Angela Smith, Baroness Smith of Basildon

The Right Honourable The Baroness Smith of Basildon PC
Official portrait, 2024
Leader of the House of Lords Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 July 2024
Prime Minister	Keir Starmer
Preceded by	The Lord True
Leader of the Opposition in the Lords Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
In office 27 May 2015 – 5 July 2024
Party Leader	Harriet Harman (acting) Jeremy Corbyn Keir Starmer
Preceded by	The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
Succeeded by	The Lord True
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
In office 28 June 2007 – 8 June 2009
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Keith Hill
Succeeded by	Anne Snelgrove
Junior ministerial offices Minister of State 2009–2010 Third Sector Under-Secretary of State 2006–2007 Fire Services 2002–2006 Northern Ireland Economy
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Life Peerage
Assumed office 8 July 2010
Member of Parliament for Basildon
In office 1 May 1997 – 12 April 2010
Preceded by	David Amess
Succeeded by	Stephen Metcalfe[a]
Personal details
Born	Angela Evans (1959-01-07) 7 January 1959 (age 65) London, England
Political party	Labour Co-op
Spouse	Nigel Smith
Alma mater	Leicester Polytechnic (BA)

Angela Evans Smith, Baroness Smith of Basildon, PC (born 7 January 1959), is a British politician and life peer serving as Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal since 2024.^[1] A member of the Labour and Co-operative Parties, she was Member of Parliament (MP) for Basildon from 1997 to 2010.

Smith served in government as an Assistant Whip from 2001 to 2002 and a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State from 2002 to 2007. She became Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, in 2007 and served until her appointment as Minister of State for the Third Sector in 2009.

Smith lost her seat to the Conservatives at the 2010 general election, contesting the reformed South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency. She was appointed to the House of Lords shortly after her defeat, where she became Shadow Deputy Chief Whip in 2012 and Shadow Leader in 2015.

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