Steve Bassam, Baron Bassam of Brighton

The Right Honourable The Lord Bassam of Brighton PC
Shadow Chief Whip of the House of Lords
Incumbent
Assumed office 11 May 2010
Leader	Harriet Harman (Acting) Ed Miliband Jeremy Corbyn
Preceded by	The Baroness Anelay of St John's
Chief Whip of the House of Lords Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms
In office 3 October 2008 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
Succeeded by	The Baroness Anelay of St John's
Personal details
Born	John Steven Bassam (1953-06-11) 11 June 1953 Great Bentley, England, UK
Political party	Labour Co-operative
Alma mater	University of Sussex University of Kent

John Steven Bassam, Baron Bassam of Brighton, PC (born 11 June 1953) is a British Labour and Co-operative politician and member of the House of Lords.

Background

Bassam grew up on a council estate in Great Bentley, Essex and went to the local boys secondary modern school in Pathfield Road (now Colbayns) in Clacton-on-Sea. He then went to study at the universities of Sussex and Kent, where he received a Master's in social work. Bassam then began his career as a social worker at Camden London Borough Council. He moved on to other roles in local government, serving as Head of Environmental Health and Consumer Affairs at the Association of Metropolitan Authorities, later the Local Government Association, 1988–97.

He was also a squatter during his early years in Brighton, where he founded the Squatters Union which campaigned for the rights of squatters to occupy empty properties and improve the conditions of the squats.^[1]

Political career

Bassam became involved in local politics and was elected a Brighton councillor. He rose to become Leader of Brighton, then Brighton and Hove Council, from 1987 until 1999. He stood unsuccessfully for Parliament in Brighton Kemptown at the 1987 general election against the Conservative MP Andrew Bowden.

On 3 November 1997, he was created a life peer as Baron Bassam of Brighton, of Brighton in the County of East Sussex,^[2] and was introduced in the House of Lords on 18 November,^[3] sitting on the Labour benches.

He was promoted to the frontbenches as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Office in 1999. In 2001, he was appointed a Lord-in-Waiting (Government whip in the Lords). He served in that role and as Government spokesman for the Home Office until 2008. During the same period he served at various times as Government spokesman for a number of other departments: Lord Chancellor's Department 2001–04, Cabinet Office 2001–07, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (subsequently Communities and Local Government) 2002–04, 2005–07, 2008, Attorney General's Office 2005–08, Transport 2007–08, Culture, Media and Sport 2008. In 2008, he was promoted to the role of Labour Chief Whip, and therefore Government Chief Whip and Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms.^[4] On 8 July 2009 he was made a Privy Councillor.^[5] When Labour moved into Opposition in 2010, he became Opposition Chief Whip.

In December 2011 and January 2012, Bassam engaged in a vigorous debate on Twitter with Brighton and Hove Greens about budget cuts by the council's Green administration.^[6]

Styles of address

• 1953–1997: Mr Steve Bassam
• 1997–2009: The Rt Hon. The Lord Bassam of Brighton
• 2009–: The Rt Hon. The Lord Bassam of Brighton PC

References

External links

• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
• Current session contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Voting record at PublicWhip.org
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou.com
• Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record
• Profile at BBC News Democracy Live