Lord Bassam of Brighton
Formerly the Leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, a position he held for thirteen years, Steve Bassam became a member of the House of Lords in 1997. His background has largely been in local government as an official and adviser, having worked for Camden Council between 1983 and 1984 and as policy adviser on police matters for the GLC’s police committee under Paul Boateng from 1984 until its abolition.
Steve sits in the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Chief Whip in the House of Lords
Lord Bassam is an outspoken supporter of Brighton and Hove Albion FC and Patron of the Niemann Pick Disease Group.
Listed among: Members of the House of Lords
- Twigg to Education, Thomas now Shadow Minister for Co-ops (10 Oct 2011)Several Co-operative MPs, including some elected to Parliament in 2010, have featured prominently in Ed Miliband’s reshuffle of the shadow frontbench team over the weekend. Joining Ed Balls MP and Lord Steve Bassam in Shadow Cabinet will be Stephen Twigg, Labour & Co-operative MP for Liverpool West Derby since 2010 and now Shadow Education Secretary. [...]
- Arrangement of Business (26 Apr 2012)Lord Bassam of Brighton: My Lords, while we have the Leader of the House with us, I wondered if he would explain to the House the arrangements that will be in place on Tuesday for Prorogation, which I know is a matter of interest to all. While I have the opportunity, would the noble Lord also give fair consideration, if we go late on Monday in debating House of Lords reform, to enabling the closing speeches to take...
- Arrangement of Business — Announcement of Recess Dates (22 Mar 2012)Lord Bassam of Brighton: My Lords, I have no desire to strike a discordant note at the news of your Lordships' House having an extra week's holiday, but I will take a moment to reflect on how we have arrived at this point. We had an 18-month legislative programme that was extended over two years. The House was brought back for a September sitting. We had a week added to our work in October, and we had a half-term...
- Welfare Reform Bill: Report (3rd Day)(Continued) (11 Jan 2012)Lord Bassam of Brighton: My Lords, this is somewhat unprecedented, and I am trying to be helpful here. The House is in danger of getting into a considerable muddle. I respectfully suggest to your Lordships that we should perhaps adjourn to try to sort this out, or perhaps come back to it when the House is in fuller session. I do not think that anyone on our side wants to accuse the Government of sharp practice, but...
- Health and Social Care Bill: Committee (15th Day) (21 Dec 2011)Lord Bassam of Brighton: Then I turn to Mr Wiggins. Mr Wiggins has been in the building 21 years. He served as a Grenadier Guard. I think he initially worked in the House post office team. If you chance upon Mr Wiggins, there is certainly a bit of the postie about him. I am not quite sure how you determine these things, but he is very good at delivering things. Before that job, he worked as an attendant in the House...
- Welfare Reform Bill: Report (2nd Day) (14 Dec 2011)Lord Bassam of Brighton: My Lords, I was waiting for those words, and that is why I had not made a procedural intervention. Having now heard what the noble Baroness has said, I will be content, for the orderly process of business, if the Government accept this. Of course, that is on the understanding that what happens in another place is what happens in another place. No doubt these things will be revisited upon us,...
- Health and Social Care Bill: Committee (1st Day) (25 Oct 2011)Lord Bassam of Brighton: Does that mean that we will finish at nine o'clock or when the debate on an amendment finishes? There is a practice whereby we can carry the debate over; we do not have to complete it by that time. Will the noble Baroness clarify that point?
- Welfare Reform Bill — Order of Consideration Motion (15 Sep 2011)Lord Bassam of Brighton: My Lords, I apologise for this intervention, which is, I confess, rather opportunistic. However, I have been given a copy of our forward business. I hate to say this but it lists Grand Committee on the Welfare Reform Bill as being held in the Moses Room. I assume and hope that this is a typographical hangover from an earlier iteration of the forward business. However, the House deserves to...
- Welfare Reform Bill — Motion to Refer to Grand Committee (14 Sep 2011)Lord Bassam of Brighton: My Lords, this is a very grave situation. It is unusual for the usual channels not to be able to agree on a way forward in dealing with legislation. Colleagues in this House will know that I have a reputation for being very open in my negotiations and that I am always ready to conduct those negotiations in a friendly and charitable way. It is a role that I perform not just for my own party...
- Arrangement of Business (7 Sep 2011)Lord Bassam of Brighton: My Lords, the Chief Whip has made the correct point in concluding her remarks that we should continue discussions in the usual channels. I rather confess to being the junior partner in these discussions but clearly we need to be flexible. I am more than prepared to be part of a flexible discussion when it comes to discussing days for parliamentary business to be conducted in your Lordships' House.
- Scotland Bill: Second Reading (6 Sep 2011)Lord Bassam of Brighton: My Lords, I only venture into this to say that I think that the Government are wise at all times to be flexible in their approach. Although I am part of the usual channels, I must say I did predict at the time that this would not be an easy passage for the Bill. I go no further than that, because I do not want to undermine the effectiveness of the workings of the usual channels. However, I...
