Chris Smith, Baron Smith of Finsbury

Chris Smith, Baron Smith of Finsbury PC ( born July 24, 1951 in Barnet, England ) is a British Labour Party politician and former Member of the British Parliament and former member of the British Cabinet.

Smith was born in Barnet. He received lessons in Edinburgh at George Watson 's College. Smith attended Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he studied English. He was President of the Cambridge Union Society. After the end of study, he was politically active, won at the general election in 1983 and retired as MP for Islington South & Finsbury in Parliament. 1984 Smith had his public coming out as a deputy.

Smith was from 1986 Whip in the House and was from 1987 to 1992 Shadow Minister of Finance of the Labour Party. In 1997 he was appointed to Cabinet as Minister Tony Blair for Culture, Media and Sport. After the general election in 2001 he was replaced as Minister of the intra-party rival Tessa Jowell and remained as a back-bencher in the House. 2005 Smith resigned after announcing his retirement from from the House of Commons. On 22 June 2005 he was appointed Life peer as Baron Smith of Finsbury.

After the end of his political career, he was Director of the Clore Leadership Programme in the cultural sector. In addition, he is currently represented on the board of the Royal National Theatre and Chairman of the Wordsworth Trust. In November 2006, he was elected Chairman of the Advertising Standards Authority.

In November 2010, he was honored by his home district of Islington with the Freedom of the Borough, the highest honor it can automatically assign the district.

In his spare time, Smith is an avid mountain climber.