David Lammy is the Labour MP for Tottenham, having first been elected to parliament in a by-election on 22 June 2000.

In the 2024 general election for the Tottenham constituency, Lammy received 23,066 votes, representing 57.5% of the vote share. The Green Party candidate, David Craig, placed second with 7,632 votes (19.0%), while an independent candidate, Nandita Lal, secured 2,348 votes (5.8%). Lammy was duly elected with a majority of 15,434.

The Tottenham constituency is located in the London Borough of Haringey in north London. The seat was recreated in 1950 and has been held by the Labour Party continuously since then.

Lammy succeeded Bernie Grant as the Labour MP for Tottenham. Grant’s death, aged 56, triggered the 2000 Tottenham by-election. In his maiden speech, Lammy described Grant – one of the UK’s first Black British MPs – as an “exceptional and a first-class constituency member of parliament”.

Political career

Lammy served as deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom and secretary of state for justice and lord chancellor from September 2025 to July 2026. He was appointed to these roles as part of the September 2025 reshuffle triggered by Angela Rayner’s resignation after an inquiry into her tax affairs.

Lammy succeeded Rayner as deputy prime minister. As part of a wider reshuffle, he replaced Shabana Mahmood as secretary of state for justice and lord chancellor. Upon his appointment, Lammy said it was the “honour of my life” to take on the roles of deputy prime minister and justice secretary.

In a post to social media, he wrote: “Ever since I was a boy growing up in Tottenham, I’ve been determined to help make this country fairer, safer and better off.”

Lammy chose not to stand in the 2025 Labour deputy leadership contest that followed Rayner’s departure.

Lammy left government as part of the July 2026 cabinet reshuffle conducted by Andy Burnham upon his appointment as prime minister.

Previously, Lammy served as foreign secretary from July 2024 to September 2025. During his tenure as foreign secretary, the prime minister, Keir Starmer, unveiled plans to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP from April 2027, funded by cuts to overseas aid. It came mere weeks after Lammy described the Trump administration’s dramatic aid cuts as a “big strategic mistake”.

Lammy is said to be friends with JD Vance, the US vice-president in Trump’s second term. Following a meeting in May 2025, Lammy reflected that himself and Vance were “not just working-class politicians, but people with dysfunctional childhoods. I had this great sense that JD completely relates to me.”

In August 2025, Lammy admitted he did not have a rod licence after he went fishing with Vance during a meeting at his official residence at Chevening House, Kent. Lammy blamed the oversight on an “administrative error”.

Prior to the 2024 general election, which saw Labour returned to power after 14 years in opposition, Lammy served as shadow foreign secretary (November 2021 to May 2024) and shadow lord chancellor and shadow secretary of state for justice (April 2020 to November 2021).

As shadow foreign secretary, Lammy criticised the appointment of Lord (David) Cameron in November 2023. “Amid international crisis, [prime minister Rishi] Sunak has chosen an unelected failure from the past who MPs cannot even hold to account”, he stated.

During the turbulent Brexit years from 2016 to 2020, Lammy was a prominent pro-Remain voice. In March 2019, he addressed a large anti-Brexit rally in Parliament Square alongside fellow europhile voices, including the first minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, and the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.

In January 2019, Lammy warned Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader of the opposition, that he risked getting “splinters in places he doesn’t want” if he sat “on the fence” over a second Brexit referendum.

As a backbencher, Lammy was also a leading critic of Donald Trump, then serving his first term as US president. He addressed Westminster Hall in February 2017 during a debate on a petition calling for Trump’s state visit invitation, issued by Theresa May as prime minister, to be revoked.

Lammy stated: “Is this great country so desperate for a trade deal that we would throw all of our own history out of the window?… I think my children deserve better than that. I think my daughter deserves better than that.”

In 2018, Lammy described Trump as a “tyrant” and a “woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath”.

Lammy conducted an independent review in 2017 commissioned by the government into the treatment of, and outcomes for, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) individuals in the criminal justice system. The so-called “Lammy review” ultimately contained 35 recommendations, including introducing assessments of a young offenders’ maturity, exploring how criminal records could be “sealed”, and allowing some prosecutions to be “deferred”.

Upon the publication of the review, Lammy stated: “Youth justice may be regarded as a success story, but this is no time for self-congratulation… Unless we see fundamental reform, these young people will become the next generation of adult offenders, stuck in a cycle of crime, unemployment and welfare.”

In February 2019, Lammy criticised Stacey Dooley for Comic Relief photographs in Uganda, arguing that they perpetuated “tired and unhelpful stereotypes”.

In a post to social media, Lammy wrote: “The world does not need any more white saviours. As I’ve said before, this just perpetuates tired and unhelpful stereotypes. Let’s instead promote voices from across the continent of Africa and have serious debate.”

He added: “This isn’t personal and I don’t question your good motives. My problem with British celebrities being flown out by Comic Relief to make these films is that it sends a distorted image of Africa which perpetuates an old idea from the colonial era.”

