The Senior Deputy Speaker is an officer of the House of Lords whose main role is to preside over the House when it is in committee, either in the Lords Chamber or in Grand Committee, which is when committee stage is taken away from the floor to free up debating time in the main Chamber. The Senior Deputy Speaker deputises for the Lord Speaker, and like the Lord Speaker withdraws from political party membership. Additionally, the Senior Deputy Speaker chairs various select committees of the House, and has a role in the administration of the House.

Cropley Ashley-Cooper, 6th Earl of Shaftesbury Bt, styled The Honourable Cropley Ashley-Cooper until 1811, was a British politician. He was the father of the social reformer Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury.