Lord Collins of Highbury
Biography
Lord Collins of Highbury was appointed Deputy Leader of the House of Lords on 8 October 2024 and UK Special Envoy for LGBT+ Rights on 29 June 2026.
He was appointed, jointly, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Equalities) in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Office for Equality and Opportunity on 22 July 2026. On the same day he was appointed, jointly, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Home Office and MHCLG.
He was previously:
- Government Spokesperson for Equalities between 8 October 2024 and 22 July 2026
- Parliamentary Secretary between 12 June and 22 July 2026
- Lord in Waiting (Government Whip) between 8 October 2024 and 12 June 2026
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Minister for Equalities 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
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.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lords Minister)
The Minister’s responsibilities are:
- migration and borders business in the Lords
- other matters delegated by Home Secretary and Lords Minister of State
Home Office and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Equalities)
- Equalities Minister in the Lords
- Lords Minister for Conversion Practices Bill and LGBT+ policy
- Special Envoy on LGBT+ rights
- Lead for UK’s hosting of the 2027 International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia Forum (IDAHOT+)
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Office for Equality and Opportunity, and Home Office
Previous roles in government
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UK Special Envoy on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict