Steve Bassam, Baron Bassam of Brighton
The Lord Bassam of Brighton | |
|---|---|
| Shadow Chief Whip in the House of Lords | |
| Assumed office 11 May 2010 | |
| Leader | Harriet Harman Ed Miliband |
| Preceded by | The Baroness Anelay of St Johns |
| Chief Whip in 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 Johns |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 June 1953 Great Bentley, United Kingdom |
| 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
He grew up on a council estate in Great Bentley, Essex and went to the local County High School (now Colbayns) in Clacton-on-Sea. He then went to study at the University of Sussex and University of Kent, where he received a Masters in social work, Bassam 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 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 accommodate empty properties and improve the conditions of the squats.
Political career
In the meantime, Bassam had become involved in local politics and became a Brighton councillor, rising to become Leader of Brighton, then Brighton & 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. In 1997 he was made a life peer as Baron Bassam of Brighton, of Brighton in the County of East Sussex,[1] and acted as a government whip and spokesperson for the Cabinet Office, Home Office and Department for Transport. In 2008, he became Government Chief Whip and Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms.
On 8 July 2009 he was made a Privy Councillor.[2]
References
- ^ "No. 54942". The London Gazette. 10 November 1997.
- ^ http://www.privy-council.org.uk/files/word/Draft%20List%208%20July%20.doc - Announcement of Privy Councillors on 8 July