The Rt Hon. the Lord Smith of Finsbury
Labour
Member of the House of Lords
M
Lord Smith of Finsbury's full title is The Rt Hon. the Lord Smith of Finsbury. His name is Christopher Robert Smith, and he is a current member of the House of Lords.
Allowance claims · 2026
Data not yet released for 2026 — the Lords Finance Office publishes monthly CSVs ~6-8 weeks after month-end.
Lords votes · 2026
162 divisions
3 Content(1.9%)
67 Not-Content(41.4%)
92 didn't vote(56.8%)
2026-04-27
Not-Content
58–138
Not-Content
2026-04-13
Not-Content
27–89
Not-Content
2026-04-13
Not-Content
30–130
Not-Content
2026-04-13
Not-Content
46–117
Not-Content
2026-04-13
Not-Content
135–154
Not-Content
2026-04-13
Not-Content
65–173
Not-Content
2026-03-24
Not-Content
80–166
Not-Content
Source: lordsvotes-api.parliament.uk. "Result" shows the headline
Content vs Not-Content tally (including tellers). The Lords doesn't
publish a "didn't vote" attendance roll like the Commons, so the
figure above conflates absence with abstention.
Recent Hansard contributions · latest 25
2026-06-18
Jo Cox Civility Commission
My Lords, Jo Cox was a dear friend, and it is so hard to realise that 10 years have passed since her tragic murder. I thank my noble friend Lady Royall for tabling the Motion for this important debate and for her continuing brilliant work chairing the Jo
2026-05-19
King’s Speech
My Lords, it is an honour to speak in the debate which saw such wonderful maiden speeches from the noble Lords, Lord Hobby and Lord Blackwater. There is much in the gracious Speech that I welcome. I particularly welcome the proposal for an overnight visi
2026-04-14
Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules
My Lords, it pains me to intervene to say that I think Ministers have got these changes wrong. It pains me even more to say that this is an all too common feature of Home Office decisions at the moment. I want to focus, as my noble friend Lady Royall did
2022-11-02
Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill
My Lords, I should probably have declared an interest when I spoke earlier, not just as the master of Pembroke College, Cambridge, but as the chair of the trustees of the Cambridge Union Society. It is not a student union. It has been a place of free spe
2022-11-02
Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill
I would not fundamentally disagree with either the noble Lord or the noble Baroness about the free exploration of ideas and knowledge being central to the purpose of a university; that is almost self-evident. However, we need to ensure when we are puttin
2022-11-02
Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill
I think we are entering dangerous territory if we seek to argue that one bit of law is more important than another. Upholding the duties that are placed on a university generally is something that universities have to do. Giving universities the task of
2022-11-02
Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill
My Lords, I remind the Committee of my declaration of interest as master of Pembroke College, Cambridge, although I am of course speaking in an entirely personal capacity.
I have considerable sympathy with the amendments tabled by the noble Lord, Lord
2022-11-02
Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill
Might I ask a question of the noble Lord? He spoke about how he was anxious to have the duties under the Equality Act and the duties under freedom of speech promotion sitting alongside each other, but his amendment refers to having
“particular regard
2022-03-24
Daniel Morgan Independent Panel Report
My Lords, Alastair Morgan, the indefatigable brother of Daniel Morgan, was my constituent for 22 years when I was a Member of Parliament. I fought for many years, through a succession of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Police, to try to secure justice
2021-09-09
Standards in Public Life
My Lords, it is a privilege to follow the noble Lord, Lord Dubs. I warmly commend the noble Lord, Lord Blunkett, on both initiating this debate and introducing it so superbly.
Many years ago, in the early 2000s, I was a member of the Committee on Stan
2021-07-22
Cultural and Education Exchanges
My Lords, I remind the Committee of my interest as master of Pembroke College, Cambridge. This is an important if brief debate, founded on a simple and important truth: young people, especially students, have their education and personal development enor
2021-06-07
Environment Bill
My Lords, I remind the House first of my interests as declared in the register.
The Bill is broadly welcome. It says it has ambition, it aims to set its sights high, and it betokens a wish on the part of the Government to have strong environmental sta
My Lords, the report from the Select Committee on Communications and Digital is even more timely now than when it was published. It is wise and welcome. The noble Lord, Lord Gilbert, and members of the committee have done a brilliant job. We live in a wo
2021-05-18
Queen’s Speech
My Lords, I begin by reminding the House of my interests as master of Pembroke College, Cambridge, and chair of the Art Fund. Before I turn to issues of culture, I want to record my serious disappointment at one item in the gracious Speech: the decision
2020-11-02
United Kingdom Internal Market Bill
My Lords, first, I declare an interest as the chairman of the Intellectual Property Regulation Board—IPReg—which regulates all patent and trademark attorneys. It is fair to say that, when the Government’s amendment first appeared, there was considerable
2020-09-29
Performing Arts: Job Support Scheme
My Lords, is it not the case that a theatre or concert hall that simply cannot open, and therefore cannot provide even partial employment for staff or contracted freelancers, cannot gain any benefit at all from the new jobs scheme? Surely we desperately
2020-06-04
Covid-19: Economy
My Lords, I should remind the House of my interests as set out in the register.
