Lord Chris Smith

Chris Smith was born in 1951. In 1983 he became MP for Islington South and Finsbury. In 1992 he joined the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Environmental Protection, and two years later moved to Heritage, then Social Security and Health. When Labour came to power in 1997 he became Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and Chairman of the Millennium Commission. He returned to the back benches after the 2001 election, took a prominent role in opposing the war in Iraq, and stood down from the House of Commons in 2005. Immediately afterwards he was created a life peer, taking the title of Lord Smith of Finsbury. From 2003 Chris was Director of the Clore Leadership Programme, which aims to help develop a new generation of leaders for the cultural sector in the UK. He stepped down from this position in July 2008, in order to become Chairman of the Environment Agency. In 2005, Chris revealed that he had HIV and was first diagnosed in 1987. He stated that he had decided to go public following Nelson Mandela's announcement of his son's death from AIDS.

Statement of support

Ensuring that everyone affected by HIV, here in the UK, in South Africa, and everywhere else around the world, can have access to the best care and treatment, can live valuable and worthwhile lives, is an essential cause. The Treatment Action Campaign's work in recent years has been desperately needed and really successful in changing minds, attitudes, drug prices, and government policies. But there's still so much to be done, and I'm proud to support them in their work.