Sir Christopher Bryant MP

Sir Chris Bryant has been the Member of Parliament for Rhondda since 2001. He is the Shadow Minister for Creative Industries and Digital. He was Deputy Leader of the House of Commons and Minister for Europe and Latin America in the last Labour Government.

Prior to entering Parliament he was a priest in the Church of England, serving as a curate in High Wycombe and a youth chaplain in Peterborough diocese and then ran an educational charity, Common Purpose, before becoming Head of European Affairs at the BBC, based in Brussels.

Chris read English at Oxford before completing two further Oxford degrees in Theology (including History of the Church) as part of his preparation for ordination. A former member of the Select Committee for Culture Media and Sport, he has written biographies of Stafford Cripps and Glenda Jackson, as well as a history of Christian Socialism. He has also edited several books of essays and has written regularly for the Guardian, the Mail on Sunday and the Independent, and appeared on every major TV and radio news and current affairs programme.

Chris Bryant was the first gay MP to celebrate his civil partnership in the Palace of Westminster. He was recently described by the political sketch-writer Quentin Letts as 'a brilliant parliamentarian'.

Latest publication JAMES AND JOHN - Bloomsbury - February 2024

They had nothing to expect from the mercy of the crown; their doom was sealed; no plea could be urged in extenuation of their crime, and they well knew that for them there was no hope in this world.

When Charles Dickens wrote these tragic lines he was penning fact, not fiction. He had visited the condemned cells at the infamous prison at Newgate, where seventeen men who had been sentenced to death were awaiting news of their pleas for mercy. Two men were particularly striking: James Pratt and John Smith, who had been convicted of homosexuality. Theirs was ‘an unnatural offence’, a crime so unmentionable it was never named. That was why they alone despaired and, as the turnkey told Dickens, why they alone were ‘dead men’. 

The 1830s ushered in great change in Britain. In a few short years the government swept away slavery, rotten boroughs, child labour, bribery and corruption in elections, the ban on trades unions and civil marriage. They also curtailed the ‘bloody code’ that treated 200 petty crimes as capital offences. Some thought the death penalty itself was wrong. There had not been a hanging at Newgate for two years; hundreds were reprieved. Yet when the King met with his ‘hanging’ Cabinet, they decided to reprieve all bar James and John. When the two men were led to the gallows, the crowd hissed and shouted. 

In this masterful work of history, Chris Bryant delves deep into the public archives, scouring poor law records, workhouse registers, prisoner calendars and private correspondence. He meticulously recreates the lives of two men whose names are known to history – but whose story has been lost, until now. 

Praise for JAMES AND JOHN 

‘Carefully observed, rich in detail, imaginative, compassionate and angry.’ Rory Stewart

‘A richly detailed portrait … Bryant has assembled a tragic story that is as shocking as it is pathetic.  Bryant never lets outrage get the better of him, and his unaided archival research has been exemplary.’ Rupert Christiansen, Telegraph

‘This is the best kind of angry history: meticulously researched, vividly written, deeply humane and making an utterly compelling case. It keeps faith with the dead, and in doing so gives us something to celebrate, fervently, in the present.’ Professor Ronald Hutton

‘Riveting.’ BBC History Magazine

‘The resulting work is an insight into a supposedly enlightened era - of slavery abolitionists and the Great Reform Act. Bryant meticulously stitches together the reality beneath: an atmosphere of deep prejudice and moral panic that led to two men being condemned to death in 1835.’ New Statesman

‘Meticulously researched … Bryant does an excellent job.’ Spectator

'Chris Bryant, a Labour MP and former Church of England priest, has had the cracking idea to investigate the lives of these men whom Dickens briefly watched. The result is a lively and interesting book … An eye-opening portrait of Victorian injustice and hypocrisy.' The Times

‘A heart-breaking account of a grave injustice and the social climate of homophobic prejudice that made it possible.’ Peter Tatchell

‘A powerful indictment of Britain’s persecution of gay men. This is a brilliant telling of a shameful part of our history.’ Baroness Helena Kennedy KC

‘A timely reminder of the stories that the powerful would rather we forgot.’ Shami Chakrabarti

‘This is a shocking story of prejudice and injustice, told in meticulous detail by Chris Bryant. A must-read for all who want to understand the deep roots of homophobia in British history’ Keir Starmer

'Painstakingly studied and intricately detailed.' Attitude

'The product of exhaustive archival searches, and a serious contribution to social history of the most disturbing kind.' Church Times

‘Meticulous.’ Financial Times

‘This is a vibrant and honourable retelling of early 19th-century gay history. Bryant simply and clearly underscores the essential humanity of James and John – and in so doing emphasises our common dignity in the face of overwhelming and anonymizing systems of power and governance.’ Irish Times

‘In this meticulously researched and important book, Chris Bryant draws from a wealth of archive material including poor law records, workhouse registers and private correspondence to reconstruct the story of James Pratt and John Smith – the last two men in Britain to have been hanged for homosexuality.’ Waterstones

Previous publication CODE OF CONDUCT: Why We Need to Fix Parliament - Bloomsbury - August 2023

Instant Sunday Times Bestseller

The extraordinary turmoil we have seen in British politics in the last few years has set records. We have had the fastest turnover of prime ministers in our history and more MPs suspended from the House than ever. No wonder people are asking whether 'parliamentary standards' is a contradiction in terms.

