The steady flow in and around a deformable liquid sphere moving in an unbounded viscous parabolic flow and subject to an external body force is calculated for small values of the ratio of the Weber number to the Reynolds number in the creeping-flow regime. It is found that, in addition to the drag force, the drop experiences a force orthogonal to the undisturbed flow direction. When the body force is absent (neutrally buoyant drop), this lift force tends to drive the drop inwards to the axis, where the undisturbed flow velocity is maximum, i.e., towards a position of lower velocity gradient. In the case for which the parabolic flow profile is a Poiseuille flow profile, the lift force is given by the expression. \[ {\bf F}_1 =-6\pi\mu\epsilon U_0\frac{\alpha +\frac{2}{3}}{\alpha + 1}\bigg(\frac{a}{R_0}\bigg)^4{\bf b}F[1+o(\epsilon)]. \] Here a is the radius of the undeformed sphere, R0 is the radial distance from the position of maximum undisturbed flow U0 at the profile axis to the position of zero flow, ε is the ratio of the Weber number to the Reynolds number, given by ε=μU0T−1, where μ is the external fluid viscosity and T is the surface tension of the drop, α is the ratio of the drop and external fluid viscosities, b is the radial vector from the flow axis to the centre of mass of the drop, and F is a function of α and a dimensionless parameter dependent on the body force that is determined in the analysis. Reasonable agreement is found between the observations by Goldsmith & Mason (1962) of the axial drift of liquid drops in Poiseuille flow and the predictions of the theory herein.