". LBC. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  16. ↑ "Jeremy Corbyn Must Not 'Damage' Labour's Conference, Says Shadow Cabinet Minister". HuffPost UK. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  17. ↑ "Baroness Smith: 'We should be honest about what we can achieve on Lords reform'". Politics Home. 17 December 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  18. ↑ "Ex-MP Baroness Smith of Basildon appointed leader of the House of Lords". Echo. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  19. ↑ "Angela Smith – Baroness Smith of Basildon". www.freedomforanimals.org.uk. Manchester: The Captive Animals' Protection Society (working as Freedom for Animals). 21 February 2018. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
The Right Honourable
The Baroness Smith of Basildon
PC
The Baroness Smith of Basildon 2024 (cropped) 2.jpg
Official portrait, 2024
Leader of the House of Lords
Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 July 2024		 Third Sector
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Basildon
1997–2010 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Leader of the Labour Party in the House of Lords
2015–present		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
2015–2024		Succeeded by
Preceded by Leader of the House of Lords
2024–present		Incumbent
Lord Privy Seal
2024–present
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded byas Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales Ladies
as Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal 		Followed by
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