Stephen Michael Wedgwood Benn, 3rd Viscount Stansgate (born 21 August 1951), is a British

hereditary peer The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of April 2025, there are 800 hereditary peers: 30 dukes (including six royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 189 earls, 108 viscounts, and 439 barons (not counting subsidiary ...

and Labour member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

Early life and education

Stansgate's father,

Tony Benn Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn (3 April 1925 – 14 March 2014), known between 1960 and 1963 as Viscount Stansgate, was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician and political activist who served as a Cabinet of the United Kingdom, Cabine ...

, and his younger brother,

Hilary Benn Hilary James Wedgwood Benn (born 26 November 1953) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland since 2024. A member of the Labour Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leeds South, formerly ...

, have both been senior Labour politicians. His mother was Caroline Benn, an educationalist and writer, and his sister is Melissa Benn, a feminist writer. He was educated at

Holland Park School Holland Park School is a coeducational Comprehensive school, comprehensive secondary school and sixth form located in Holland Park, London, England. Opened in 1958, the school was considered a flagship for comprehensive education, nicknamed 'th ...

from 1962 to 1968 and at

Keele University Keele University is a Public university#United Kingdom, public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, it was granted uni ...

, where he was awarded a doctorate (

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

) in 1984 for a thesis entitled "The White House Staff".

Career

Stansgate was an elected member of the

Inner London Education Authority The Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) was the local education authority for the City of London and the 12 Inner London boroughs from 1965 until its abolition in 1990. From 1965 to 1986 it was an ad hoc committee of the Greater London Co ...

from 1986 to 1990. In 2011, he was appointed director of parliamentary affairs for the

Society of Biology The Royal Society of Biology (RSB), previously called the Society of Biology, is a learned society and professional association in the United Kingdom created to advance the interests of biology in academia, industry, education, and research. Fo ...

after spending two decades in a similar role for the

Royal Society of Chemistry The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society and professional association in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemistry, chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the ...

. He is also a vice-president of the

Parliamentary and Scientific Committee The UK Parliamentary and Scientific Committee (P&SC) is a United Kingdom parliamentary organization established in 1939. It is an all-party parliamentary group. Overview The P&SC provides a forum for scientific and technological issues in the UK. ...

House of Lords

Benn succeeded to the title Viscount Stansgate on the death of his father in March 2014. His acceptance of the title was recorded on 10 November 2014 with a note in the minutes of Proceedings from the House of Lords, stating: :"The

Lord Chancellor The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom. The lord chancellor is the minister of justice for England and Wales and the highest-ra ...

reported that Stephen Michael Wedgwood Benn had established his claim to the Viscountcy of Stansgate in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The

Clerk of the Parliaments The Clerk of the Parliaments is the chief clerk of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The position has existed since at least 1315, and duties include preparing the minutes of Lords proceedings, advising on proper parli ...

was accordingly directed to enter Viscount Stansgate on the register of hereditary peers maintained under Standing Order 10(5)." He stood for election as a Labour

in the

and was elected unopposed on 10 July 2021, replacing Lord Rea who died in 2020. He took the oath on 6 September that year and made his

maiden speech A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament. Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country. In many Westminster system governments, there is a convention th ...

on 14 October 2021 in a Regional Strategy debate, with his brother Hilary Benn looking on.

Personal life

Stansgate married Ashika Nita Bowes in 1988. They have two children:Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003 * Hon

Emily Benn Emily Sophia Wedgwood Benn (born 4 October 1989) is an English politician, who has represented the Ward of Bread Street on the Court of Common Council of the City of London since 2022. Benn unsuccessfully contested both the 2010 and 2015 UK gen ...

(born 4 October 1989) * Hon Daniel Benn (born 10 December 1991),

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

to the viscountcy. Emily, an

investment bank Investment is traditionally defined as the "commitment of resources into something expected to gain value over time". If an investment involves money, then it can be defined as a "commitment of money to receive more money later". From a broade ...

er by occupation, pursued a political career and sat on the

Croydon London Borough Council Croydon London Borough Council, which styles itself Croydon Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Croydon in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. Croydon is divided into 28 wards, elect ...

as a Labour member until she resigned in 2016 on moving to New York. In 2022 she was elected to the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

Common Council.

References

Sources

Father's obituary
1951 births Living people People educated at Holland Park School Alumni of Keele University Benn family English people of American descent English activists English landowners People from Essex Scientists from London Viscounts in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Labour Party (UK) hereditary peers Hereditary peers elected under the House of Lords Act 1999 {{UK-viscount-stub