I want to make two brief points. First, I endorse what the noble Lord, Lord Hunt, touched on. One of the most important parts of our economy and our national life is the c
2020-01-20
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill
My Lords, I declare my interest as Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge. I support the amendment for the principal reason that parliamentary oversight will be a constant reminder to the Government of the importance of participation in the Erasmus progra
Before the noble Baroness sits down, I suggest a very clear example of exactly what she has been talking about. In 1997-98, the only reason why we in this country were able to change the rules on the age of consent for gay male sex was that two brave gay
2018-07-19
Higher Education
My Lords, I remind the House of my interest as master of Pembroke College, Cambridge. I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Norton, on his choice of subject and on an excellent opening contribution to this extremely good debate. I greatly enjoyed the contr
2018-07-03
LGBT Action Plan
My Lords, I give a very warm welcome to the Statement from the noble Baroness regarding the survey that the Government have carried out and the action plan that will now be put in place. Embedded in it is the valuable recognition that far too much discri
2018-05-16
European Union (Withdrawal) Bill
No, I will not. I am sorry. The crucial part of the amendment is subsection (4), which talks about,
“an independent body with the purpose of ensuring compliance with environmental law by public authorities”.
When I was chairman of the Environment A
2018-05-16
European Union (Withdrawal) Bill
My Lords, I support the amendment moved by the noble Lord, Lord Krebs. I say to the noble Lord, Lord Framlingham, that the irreparable damage that may be done is damage to our environment and our health if we lose the safeguards and protections that we h
2018-04-23
European Union (Withdrawal) Bill
My Lords, I rise very briefly to give strong support to this amendment and assert the need for an independent environmental institution. As the noble Lord, Lord Deben, said, this is entirely in accord with what Ministers have said they want. However, it
2017-12-11
Data Protection Bill [HL]
My Lords, I remind the House of my interest as master of Pembroke College, Cambridge. I give a warm welcome to Amendments 3, 4 and 5, and I am grateful that Ministers have listened to the concerns of universities and colleges and very helpfully addressed
Source: hansard.parliament.uk via hansard-api. Snippets shown
verbatim from the search API; click any debate title for the full record.
Register of Interests · 4 entries on file
Declarations under the Lords Code of Conduct. Free text — no monetary values, no hours worked. A declaration that an interest exists, not a claim about its size.
Category 1: Remunerated employment etc.
-
Chair, Intellectual Property Regulation Board (IPReg) (interest ceased 30 September 2025)
registered 2018-09-10 · amended 2025-10-16
-
Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge (interest ceased 31 July 2025)
registered 2015-11-07 · amended 2025-10-16
-
Non-executive Board Member, PPL (Phonographic Performance Ltd: Music Performers' Rights Collecting Society)
registered 2010-04-21 · amended 2025-04-05
-
Author of book "Creative Britain" (copying rights), and joint author of book "Suicide of the West" (royalties)
registered 2010-04-21 · amended 2025-04-05
Source: UK Parliament Members API (Lords register). Refreshed weekly.
Read the full
Lords Code of Conduct
for what each category covers and the disclosure thresholds.
Party history
2024-07-13 → present
Labour
current
2008-07-14 → 2024-07-12
Non-affiliated
1983-06-09 → 2008-07-13
Labour
Government posts
1997-07-22 → 2001-06-08
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
1997-05-03 → 1997-07-22
Secretary of State for National Heritage
Opposition posts
1996-07-01 → 1997-05-01
Shadow Secretary of State
1995-07-01 → 1996-07-01
Shadow Secretary of State
1994-07-01 → 1995-07-01
Shadow Secretary of State
1992-04-11 → 1994-07-01
Shadow Secretary of State
Committee memberships
None recorded.
Contact
Parliamentary office
contactholmember@parliament.uk
020 7219 5353 · House of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW
020 7219 5353 · House of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW
APPGs (2026) · 0 active officership(s) · 2 historic
Not currently an officer of any active APPG. Was officer of 2 group(s) historically — those rotated off in later snapshots.
Written parliamentary questions · 2026
Showing
9
of 9 tabled
9 answered(100.0%)
4
departments
2026-03-19
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
National Landscapes
Answered
2026-03-10
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Cultural Heritage: Tourism
Answered
2026-03-03
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Independent Review of Arts Council England
Answered
Source: UK Parliament Members API. The amber "interest" tag is set
by Parliament's own system when the asking member has a register entry
it deems related — typically a paid role or directorship in the
sector being asked about. Click any "i" icon to see the full
question and the department's answer.
Bills sponsored & supported · 2026
0 bills
0 as lead sponsor
0 as supporter
No bills sponsored or supported in 2026.
Source: UK Parliament Bills API. "Lead" sponsor is the
primary mover (sortOrder = 1); "Supporter" rows are
members of either House who
backed the bill at introduction. Year is the bill's first-reading
date.
Historic bills (all-time)
0 bills
0 as lead sponsor
0 as supporter
No bills sponsored or supported on record.
Same source as the year-scoped panel above, but unconstrained by
year. The "Sponsored" tag = lead sponsor; "Supported" = backed at
introduction. Sorted newest first.