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Official portrait of The Rt Hon. the Lord Deben

The Rt Hon. the Lord Deben

Conservative Member of the House of Lords M
Lord Deben's full title is The Rt Hon. the Lord Deben. His name is John Selwyn Gummer, 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

176 divisions 82 Content(46.6%) 4 Not-Content(2.3%) 90 didn't vote(51.1%)
2026-07-20
Content
232146 Content
2026-07-15
Content
212171 Content
2026-06-30
Content
150216 Not-Content
2026-06-23
Not-Content
6160 Content
2026-04-27
Content
316165 Content
2026-04-23
Content
199146 Content
2026-04-23
Content
208138 Content
2026-04-23
Content
197144 Content
2026-04-23
Content
152207 Not-Content
2026-04-23
Content
220143 Content
2026-04-22
Content
234152 Content
2026-04-22
Content
281190 Content
2026-04-22
Content
282184 Content
2026-04-20
Content
211150 Content
2026-04-20
Content
216148 Content
2026-04-20
Content
219144 Content
2026-04-16
Content
186144 Content
2026-04-16
Content
192142 Content
2026-04-16
Content
135154 Not-Content
2026-04-16
Content
142192 Not-Content
2026-04-16
Content
225144 Content
2026-04-16
Content
216141 Content
2026-04-15
Content
270200 Content
2026-04-13
Content
30130 Not-Content
2026-04-13
Content
46117 Not-Content
2026-03-26
Content
152128 Content
2026-03-26
Content
115197 Not-Content
2026-03-25
Content
207148 Content
2026-03-25
Content
163195 Not-Content
2026-03-25
Content
200150 Content
2026-03-25
Content
266141 Content
2026-03-25
Content
306145 Content
2026-03-24
Content
187157 Content
2026-03-24
Content
250158 Content
2026-03-24
Content
285156 Content
2026-03-19
Content
191118 Content
2026-03-19
Content
217113 Content
2026-03-19
Content
217107 Content
2026-03-18
Content
68163 Not-Content
2026-03-18
Content
70166 Not-Content
2026-03-18
Not-Content
18058 Content
2026-03-18
Content
119191 Not-Content
2026-03-18
Content
148185 Not-Content
2026-03-18
Content
203148 Content
2026-03-18
Content
220191 Content
2026-03-16
Content
276165 Content
2026-03-11
Content
44153 Not-Content
2026-03-11
Content
163153 Content
2026-03-11
Content
227221 Content
2026-03-11
Content
215180 Content
2026-03-10
Content
189157 Content
2026-03-10
Content
217170 Content
2026-03-10
Content
252171 Content
2026-03-10
Content
257174 Content
2026-03-10
Content
273180 Content
2026-03-09
Content
200162 Content
2026-03-04
Not-Content
213145 Content
2026-02-25
Content
172148 Content
2026-02-25
Content
213150 Content
2026-02-25
Content
205188 Content
2026-02-24
Not-Content
78246 Not-Content
2026-02-03
Content
178140 Content
2026-02-03
Content
176132 Content
2026-02-03
Content
295180 Content
2026-01-28
Content
255183 Content
2026-01-21
Content
261150 Content
2026-01-21
Content
207159 Content
2026-01-19
Content
148156 Not-Content
2026-01-19
Content
159153 Content
2026-01-19
Content
216161 Content
2026-01-19
Content
232160 Content
2026-01-19
Content
235164 Content
2026-01-14
Content
278176 Content
2026-01-06
Content
134185 Not-Content
2026-01-06
Content
204136 Content
2026-01-06
Content
180219 Not-Content
2026-01-06
Content
182209 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

