Chris Smith, Baron Smith of Finsbury#Legacy

Chris Smith was born in Barnet, London, and educated at George Watson's College in Edinburgh and Pembroke College, Cambridge. At Cambridge he gained a first class honours degree in English, and a PhD degree with a thesis on Coleridge and Wordsworth;[http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/aboutus/organisation/38747.aspx], Environment Agency. "Rt Hon Lord Smith of Finsbury, Chairman." Retrieved 2 August 2013. he was also president of the Cambridge Union Society. Furthermore, he attended Harvard University as a Kennedy Scholar.

He worked for a housing charity and became a councillor in the London Borough of Islington. He came third at Epsom and Ewell in the 1979 general election before narrowly winning the seat of Islington South and Finsbury at the 1983 general election, defeating George Cunningham, who had ultimately defected to the Social Democrats from Labour. Cunningham stood again at the 1987 general election when Smith retained the seat.According to [http://www.election.demon.co.uk/1983LB.html Election Demon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805135618/http://www.election.demon.co.uk/1983LB.html |date=5 August 2016 }}, in 1983 Smith got 13 460 votes to Cunningham's 13 097, in 1987 the respective totals were 16 511 to 15 706

In 1984, he became Britain's first gay MP to choose to "come out". There had been several gay MPs before this whose homosexuality had been common knowledge in some circles, including their constituents in some cases, but they had not been completely open about it. (In 1975 Maureen Colquhoun had been effectively "outed" by press revelations.) During a rally in Rugby, Warwickshire, against a possible ban on gay employees by the town council, Smith began his speech: "Good afternoon, I'm Chris Smith, I'm the Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury and I'm gay."{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/jan/30/uk.aids |title=The pioneer who changed gay lives |last=Campbell |first=Dennis |date=30 January 2005 |work=The Observer |access-date=28 September 2008}} This was unscripted, and the decision to include it in his speech was made at the last minute.{{Cite book |last=Reynolds |first=Andrew |title=The children of Harvey Milk: how LGBTQ politicians changed the world |year=2019 |isbn=978-0-19-046095-2 |location=New York, NY |oclc=1023814403 |publisher=Oxford University Press}}{{rp|119}} He immediately received a standing ovation from most of the audience.

He became an opposition whip in 1986, a shadow Treasury minister from 1987 to 1992, and shadowed the environment, heritage, pensions and health portfolios between 1992 and 1997.

In 1997, he was appointed to Tony Blair's Cabinet as the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. As a Minister known to have a close connection with the arts scene in Britain, his time at DCMS is generally regarded as a success, for many projects funded through the National Lottery came to fruition. There were controversies, such as his approval during his first week as minister of the appointment of Mary Allen to the Royal Opera House. In this case, a Select Committee report later found that he had exceeded his authority and had improperly failed to seek advice from his Permanent Secretary. In 2000, he managed to secure a tax rebate that enabled many museums to give free admission.{{citation needed |date=June 2024}}

He held this position throughout the Labour government's first term, but was sacked and returned to the back benches after the 2001 election, being replaced by Tessa Jowell.{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Maggie |title=Welcome to the ministry of fun, Tessa |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2001/jun/11/mondaymediasection.generalelection |access-date=22 October 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=11 June 2001 |language=en}}

After over 20 years in Parliament, Smith stepped down from the House of Commons at the 2005 general election. It was announced on 30 April 2005 that he was to be created a life peer, and the title was gazetted on 22 June 2005 as Baron Smith of Finsbury, of Finsbury in the London Borough of Islington.{{London Gazette |issue=57685 |date=27 June 2005 |page=8317}}{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/25312 |title=Lord Smith of Finsbury |access-date=2010-09-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101109143711/http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/25312 |archive-date=9 November 2010 |df=dmy-all}}

Smith was appointed Chair of the London Cultural Consortium (successor body to the Cultural Strategy Group) by Ken Livingstone, the then Mayor of London, and served from 2005 to 2008. He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship in 2010 from the University of Cumbria.{{cite web |url=https://www.cumbria.ac.uk/about/organisation/honorary-fellows/2010/ |title=2010 | University of Cumbria}} In November 2006, he was appointed as Chairman of the Advertising Standards Authority.{{cite news |last1=Sweney |first1=Mark |title=Chris Smith to head ASA |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/nov/07/advertising.asa |access-date=22 October 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=7 November 2006}} He was one of the founding directors of the Clore Leadership Programme, an initiative aimed at helping to train and develop new leaders of Britain's cultural sector.{{cite web |url=http://www.cloreleadership.org/library.php |title=The Clore Leadership Programme |publisher=Cloreleadership.org |access-date=29 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105185047/http://www.cloreleadership.org/library.php |archive-date=5 January 2016 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/aboutus/organisation/38747.aspx |title=GOV.UK |publisher=Environment Agency |access-date=29 December 2015}} He is also currently Chairman of the Wordsworth Trust.{{cite web |url=https://wordsworth.org.uk/about-the-trust/trustees.html |title=Trustees |access-date=16 February 2014 |archive-date=22 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222011311/https://wordsworth.org.uk/about-the-trust/trustees.html |url-status=dead }}

