Baroness Smith of Newnham
Liberal Democrat - Life peer
Became Member: 12th September 2014
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Defence)
(since August 2019)Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Defence)
(since August 2019)2 APPG memberships (as of 8 Apr 2024)
Citizens' Rights, Down Syndrome20 Former APPG memberships
Adult Education, Afghan Women and Girls, Armed Forces, Armed Forces Covenant, Battlefields and Commonwealth War Graves, British Council, Citizens Rights, Defence and Security Issues, Drones and Modern Conflict, European Citizenship Rights, Falkland Islands, Freedom of Movement, Hospice and End of Life Care, Magnitsky Sanctions, Modern Conflict, Norway, Polar Regions, Polo, Veterans, Women in DefenceDivision Voting information
Baroness Smith of Newnham voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 4 Liberal Democrat Aye votes vs 72 Liberal Democrat No votes
Tally: Ayes - 112 Noes - 388
Baroness Smith of Newnham voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 8 Liberal Democrat No votes vs 67 Liberal Democrat Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 355 Noes - 77
Baroness Smith of Newnham voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 2 Liberal Democrat Aye votes vs 74 Liberal Democrat No votes
Tally: Ayes - 93 Noes - 418
Baroness Smith of Newnham voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 2 Liberal Democrat Aye votes vs 71 Liberal Democrat No votes
Tally: Ayes - 70 Noes - 409
Baroness Smith of Newnham voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 18 Liberal Democrat No votes vs 33 Liberal Democrat Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 145 Noes - 179
Baroness Smith of Newnham voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 1 Liberal Democrat No votes vs 36 Liberal Democrat Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 75 Noes - 35
Baroness Smith of Newnham voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 5 Liberal Democrat Aye votes vs 38 Liberal Democrat No votes
Tally: Ayes - 158 Noes - 124
Debates during the 2019 Parliament
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
Sparring Partners
(135 debate interactions)
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
(65 debate interactions)
Department Debates
(163 debate contributions)
(74 debate contributions)
(34 debate contributions)
(26 debate contributions)
Legislation Debates
(9,997 words contributed)
(8,753 words contributed)
(4,724 words contributed)
(3,903 words contributed)
Lords initiatives
These initiatives were driven by Baroness Smith of Newnham, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
Baroness Smith of Newnham has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Baroness Smith of Newnham has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
Latest 5 Written Questions
(View all written questions)1 Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Questions
(View all Baroness Smith of Newnham's FCDO questions)We have received verbal assurances from the Government of Pakistan that Afghans supported in Pakistan under UK resettlement schemes will remain safe while they await relocation to the UK. We have suggested that eligible families take sensible precautions including when outside of their accommodation. We have also made them aware of how to respond if approached by the police, including providing contact details for the International Organization for Migration (IOM)/British High Commission. We have distributed letters to every eligible family to help ensure the Government of Pakistan are aware those individuals are under our protection.
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will see up to 20,000 people from Afghanistan and the region resettled to the UK over the coming years.
Flights for those being resettled under the ACRS are organised by the International Organisation for Migration, in line with requests from the Home Office. As flights are operational you will appreciate, we cannot go into operational details.
We will continue to honour our commitment to bring eligible Afghans to the UK, with new arrivals going directly into settled accommodation where possible.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
3 Ministry of Defence Questions
(View all Baroness Smith of Newnham's ministry-of-defence questions)I refer the noble Lady to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for the Armed Forces (James Heappey), in the House of Commons on 30 November to the hon. Member for Glasgow Central (Ms Alison Thewliss) in response to Question 3862.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Over 1,500 ARAP Eligible Principals (EPs) and their family members have been relocated in the past two months. Many factors govern the flow of relocation, but we are endeavouring to bring as many eligible Afghans as possible to the UK, as quickly as possible.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As of 30 November 2023, there are around 2,991 confirmed ARAP Eligible Principals (EPs) and their family members in Afghanistan, and 2,047 in Pakistan.
These figures fluctuate as we continue to identify eligible individuals. We are committed to support the relocation of eligible Afghans and their families out of Afghanistan and Pakistan as quickly as possible. To date we have brought approximately 13,600 to safety in the UK under the ARAP scheme.
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)