2026-07-21 Department for Science, Information and Technology: Abolition
My Lords, I hope the Minister can answer this simple question: is she not embarrassed that the only way we have been able to discuss this important matter is through a Private Notice Question? Should these issues not be brought in front of Parliament to
2026-07-20 National Energy System Operator: Blackout Risk
My Lords, will the Minister please accept that it is very important to ensure that the whistleblowing arrangements work effectively? Otherwise, people will use this opportunity to attack the Government’s excellent policy on moving as rapidly as we can to
2026-07-14 Business Hiring
My Lords, my family owns the local pub, and therefore I can speak from trying to employ people. We have very high employment standards in our business, and we have had to reduce staff because of what the Government have done on employment taxes of all ki
2026-07-09 European Entry and Exit System
Would not the Minister agree that this is an interesting example of how, when we thought we would take back control, actually we have given over control in areas where we could have been part of the solution?
2026-06-29 Climate Change Act 2008 (International Aviation and International Shipping) Regulations 2026
My Lords, I remind the House of my declared interests and the fact that I was for 11 years chairman of the Climate Change Committee, appointed, reappointed and extended by Conservative-led Governments. What is being proposed today was presented by the
2026-06-23 Carbon Budget Order 2026
My Lords, I declare an interest as having been chairman of the Climate Change Committee for 11 years. I also chair a company advising on sustainability, business continuity and risk, and I am a partner in a small organic arable and livestock farm—so it m
2026-06-16 Compassionate Use Medicine Schemes: VAT
Can I bring the noble Baroness back to the last part of my noble friend’s question? It looks as though the VAT department in HMRC is behaving most peculiarly. First, it lost the case about VAT on entry to the Great Yorkshire Show, yet it is fighting ever
2026-06-15 Social Housing Bill [HL]
I support the amendments in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Holmes, in particular on the ESG framework. The reason is, frankly, that we need better figures about what is happening. I say to the Minister that this is not because I disagree with the Bill—
2026-06-09 Water Companies
My Lords, does the Minister accept that it has to be faced that in the east of England we spend a lot of money pumping fresh water out to sea during the winter and then do not have enough of it for agriculture, industry and homes? Nobody at this moment i
2026-06-09 Further Education Colleges: Recovery of VAT
Does the Minister accept that there are some areas where the law has already told the HMRC that it ought not to be demanding VAT—for example, agricultural shows—and that it refuses to accept the law and keeps on standing in the way of spreading what it h
2026-06-08 South East Water: Disruption of Supply
My Lords, working as the chairman of a small water company means that one does know a bit about it. I just want to ask the Minister: when are we going to stop pouring fresh water into the sea during the winter in the east of England and then being so sho
2026-04-24 Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, as a fellow Catholic, I make a confession. I have learned an enormous amount from listening to almost every moment of the Bill. The argument that most distresses me is that which suggests that this has been subject to a filibuster. I have learn
2026-04-24 Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords—
2026-04-24 Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My concern is merely to say that, whatever your views are, I do not know of a previous occasion when such concerted concerns have been, frankly, not faced up to. The second thing that I find very difficult is for it to be said that this is a robust an
2026-04-24 Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords—
2026-03-27 Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
There is one last thing I would like clarification on. When the noble and learned Lord spoke about hospices, he said in a slightly confusing way that that did not necessarily refer to care homes. I am concerned about care homes that are run by organisat
2026-03-27 Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
I am genuinely trying to help the noble and learned Lord for this reason: I am concerned about the person who wishes to avail themselves of this Bill. I do not understand how you do that effectively unless you can look at a list and get the person you wa
2026-03-27 Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
Does the noble Baroness not find it peculiar that people who are very keen on employment rights in every other circumstance are not keen on employment rights in these circumstances and put their views on assisted suicide ahead of the right of very ordina
2026-03-20 Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, as a Welsh-speaking Welshman, who has, in this House, consistently supported Plaid’s perfectly right demand that there should be fairer funding for Wales—I am not a Plaid supporter, but I support that aspect—I hope that the House will have list
2026-03-20 Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
I knew I would do that. I am sorry. I will not refer to the noble Baroness, Lady Murphy.
2026-03-20 Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
I am pleased that I gave time for the noble Baroness to talk, given that she thinks all of this is nitpicking. I remind the House that is what she said about the work we are doing. The fact is—
2026-03-20 Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
First, it is said on both sides that they want more money for palliative care, but we now know that palliative care includes assisted dying. I therefore do not accept that the demand for more money for palliative care from those in favour of this Bill is
2026-03-20 Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
What I am saying is very simple: the proposers of this Bill have not properly taken into account the particularities that the Welsh have put forward so nobly and well by the noble Baroness, Lady Smith. I never hear from the proposers of this Bill any com
2026-03-20 Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
We are not going to change the devolution settlement in this Bill—of course we are not. That is not the issue and that is not what is before us. Instead, this comes back to the Government. I entirely agree with the speech from the noble Lord, Lord Carlil
2026-03-13 Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
Does the noble and learned Lord agree with the noble Baroness, Lady Murphy, that assisted dying is part of palliative care?
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 · 14 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.