Smith is a keen mountaineer, and was the first MP to climb all the 3,000 ft "Munros" in Scotland;{{cite web |url=http://www.smc.org.uk/Munros/MunroistsCompleatists.php?ID=719 |title=Scottish Mountaineering Club |publisher=Scottish Mountaineering Club |access-date=23 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927211204/http://www.smc.org.uk/Munros/MunroistsCompleatists.php?ID=719 |archive-date=27 September 2011 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}} in April 2004, he was elected President of the Ramblers' Association.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/rambling-tsar-comes-to-the-aid-of-madonna-57537.html|title=Rambling Tsar comes to the aid of Madonna|last=Pyke|first=Nicholas|author2=Lacey, Hester|date=25 April 2004|work=The Independent on Sunday|publisher=Independent News & Media|access-date=28 September 2008}} He is a patron of London-based HIV charity The Food Chain,{{cite web |title=Patrons {{!}} People in the Chain {{!}} About Us {{!}} The Food Chain |url=https://www.foodchain.org.uk/about-us/people-in-the-chain/patrons/ |website=www.foodchain.org.uk}} and also Patron of HIV support charity The National Long-Term Survivors Group (NLTSG). He is also an honorary life member of BAFTA.{{cite Hansard|house=House of Commons |title=Film Industry|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmhansrd/vo030128/halltext/30128h01.htm|date=28 Jan 2003| column_start=200WH|column_end=201WH}}

Smith was announced as the new Chairman of the Environment Agency on 8 May 2008, and took up the new role in mid-July.{{cite web |url=http://www.contractjournal.com/Articles/2008/05/08/59064/chris-smith-becomes-new-environment-agency-chairman.html |title=Chris Smith becomes new Environment Agency chairman |last=Gerrard |first=Neil |date=9 May 2008 |work=Contract Journal |publisher=Reed Business Information Limited |access-date=28 September 2008}}{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}} In an interview with The Independent in August that year he said Britain faced hard choices over which coasts to defend and which to leave to the sea, because it would not be possible to save all coastal homes from sea erosion.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/stark-warning-on-britains-shrinking-coast-900638.html?startindex=40 |title=Stark warning on Britain's shrinking coast |last=Morris |first=Nigel |date=18 August 2008 |work=The Independent |access-date=28 September 2008}} Lord Smith was re-appointed as Chair of the Environment Agency for a further three years by Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman in 2011. On re-appointment he received £100,813 pro rata for 2011–12, based on working three days a week.{{cite web |title=Re-appointments to the Environment Agency |url=http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2011/06/29/re-appointments-to-e/ |publisher=Defra |access-date=5 March 2013}} Lord Smith continued in this role until 13 July 2014.

Smith became a vice-president of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality in February 2009.{{cite web |url=http://www.c-h-e.org.uk/news.shtml |title=CHE > In the news |website=www.c-h-e.org.uk |access-date=16 May 2019 |archive-date=28 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228142003/http://www.c-h-e.org.uk/news.shtml |url-status=dead }}

In December 2014, it was announced that Lord Smith would become the next Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge in 2015, succeeding Sir Richard Dearlove. He oversaw the receipt of the biggest single donation ever received by the University of Cambridge in 2015, when Ray Dolby donated £35m towards an expansion of the College grounds.{{cite web|url=https://www.varsity.co.uk/news/9436|title=Pembroke to receive record-breaking £35m donation|publisher=Varsity (Cambridge)|author=Jack Higgins}} He accepted an invitation to become the Chairman of Trustees of the Cambridge Union Society in 2015.

He is currently listed as the Chairman of the Task Force on Shale Gas.{{cite web |url=https://www.taskforceonshalegas.uk/about-the-task-force |title=About the Task Force - Task Force on Shale Gas |access-date=5 January 2017 |archive-date=6 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106013030/https://www.taskforceonshalegas.uk/about-the-task-force |url-status=dead }}

In 2006, Smith entered a civil partnership with Dorian Jabri,{{cite news |last1=Shoffman |first1=Marc |title=Ex-Cabinet minister becomes first peer to have civil partnership |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2006/07/25/ex-cabinet-minister-becomes-first-peer-to-have-civil-partnership/ |access-date=22 October 2020 |work=PinkNews |date=25 July 2006}} his partner since 1989.{{cite news |last1=Bale |first1=Joanna |title=No 10 rallies round as leading MP admits: 'I'm HIV positive' |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/no-10-rallies-round-as-leading-mp-admits-im-hiv-positive-lgz9lbvj8gb |access-date=22 October 2020 |work=The Times |date=31 January 2005 |quote=... Mr Smith, who met his partner, Dorian Jabri, two years after the diagnosis ...}} The couple separated in 2012.{{cite news |last1=Moss |first1=Stephen |title=Environment Agency head Chris Smith: 'I'm not having my staff belittled' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/feb/16/chris-smith-floods-environment-agency-interview |access-date=22 October 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=16 February 2014}} Smith was a director of the Finsbury-based world jazz ensemble Grand Union Orchestra for a period in the mid-1990s.{{Cite news|date=5 August 1996|title=Members' Interests|page=86/13|work=The Guardian}}

In 2003, Smith was contacted by a reporter from The Sunday Times asking for a comment on his health but declined, citing the Press Complaints Code. However, two years later, in 2005, he contacted the paper's editor and revealed in a story, titled "Why This is the Time to Break my HIV Silence", he had been diagnosed as HIV-positive{{rp|121-122}} as long ago as 1987. He stated he had decided to go public following Nelson Mandela's announcement of his son's death from AIDS.

In 2010, the LGBT+ Labour campaign fund Dorothy's List was renamed the Chris Smith List in his honour.{{Cite web |title=The Chris Smith List |url=https://www.lgbtlabour.org.uk/chrissmithlist |access-date=2024-07-22 |website=LGBT+ Labour |language=en}}

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• [http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/lord-smith-of-finsbury/186 Parliamentary Biography of Lord Smith of Finsbury]

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