As Chair of the Committees on Standards and Privileges, Chris Bryant has been in the thick of the battle over standards in parliament. Cronyism, nepotism, conflicts of interest, misconduct and lying: politicians are engaging in these activities more frequently and more publicly than ever before. Whether it is Boris Johnson's lies, Owen Paterson's paid lobbying or cases of sexual misconduct and bullying, parliament is on trial, just when democracy itself is facing a direct challenge from authoritarian regimes around the world. Yet the vast majority of MPs are diligent, assiduous and intent on changing the world for the better.

Code of Conduct will look at every angle of parliamentary conduct, charting the history of how we got here and suggesting ways in which we might fix the problem. This book could not arrive at a better time to help parliament get its house in order.

Praise for THE GLAMOUR BOYS

'Fascinating, informative, funny and heroic … Chris Bryant paints a compelling picture of a glamorous, gossipy, unstable world of concealment and enjoyment – and of the bravery of a group of gay MPs.  After decades of books on the Cambridge spies, here is one on Proud Pink Patriotism.  This fascinating book recounts a story that needs to be told and fills an important historical gap.' Neil McGregor

'Riveting and bursting with revelations throughout. A book that is as astonishing as it is important.' Peter Frankopan

'A fascinating story … a detailed and infinitely complex account.  (Bryant) has handled the difficult form of group-biography skilfully, using a great deal of never-before published material … He has done them honour.' Simon Callow, Guardian

'In this bracing history, Chris Bryant chronicles some of the unsung heroes such as Jack McNamara, Victor Cazalet and Harold Nicolson, and their achievements.' Evening Standard

'Extensively researched, richly detailed and absolutely fascinating … An incredible achievement and a hugely significant contribution to queer history.' Attitude

'An inspiring story of defiant courage – alternately hilarious, triumphant and harrowing. A story about which I knew nothing, but which has filled me with admiration for its brave and brilliant participants and for Chris Bryant’s superb, suspenseful telling.' Stephen Fry

'The Glamour Boys is fascinating and thrillingly told story. Chris Bryant weaves together political and cultural history with great skill. And in doing so he shines new light on an unspoken but hugely important group of men, whose bravery shaped the course of the Second World War. This is an important, wonderfully written and often very moving book.' Dan Jones

Praise for ENTITLED

'You can't deal with today's injustices without knowing how we got here in the first place. If this parade of arrogant, snobbish and greedy toffs doesn't get you to demand change, nothing will. This is fascinating, authoritative and radical history at its best. It lays bare the politics of jealousy and the sense of entitlement that has meant so few have owned so much and lorded it over so many for so long.  The duke of Westminster won't want you to read it, which is why you should.' Owen Jones

'A riveting insightful gripping and horrifying account of how the UK aristocracy gained and maintained power right up to today.' Charlie Falconer

'Forget celebrity infidelity and drug abuse.  Here is one of our greatest scandals – our class-ridden society.' Helena Kennedy

'Chris Bryant gives us a lively reminder of why we should 'put not our trust in Princes' - or other landed knaves whose main achievement was to be born.' Neil Kinnock

'Entitled is an energetic and engaging response to Whig historians in the tradition of Marxist historians. It is annoying and readable in equal measure.' Jacob Rees-Mogg

'A proudly partisan history of the British aristocracy -- which scores some shrewd hits against the upper class themselves, and the nostalgia of the rest of us for their less endearing eccentricities. A great antidote to Downton Abbey.' Mary Beard

'Impressively researched…masterfully executed…an informative and at times engaging read. Bryant’s thoughts on parliamentary and political history, and his incisive look at patterns of inheritance and landholding are its most illuminating aspects.' The Lady

'Fast-paced popular history, based on wide reading with plenty of colour…Entitled offers readers a view of our island aristocracy from bloodthirsty Saxons to the present day…The author’s skill appears in his assured storytelling, his seamless ordering of so much disparate material.' Daily Telegraph

Praise for PARLIAMENT: THE BIOGRAPHY VOL 1

'This is a wonderful, wry view of the history of parliament "from the inside". Chris Bryant is a great myth-buster. If you ever thought that modern MPs were more corrupt or worse behaved than their predecessors, then read on. You'll find it's not quite so simple.' Mary Beard

'This book tells the story of our greatest national institution. It is well-written, contains much truth, and a great deal of important information. It is a wonderful idea.' Peter Oborne

'This magnificent book... Bryant is a fine historian. His understanding of political processes shines through.  After this epic the next volume will be eagerly awaited.' Leo McKinstry, Daily Express

'A wonderfully iconoclastic yet affectionate history ... Bryant tells the story with clarity and verve." Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church, Oxford University

'A remarkably readable and scholarly account of the emergence of the British Parliament over its first five hundred years or so.' Ken Clarke

'Both charming and important ... a valuable antidote to Paxman-type errors about parliament ... a carefully constructed and lucidly written adventure story about the institution that ― like it or not ― still shapes our lives.' Roy Hattersley, Daily Telegraph

'A doorstopper worthy of its venerable subject.' Independent on Sunday

'Compelling reading.' TLS

'Chris Bryant gives us a lively reminder of why we should "put not our trust in Princes" - or other landed knaves whose main achievement was to be born.' Neil Kinnock