Chris Smith, Baron Smith of Finsbury
The Lord Smith of Finsbury | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2020 | |
| Chancellor of the University of Cambridge | |
| Assumed office 24 July 2025 | |
| Preceded by | The Lord Sainsbury of Turville |
| Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport | |
| In office 2 May 1997 – 8 June 2001 | |
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Virginia Bottomley |
| Succeeded by | Tessa Jowell |
| Member of the House of Lords | |
| Life peerage 22 June 2005 | |
| Member of Parliament for Islington South and Finsbury | |
| In office 9 June 1983 – 11 April 2005 | |
| Preceded by | George Cunningham |
| Succeeded by | Emily Thornberry |
| Shadow cabinet portfolios | |
| 1992–1994 | Environment |
| 1994–1995 | National Heritage |
| 1995–1996 | Social Security |
| 1996–1997 | Health |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 July 1951 |
| Party | Labour (1979–2008, 2024–present) Independent (2008–2024) |
| Domestic partner(s) | Dorian Jabri (1989–2012) |
| Education | Pembroke College, Cambridge (BA, PhD) Harvard University |
| Signature | |
| Website | Official website |
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Christopher Robert Smith, Baron Smith of Finsbury, PC (born 24 July 1951) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Labour Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington South and Finsbury from 1983 to 2005 and was appointed to the House of Lords as a life peer in 2005 and Chancellor of the University of Cambridge in 2025.
In 1984, he became the first openly gay male British MP and in 2005, the first MP to acknowledge that he is HIV positive. He was the Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge from 2015 to 2025 and was elected Chancellor of the University of Cambridge in 2025.