​Dooley defended her stance, stating: “David, is the issue with me being white? (Genuine question)… because if that’s the case, you could always go over there and try raise awareness?”

Lammy stood as a candidate in the 2015 London Labour Party mayoral selection, finishing fourth.

In August 2011, Lammy’s Tottenham constituency was at the centre of a wave of rioting that had swept across London and other English cities. The riots began in Tottenham on 6 August following an initially peaceful demonstration over the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan by police. Addressing the commons on 11 August, Lammy relayed the anger of his constituents, 45 of whom “lost their homes, which were burnt to the ground.”

Lammy held a series of ministerial posts under Tony Blair and Gordon during Labour’s last period in government. He was minister of state for higher education and intellectual property (June 2009 – May 2010), minister of state for innovation, universities and skills (October 2008 – June 2009), parliamentary under-secretary for innovation, universities and skills (June 2007 – October 2008), minister of state for culture (May 2005 – June 2007), parliamentary under-secretary for constitutional affairs (June 2003 – May 2005) and parliamentary under-secretary for health (May 2002 – June 2003).

Lammy served as shadow minister for higher education and intellectual property from May to October 2010.

Lammy was reportedly sounded out regarding a possible post in Corbyn’s shadow cabinet. However, he did not take up a position.

In April 2018, Lammy was asked why he did not have a frontbench position.

He told the Guardian: “Go and ask the white men who run my party. That’s all I’m going to say. Go and ask them. Go and ask them. Don’t come to me and ask me why I haven’t been chosen. Ask them about who they’ve chosen.”

Lammy is also said to have turned down a role in Ed Miliband’s shadow cabinet.

Lammy served as a member of the House of Commons European scrutiny committee (2020-2022), the ecclesiastical committee (2010-2024), the procedure committee (2001), and the public administration committee (2001).

Lammy delivered his maiden speech on 20 July 2000.

In it, he said: “I have the great privilege to represent the most multicultural constituency represented in the House. I am not just a black politician for black people; I am a politician for all people.

“Multi-ethnic means just that – all ethnic groups, black and white. When I see any section of my community disadvantaged or missing out on life’s chances and opportunities, I will strive to support and speak out for it. That is what my constituents would expect me to do.”

He added: “This year, I have fought the Greater London Assembly election and the Tottenham by-election. In both, the candidates promised to find solutions to real problems. That is what the voters demand and politicians strive to deliver. Why, then, does a persistent apathy creep in?”

Before entering parliament, Lammy briefly served as a member of the London Assembly from May to July 2000.

Political views

Leadership elections and loyalty

Labour leadership 2020: Lammy was one of 82 Labour MPs who nominated Keir Starmer for the party’s leadership in early 2020. The election was triggered by the resignation of Jeremy Corbyn following the party’s defeat in the 2019 general election, which resulted in Labour’s fewest seats in the House of Commons since 1935.

Starmer’s 82 nominations were the highest of any candidate. The shadow Brexit secretary won a decisive victory in the first round with 56.2% of the vote, defeating Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy.

Labour leadership 2015: Lammy was part of a group of MPs who lent their nominations to ensure Corbyn, a veteran backbencher, reached the threshold of 35 required to appear on the ballot, intending to “broaden the debate.” Following Corbyn’s landslide victory with 59.5% of the vote, several of these MPs expressed regret.

In December 2021, Lammy apologised for nominating Corbyn to be Labour leader.

Speaking at the Limmud festival, a Jewish event, he stated: “I regret nominating Jeremy Corbyn and if I knew what I do now, I never would have nominated him. I never believed he would become leader. That was a mistake and I am sorry for that.”

Corbyn loyalty list: In March 2016, Lammy was labelled as “neutral but not hostile” by the Corbyn leadership in a leaked list which categorised Labour MPs by their perceived loyalty.

Labour leadership 2010: Lammy was one of 33 Labour MPs who nominated Diane Abbott for the party’s leadership in May 2010. The election followed the resignation of Gordon Brown, who stepped down as prime minister and Labour leader after the 2010 general election.

Abbott, a member of the Socialist Campaign Group (SCG), secured the minimum 33 nominations from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP). It came after several senior figures, including Harriet Harman and David Miliband, lent her their support to ensure a ideologically diverse ballot. She finished fifth in the contest with 7.4% of the vote.

Factional identity and party tradition

SERA: Lammy has been listed as a member of the Socialist Environment and Resources Association (SERA) – a socialist society affiliated with the Labour Party. Founded in 1973, SERA is the party’s official environmental campaign group. The organisation campaigns on a wide range of issues, including renewable energy, biodiversity, air quality and the transition to a green economy. SERA describes its member MPs as “champions for the environment”.

Labour Campaign for Free Movement (2017): Lammy was a signatory to a 2017 statement issued by the Labour Campaign for Free Movement – a group established by Labour members and activists to advocate for the retention and extension of free movement rights following the UK’s vote to leave the European Union. At the time, Labour’s official position was that free movement would end at the point of Brexit in March 2019.

Brexit and Europe

Brexit referendum: Lammy supported Remain in the 2016 Brexit referendum, and therefore agreed with the vast majority of his constituents, 76.2% of whom also voted to Remain.

