Lord Baker of Dorking
Conservative - Life peer
Joined House of Lords: 16th June 1997
Kenneth Baker was elected as an MP in 2 non-consecutive terms between 1968 and 1997. He served as Secretary of State for Education and Science between 1986 and 1989 and as Home Secretary between 1990 and 1992.
1 APPG Officer Position (as of 1 Sep 2026)
Engineering Lord Baker of Dorking is not a member of any APPGs1 Former APPG Officer Position
ApprenticeshipsDivision Voting information
Lord Baker of Dorking voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 41 Conservative Aye votes vs 100 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 155 Noes - 267
Debates during the 2024 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
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
(9 debate interactions)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
(3 debate interactions)
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
(3 debate interactions)
Department Debates
(11 debate contributions)
(5 debate contributions)
(3 debate contributions)
(3 debate contributions)
Legislation Debates
(1,437 words contributed)
(1,304 words contributed)
(894 words contributed)
(36 words contributed)
Lords initiatives
These initiatives were driven by Lord Baker of Dorking, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
Lord Baker of Dorking has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Lord Baker of Dorking has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
Latest 3 Written Questions
(View all written questions)1 Other Department Questions
Essential works to lift HOP12 as part of the overall lift refurbishment programme are expected to last until the summer recess.
This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the noble Lord directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We do not comment on anonymous briefings.
The Home Office is committed to ensuring that the asylum system is not open to abuse. It is the responsibility of everyone claiming asylum in the UK to co-operate with the Home Office and tell us the truth. It is a crime to make an asylum application that involves trying to deceive the Home Office. If anyone does this and is found guilty of it in a court, they may receive a custodial sentence, after which they may be deported.
All asylum claims are considered on their individual merits, and decision makers assess the credibility and reliability of evidence submitted in support of a claim in accordance with published asylum guidance.
Asylum decisions are subject to stringent quality checks to ensure that claims are properly considered, decisions are sound, and protection is granted to those who genuinely need it.
The grant rate was 38% in the year ending June 2026. This was lower than the grant rate of 48% in the year ending June 2025, and substantially below the peak grant rate of 77% in the year ending September 2022.
The overall grant rate can vary for a number of reasons, including the mix of nationalities applying for asylum, and the protection needs of those who claim asylum in the UK. It is also affected by operational resourcing and policy decisions, such as changes to the types of cases prioritised for decisions. The Home Office guidance on caseworking prioritisation is published on GOV.UK.
Minister of State (Home Office)