House of Lords · Crossbench
Security · Defence · Political strategy · Counter-extremism · Strategic communications
Crossbench peer and former independent government adviser on political violence and disruption, working at the intersection of national security, democratic resilience and political strategy.
About John
John is a crossbench peer who serves as co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Defending Democracy and vice-chair of the AUKUS APPG. Between 2020 and 2025 he was the UK government's independent adviser on political violence and disruption.
In 2024 he published the major government review Protecting our Democracy from Coercion, examining threats to democratic institutions, elected representatives and public order across the political spectrum. He is the founder and chair of Powerful Street Ltd, which has published his latest review, Undue Influence, on the Iranian regime's abuse of the UK charity system.
Earlier in his career John was the political spokesman for Gordon Brown in 10 Downing Street as the then Prime Minister led the international response to the global recession, and an adviser across several government departments. In 2010 he was elected as the Labour-Cooperative MP for Barrow and Furness, serving on the Defence Committee and as chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party's committees on foreign affairs.
He is a graduate of the Royal College of Defence Studies and holds a Master's in International Security and Strategy from King's College London.
Independent reviews
2024
A comprehensive government review of political violence and disruption in the UK, addressing threats to democratic institutions and elected representatives, and setting out recommendations on intelligence, policing capability and public order.
Read the review (PDF, gov.uk)2026
Published through Powerful Street, this review examines Iranian regime-aligned charities operating in the UK and the limitations of current oversight, with recommendations for strengthening regulation of hostile state influence in the charitable sector.
Read the review (PDF)Parliamentary work
Co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Defending Democracy, focused on protecting democratic institutions from coercion and interference.
Vice-chair of the AUKUS APPG, working to embed cross-party support for the landmark security partnership in Parliament.
Find John's record, interests and contact details on the official Parliament site.
View on parliament.ukStrategic advisory
John is founder and chair of Powerful Street, a discreet strategic advisory firm helping exceptional leaders analyse public policy, communicate strategically, understand complex political environments and navigate through crises. Engagements span defence and national security, energy, workforce, technology and geopolitics.
Visit Powerful StreetContact
For parliamentary correspondence, media enquiries or advisory work, please reach out through the channels below.