Ministerial role

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Africa)

Organisations: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Current role holder: Lord Collins of Highbury

Responsibilities

Responsibilities include:

  • East, Central, West and Southern Africa
  • African Union
  • multilateral and human rights (including United Nations and Commonwealth)

Current role holder

Lord Collins of Highbury

Lord Collins of Highbury was appointed as a Government spokesperson for Equalities on 8 October 2024, in addition to his roles as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords and Lord in Waiting (Government Whip).

Lord Collins was appointed Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict (PSVI) on 15 November 2024.

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

More about this person

Previous holders of this role

  1. The Rt Hon Gillian Keegan

    2022 to 2022