Lord Austin is a British politician who sits as a life peer in the House of Lords. He was the MP for Dudley North from the 2005 general election until the 2019 general election when he stood down. Austin was appointed a political advisor to the Chancellor of the Exchequer (later Prime Minister), Gordon Brown, in 1999. He held the position until his election in 2005. In June 2007, Ian was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, with a special provision to attend cabinet meetings. He has held Government roles as Assistant Whip, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government, Minister for the West Midlands, and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government. In July 2019, Lord Austin was appointed Prime Ministerial Trade Envoy to Israel by Theresa May, supporting UK trade and investment in global markets and retained this position until 2024 when the role ceased. In 2025, he was reappointed by the new Labour Government.