  • President, IACCSEA (International Association for Catalytic Control of Ship Emissions to Air)
    registered 2026-01-30
  • President and Chairman, Advisory Board, Manufacture2030 (software as a service company that helps manufacturers and suppliers reduce carbon emissions)
    registered 2024-02-13 · amended 2025-04-05
  • Member, Steering Group, NewVest Green Energy Transition Private Index Fund (GET-PIF) (remuneration is in the form of shares)
    registered 2023-12-18 · amended 2025-04-05
  • Member, Strategic Advisory Board, Knowledge Exchange Group Limited (events, conferences and training courses)
    registered 2023-11-21 · amended 2025-04-05
  • Sancroft International Ltd has been asked by Bain & Company (management consultants) to work with them in advising the Qatari Government on their sustainability programme
    registered 2021-11-23 · amended 2025-04-07
  • Income from chairing conferences and journalism
    registered 2010-07-22 · amended 2025-04-05
  • The subjects of the above two interests are usually property, sustainable development and religious issues. The commitments arise largely from my previous profession of journalism and all payments go to Sancroft International Ltd, which provides research staff, information services and all other facilities
    registered 2010-07-22 · amended 2025-04-07
  • Income from articles written for Country Life
    registered 2010-07-22 · amended 2025-04-05
  • Chairman, Sancroft International Ltd (consultants in corporate responsibility and environmental, social, ethical and planning issues; payments made for certain work done by the member are made to Sancroft International Ltd)
    registered 2010-07-22 · amended 2025-04-07
  • Non-executive Chairman, Valpak Holdings Limited and Valpak Limited (organisation for compliance with producer responsibility directives)
    registered 2010-07-22 · amended 2025-04-05
  • Director and Chairman, Personal Investment Management & Financial Advice Association (interest ceased 1 March 2026)
    registered 2010-07-22 · amended 2026-03-02

Category 2: Shareholdings etc. (a)

  • Red Lion Resurgent Ltd (owns a public house)
    registered 2023-07-28 · amended 2025-04-05

Category 3: Land and property

  • Two houses and farmland in Suffolk
    registered 2013-04-26 · amended 2025-04-05
  • A residential and commercial property in London SW1, owned by family
    registered 2010-07-22 · 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

1970-06-18present
Conservative current

Government posts

1993-05-271997-05-01
Secretary of State for Environment
1989-07-241993-05-26
Secretary of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
1988-07-251989-07-24
Minister of State (Department of Environment) (Local Government)
1985-09-021988-07-26
Minister of State (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food)
1984-09-111985-09-01
Paymaster General (HM Treasury)
1983-10-181984-09-11
Minister of State (Department of Employment)
1983-01-061983-10-18
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Employment)
1981-10-011983-01-06
Lord Commissioner (HM Treasury) (Whip)
1981-01-091981-09-30
Assistant Whip (HM Treasury)

Opposition posts

None recorded.

Committee memberships

2002-01-312005-05-05
Ecclesiastical Committee

Contact

Parliamentary office
contactholmember@parliament.uk
020 7219 5353 · House of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW

APPGs (2026) · 3 active officership(s)

Group Role(s) Funders Officers in group Next deadline
All-Party Parliamentary Group for Dalits
Subject Group
Vice Chair 4 2024-07-10
All-Party Parliamentary Group for Dalits and Adivasis (Tribals)
Subject Group
Vice Chair 4 2026-07-19
All-Party Parliamentary Group on Energy Costs
Subject Group
Vice Chair Royal Public Affairs 6 2024-05-21
One row per active APPG. Funder names link out via the /appgs Top secretariat funders panel — click any funder there to open its full relationship graph. Officer matching is name-based against the parliament.uk register text and may miss titled / hyphenated variants.

Written parliamentary questions · 2026

No written questions tabled in 2026.

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)

2 bills 2 as lead sponsor 0 as supporter
Bill Info Role Status Introduced
Ecumenical Marriage Bill [HL] Sponsored 2nd reading 2017-06-29
Catholics (Prevention of Discrimination) Bill Sponsored 2nd reading 2007-02-20
Same source as the year-scoped panel above, but unconstrained by year. The "Sponsored" tag = lead sponsor; "Supported" = backed at introduction. Sorted newest first.
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