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Deputy Leader of the House of Lords, Government Spokesperson for Equalities, Parliamentary Secretary, and UK Special Envoy for LGBT+ Rights

Lord Collins of Highbury

Biography

Lord Collins of Highbury was appointed Deputy Leader of the House of Lords and Government Spokesperson for Equalities on 8 October 2024, Parliamentary Secretary on 12 June 2026 and UK Special Envoy for LGBT+ Rights on 29 June 2026.

He was previously Lord in Waiting (Government Whip) between 8 October 2024 and 12 June 2026.

He was also previously Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office from 9 July 2024 to 7 September 2025.

Lord Collins was Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict (PSVI) from November 2024 to June 2026.

Lord Collins was an Assistant General Secretary of the Transport Union (1994 to 1999) and the General Workers Union, later Unite (1999 to 2008).

Lord Collins served as General Secretary of the Labour Party (2008 to 2011) before joining the House of Lords in 2011.

Before joining government, Lord Collins was Co-Chair All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Nutrition for Growth. He was also an officer of the APPG on Global LGBT Rights which advances LGBT rights around the world.

Lord Collins is also Patron of Positive East, London’s largest HIV charity based in the East End.

Follow Lord Collins on X/Twitter: @Lord_Collins

Deputy Leader of the House of Lords

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Office of the Leader of the House of Lords

Government Spokesperson for Equalities

Lords spokesperson on equalities.

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Parliamentary Secretary

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UK Special Envoy for LGBT+ Rights

The UK Special Envoy for LGBT+ Rights leads the government’s work to promote equality and protect the rights of LGBT+ people in the UK and internationally.

The Special Envoy will bring together the government’s domestic work and our global leadership on LGBT+ rights.

The UK Special Envoy for LGBT+ Rights:

  • provides strategic leadership for the UK’s international work to promote and protect the human rights of LGBT+ people as part of the government’s wider human rights and governance approach
  • works across government and with international partners to strengthen coordination, defend civic space, uphold the rule of law and advance equal rights
  • builds partnerships across governments, parliamentarians, civil society, business and other movements to support the political, social and economic empowerment of LGBT+ people and defend universal freedoms
  • supports diplomatic and development efforts to tackle violence, discrimination and systemic drivers of harm affecting LGBT+ communities

The UK Special Envoy reports to the FCDO Minister for Multilateral and Human Rights.

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Previous roles in government

  • UK Special Envoy on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict
    • 2024 to 2026