Gerard Lemos: the social policy chair who became Baron Lemos

Overview

Gerard Lemos — now Baron Lemos of Thornton Heath — is a British social policy researcher and chair of UK public bodies, appointed a vice-president of the British Board of Film Classification in November 2008 alongside Alison Hastings; he sat on the board’s Presidential Team that jointly refused The Bunny Game a certificate in October 2011, banning its UK supply (Screen Daily; JoBlo). He was introduced to the House of Lords as a life peer in February 2025 (Hofesh Shechter Company).

The social policy career

Lemos is a partner at Lemos & Crane Social Research, where he leads the research team, and the author of numerous books and reports on social policy (Money Marketing). The Financial Services Authority appointed him chairman of the Consumer Financial Education Body to set up the national financial advice service, and he has served as a non-executive director of the Crown Prosecution Service (Money Marketing). At the time of his BBFC appointment he was a visiting professor in international social policy at Chongqing Business and Technology University in China and deputy chair of the British Council (Screen Daily); he later served as the Council’s deputy chair and acting chair (Hofesh Shechter Company). Born in India, he grew up in Croydon and studied History and English at the University of York, and he was founding chair of the Akram Khan dance company (Hofesh Shechter Company).

The BBFC years and the peerage

After an open competition, Lemos was appointed a BBFC vice-president in 2008, taking up the post that November alongside Alison Hastings (Screen Daily). In October 2011 he sat on the Presidential Team that, with Director David Cooke, refused The Bunny Game a certificate — a joint decision that made the film illegal to supply anywhere in the UK (JoBlo). His later career piled chairmanship upon chairmanship: he was appointed Chair of English Heritage in 2023, chairs the boards of National Savings & Investments and the London Institute of Banking and Finance, chairs the HM Prison and Probation Service agency board as its lead non-executive director, and has chaired the Hofesh Shechter dance company since December 2017 (Hofesh Shechter Company). In February 2025 he was introduced to the House of Lords as Baron Lemos of Thornton Heath, and made his maiden speech on the Creative Industries days later (Hofesh Shechter Company).

Public roles at a glance

Role	Detail
Partner, Lemos & Crane Social Research	Leads the research team; author of books and reports on social policy (Money Marketing)
Vice-president, BBFC	Appointed November 2008 with Alison Hastings (Screen Daily)
Chair, English Heritage	Appointed 2023 (Hofesh Shechter Company)
Baron Lemos of Thornton Heath	Introduced to the House of Lords, 3 February 2025 (Hofesh Shechter Company)

By 2025 Lemos held five simultaneous chairmanships — English Heritage, National Savings & Investments, the London Institute of Banking and Finance, the HM Prison and Probation Service agency board, and Hofesh Shechter Company (Hofesh Shechter Company) — meaning one social-policy researcher sat atop the governance of heritage, finance, prisons and the arts at the same time.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Gerard Lemos? Gerard Lemos, now Baron Lemos of Thornton Heath, is a British social policy researcher, author and chair of multiple UK public bodies. A partner at Lemos & Crane Social Research, he was a BBFC vice-president from 2008 and was granted a life peerage in 2025. This profile covers documented public facts about his professional life.

Which public bodies has he chaired? Lemos chairs English Heritage (appointed 2023), National Savings & Investments, the London Institute of Banking and Finance, the HM Prison and Probation Service agency board, and the Hofesh Shechter dance company. He previously chaired the Consumer Financial Education Body and served as deputy chair and acting chair of the British Council.

What was his role in The Bunny Game ban? As a BBFC vice-president, Lemos sat on the Presidential Team that jointly took the October 2011 decision with Director David Cooke to refuse The Bunny Game a certificate. The board judged the film’s unremitting sexual and physical abuse too pervasive for cuts, making it illegal to supply anywhere in the UK.

When did Gerard Lemos become a peer? He was granted a life peerage and introduced to the House of Lords as Baron Lemos of Thornton Heath, in the London Borough of Croydon, on 3 February 2025, making his maiden speech on the Creative Industries on 6 February. The announcement was made by the Hofesh Shechter Company, which he has chaired since December 2017.

What this profile does not claim

• It does not give a birth date — 26 February 1958 appears in secondary references but was not confirmed by any full-read source.
• It does not date the end of his BBFC vice-presidency, which no full-read source confirms.
• It does not repeat the English Wikipedia infobox claims about Lemos’s ministerial offices, which contradict the public record; that article was used only as a lead index.

Timeline

• 2008-11 — appointed a vice-president of the BBFC after an open competition, taking up the post alongside Alison Hastings (Screen Daily).
• 2010 — appointed by the Financial Services Authority as chairman of the Consumer Financial Education Body, created to set up the national financial advice service (Money Marketing; year inferred from article context — see openItems).
• 2011-10 — sits on the Presidential Team that, with Director David Cooke, refuses The Bunny Game a certificate (JoBlo).
• 2017-12 — becomes Chair of the Hofesh Shechter dance company (Hofesh Shechter Company).
• 2023 — appointed Chair of English Heritage (Hofesh Shechter Company).
• 2025-02-03 — introduced to the House of Lords as Baron Lemos of Thornton Heath; makes his maiden speech on the Creative Industries days later (Hofesh Shechter Company).

What we could not verify

• His exact birth date (26 February 1958 in secondary references, not verified from a full-read source).
• The end date of his BBFC vice-presidency — or whether he still holds the role.
• The precise year of the FSA’s Consumer Financial Education Body appointment: given as 2010 from the article’s own context (the CFEB was created in April of the article’s year); the article carried no date in the fetch.

Sources

• Screen Daily — Hastings, Lemos named VPs at British ratings board (tier1; 2008 VP appointment, Lemos & Crane partner, Chongqing visiting professorship, British Council deputy chair)
• Hofesh Shechter Company — Chair Gerard Lemos CMG CBE granted a life peerage (tier2; life peerage February 2025, chair roles, background)
• Money Marketing — FSA appoints consumer education body chair (tier2; CFEB chair, CPS non-executive director, social-policy authorship)
• JoBlo — Adam Rehmeier’s The Bunny Game banned by British Board of Film Classification (tier2; Presidential Team membership in the joint October 2011 refusal)