Prime Minister Gordon Brown | Name Steve Baron Role British Politician | |
Leader Harriet Harman (Acting)
Ed Miliband
Harriet Harman (Acting)
Jeremy Corbyn Preceded by The Baroness Anelay of St John's Preceded by The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon Born 11 June 1953 (age 70)
Great Bentley, United Kingdom ( 1953-06-11 ) Alma mater University of Sussex
University of Kent Succeeded by Joyce Anelay, Baroness Anelay of St John's Education University of Kent, University of Sussex | ||
Political party Labour Co-operative | ||
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.
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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.
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, and was introduced in the House of Lords on 18 November, 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. On 8 July 2009 he was made a Privy Councillor. 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.