Article 50: In February 2017, Lammy voted against the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill. The legislation empowered the prime minister to notify the Council of the European Union of the UK’s intention to withdraw, formally triggering the process set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. MPs supported the bill by 498 votes to 114 at second reading. In voting against the bill, Lammy defied the party whip – one of 47 Labour MPs to do so.

People’s vote support (2019): Lammy signed a January 2019 statement by Labour MPs calling for a “people’s vote” or second referendum. The statement, signed by 71 Labour MPs, read: “Defeat of the Tory [Brexit] deal in a public vote would give us all a chance to campaign for the anti-austerity policies and a Labour government that deals with the true causes of the Brexit vote, and a reformed Europe that works for all people.”

Remain pledge: During the 2019 general election campaign, Lammy was one of 193 Labour candidates to sign the anti-Brexit “Remain pledge”, drawn up by the campaign group Remain Labour.

It stated: “Labour is committed to a confirmatory referendum, to give you the final say on Brexit. If elected as your Labour MP, I pledge to campaign to Remain in the EU.”

Welfare

Welfare vote (July 2025): Lammy voted in favour of the government’s flagship welfare bill at second reading. The vote came after ministers agreed to significant concessions to avoid defeat via a mass rebellion of Labour MPs on 1 July 2025.

Welfare vote (July 2015): Alongside almost one quarter of his colleagues, Lammy voted against the Conservative government’s Welfare Reform and Work Bill at second reading – defying the party whip which instructed Labour MPs to abstain. This decision to abstain, taken by interim Labour leader Harriet Harman, caused a furious backlash within the party, particularly from its left wing. It became a defining issue in the ongoing leadership contest. Jeremy Corbyn was the only candidate to vote against the bill. Overall, 48 Labour MPs voted against the proposed legislation.

Assisted dying

Lammy voted against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, better known as the assisted dying bill, at second reading (November 2024). On the third reading of the bill, Lammy did not record a vote.

Social values and conscience issues

Same-sex marriage (2013): In February 2013, Lammy voted in favour of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill at its second reading. The landmark piece of legislation, which received its second reading by 400 votes to 175, legalised marriage for same-sex couples in England and Wales.

During the debate, Lammy likened arguments against same-sex marriage based on the existence of civil partnerships to the “separate but equal” doctrine of racial segregation.

Lammy stated: “Separate but equal is a fraud. It is the language that tried to push Rosa Parks to the back of the bus. It is the motif that determined that black and white people could not possibly drink from the same water fountain, eat at the same table or use the same toilets.”

Foreign policy and security

Trident renewal (2016): Lammy voted against a government motion calling for the renewal of the Trident nuclear deterrent system in July 2016. The motion, which was passed by 472 votes to 117, committed the UK to constructing a new fleet of submarines to carry the nation’s nuclear weapons. Labour was split over the issue with 140 of its 230 MPs going against leader Jeremy Corbyn and backing the motion.

Syria airstrikes (2015): Lammy voted against a government motion to extend UK airstrikes against Isis from Iraq into Syria in December 2015. The motion, which was passed by 397 votes to 223 after a ten-hour debate in the House of Commons, authorised the RAF to conduct strikes against Isis targets in Syria.

Syria airstrikes (2013): Lammy voted against the government’s motion on the principle of military intervention in Syria in August 2013. The government motion was defeated by 285 votes to 272, a move which effectively ruled out UK participation in any US-led military strikes.

Iraq War authorisation vote (2003): In March 2003, Lammy voted in favour of the government motion authorising military action against Iraq. The vote, one of the most contentious in recent parliamentary history, gave the prime minister, Tony Blair, the authority to join the US-led invasion.

Before Politics

Born on 19 July 1972, Lammy grew up in Tottenham. He was awarded a choral scholarship to sing at Peterborough Cathedral and attended The King’s School, Peterborough.

He studied law at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), the University of London and Harvard University. He graduated with a 2:1 in law from SOAS.

After graduating, he was called to the bar of England and Wales in 1994.

He was employed as an attorney in California and with D. J. Freeman in the late 1990s.

Personal Life

Lammy married the artist Nicola Green in 2005. They have three children, two sons and an adopted daughter.

Lammy is of Guyanese descent and holds dual citizenship in the United Kingdom and Guyana.

He has published books including Out of the Ashes: Britain After the Riots (2011) and Tribes (2020).

He hosted a weekly Sunday show on LBC Radio between 2022 and 2024.

Trivia

Lammy is a fan of Tottenham Hotspur FC.

He was the first black Briton to attend Harvard Law School.

Lammy was just 27-years-old upon his election to parliament in 2000, making him the youngest member of the commons and therefore, unofficially, the “baby of the House”.

In 2009, he took part in the BBC television quiz show Celebrity Mastermind, scoring 13 points. In response to one question, he said that Henry VIII’s heir was Henry VII.

Lammy reportedly used to joke: “I’m not Blair, I’m not Brown, I’m just black.”