The Lord Duvall | |
|---|---|
 Duvall in 2024 | |
| Chair of theLondon Assembly | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Andrew Boff |
| Deputy Chair of theLondon Assembly | |
| In office 10 May 2024 – 6 May 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Onkar Sahota |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Boff |
| Leader of theLabour Group in theLondon Assembly | |
| Assumed office 2004[1] | |
| Leader | Tony Blair Gordon Brown Ed Miliband Jeremy Corbyn Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Toby Harris |
| Chair of the London Labour Party | |
| In office 2002–2019 | |
| Preceded by | Chris Robbins |
| Succeeded by | Jim Kelly |
| Member of the London Assembly forGreenwich and Lewisham | |
| Assumed office 4 May 2000 | |
| Preceded by | Office Created |
| Majority | 43,159 (25.4%) |
| Member of the House of Lords | |
| Life peerage 8 January 2026 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1961-09-26)26 September 1961 (age 64) Woolwich, London, England |
| Party | Labour Co-op |
| Profession | Politician |
Leonard Lloyd Duvall, Baron Duvall,OBE (born 26 September 1961)[2] is a BritishLabour and Co-operative politician who has been chair of theLondon Assembly since May 2025, having previously served as deputy chair from 2024.Additionally, Duvall has been serving as the Leader of theLabour Group in theLondon Assembly since 2004, and has been the Member of the London Assembly (AM) forGreenwich and Lewisham since 2000. Duvall is a former chair of both theMetropolitan Police Authority[3] and the London Labour Party Regional Board.[4]
Duvall was born and raised inWoolwich.[5] He suffered from ill health as a child and attended a special school for ten years.[6] After leaving school aged 16 he became a youth worker and later worked in local government.[6]
Duvall was a councillor in theLondon Borough of Greenwich from 1990 until 2001, during which time he was deputy leader of the council, until 1992, when he became leader, a position he held until his election to the London Assembly.[7] He was one of the founders of theNew Local Government Network, chair of the Thames Gateway London Partnership, chair of the Improvement and Development Agency for Local Government, vice-chair of theLocal Government Information Unit, a non–executive Director of Millennium Experience Ltd, deputy chair of theAssociation of London Government, a member of theCouncil of Europe and Chamber of the Regions, chair of theCommonwealth Local Government Forum (1998–2005), andin 1998 he was appointed an OBE for "services to Local Government in London and to the Thames Gateway Partnership".[7][8]
He was first elected as an AM in 2000, and retained hisGreenwich and Lewisham seat in the 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2021, 2024 elections.[9][10][11][12] Duval is the only remaining London Assembly member to have served continuously since the London Assembly was established in May 2000. He is leader of the Labour Group on the London Assembly, chair of both the EU Exit Working Group[13] and the GLA Oversight Committee, and Deputy Chair of the Budget and Performance Committee and the Budget and Monitoring Sub-Committee.[14]
Outside the London Assembly, he was a non-executive director of Tilfen Land, a property development company and a board member of the Royal Artillery Museums Trust,[15] his father and grandfather having served asgunners in theRoyal Artillery.[5] From 2015 to 2025 he was chair of the Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust.[16] During his time as chair Charlton House was placed on the Historic England at risk register.[17]
In 2021 Duvall was praised by the Panel investigating the unsolved 1987 murder of Daniel Morgan for giving effective direction while chair of the Metropolitan Police authority.[18]
Duvall was nominated for alife peerage as part of the2025 Political Peerages to sit in theHouse of Lords as a Labour peer; he was created asBaron Duvall, of Woolwich in the Royal Borough of Greenwich on 8 January 2026.[19][20]
His partner is Jackie Smith, who as at February 2026 was a councillor in the London Borough of Greenwich.[6]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Chris Robbins | Chair of theLondon Labour Party 2002–2019 | Succeeded by Jim Kelly |