Donald Andrew John Cameron of Lochiel, Baron Cameron of Lochiel (born 26 November 1976) is a Scottish Conservative politician and

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

who served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland from February to July 2024. He was elected a

member of the Scottish Parliament Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP; gd, Ball Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, BPA; sco, Memmer o the Scots Pairliament, MSP) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament. Electoral system The ad ...

for the electoral region of the Highlands and Islands in 2016, serving in various roles in the Conservative shadow cabinet before his appointment to the House of Lords in 2024. Cameron succeeded his father as the 28th Lochiel, the hereditary chief of Clan Cameron, in 2023.

Early life and education

Coat of Arms of the chief of clan Cameron

Donald Cameron was born at

St Mary's Hospital, London St Mary's Hospital is an NHS hospital in Paddington, in the City of Westminster, London, founded in 1845. Since the UK's first academic health science centre was created in 2008, it has been operated by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, wh ...

, on 26 November 1976 to Donald Angus Cameron of Lochiel, later 27th Lochiel, and Lady Cecil Cameron (), daughter of Peter Kerr, 12th Marquess of Lothian. He was educated at

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

before going up to

Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, wh ...

, where graduated with a first-class honours degree in

modern history The term modern period or modern era (sometimes also called modern history or modern times) is the period of history that succeeds the Middle Ages (which ended approximately 1500 AD). This terminology is a historical periodization that is applie ...

. Cameron then gained a diploma in law from City, University of London, on the

Bar Vocational Course The Bar Professional Training Course or BPTC is a postgraduate course which allows law graduates to be named and practise as barristers in England and Wales. The eight institutes that run the BPTC along with the four prestigious Inns of Cour ...

. He was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

at the Middle Temple in 2005. Cameron worked as an

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...

for ten years before his election and acted for a range of clients in public,

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

and crofting law.

Political career

Cameron stood as the Scottish Conservative candidate in the UK Parliament constituency of Ross, Skye and Lochaber, coming fourth of seven candidates in the 2010 general election with 12.2 per cent of the vote; he came third of the five candidates contesting Orkney and Shetland in the 2015 general election, with 8.9 per cent. In the

2016 Scottish Parliament election The 2016 Scottish parliament election was held on Thursday, 5 May 2016 to elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the fifth election held since the devolved parliament was established in 1999. It was the first parliamentary electi ...

, Cameron finished third in the constituency of Argyll and Bute, but was elected as the Conservatives' third-placed candidate on the Highlands and Islands regional list. Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson nominated Cameron to be Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport. In 2017, Cameron was appointed the Scottish Conservatives' 2021 Policy Co-ordinator. Cameron was appointed Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance by the Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw in February 2020, and subsequently Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport by Carlaw's successor Douglas Ross. In May 2021, he was appointed Shadow Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture. Cameron helped re-establish the Cross-Party Group on Health Inequalities and was one of three co-convenors of the group until May 2021. He remains a member of the group. He was the co-convenor of the Cross-Party Group on MS and the vice-convenor of the Cross-Party Group on Gàidhlig. He also sits on various other cross-party groups, including those on beer and pubs and on crofting. In 2022, Cameron joined Ross in calling for Boris Johnson to resign as prime minister over the

Westminster lockdown parties controversy Partygate was a political scandal in the United Kingdom about parties and other gatherings of government and Conservative Party staff held during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, when public health restrictions prohibited most gather ...

, along with a majority of Scottish Conservative MSPs. Upon the death of

his father His or HIS may refer to: Computing * Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company * Honeywell Information Systems * Hybrid intelligent system * Microsoft Host Integration Server Education * Hangzhou International School, in ...

in October 2023, he succeeded to the chiefship of Clan Cameron, thus becoming the 28th Lochiel. Cameron was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland in the Scotland Office on 9 February 2024, resigning his seat in the Scottish Parliament on the same day. He was replaced by

Tim Eagle Tim Eagle is a Scottish Conservative politician, serving as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Highlands and Islands region since 2024. Career Eagle has worked as a farmer and a police officer. Eagle was the Conservative cand ...

as a Conservative regional MSP for the Highlands and Islands, and was created a

on 4 March 2024 as ''Baron Cameron of Lochiel, of Achnacarry in the County of Inverness''.

Personal life

In 2009, Cameron married Sarah Elizabeth Maclay, the only daughter of Angus Grenfell Maclay and a niece of Joseph Maclay, 3rd Baron Maclay. They have four sons and a daughter.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron of Lochiel, Donald Cameron, Baron 1976 births Living people People from Lochaber Nobility from Highland (council area) People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford Alumni of City, University of London Conservative MSPs Members of the Scottish Parliament 2016–2021 Members of the Scottish Parliament 2021–2026 Scottish people of Italian descent Members of the Faculty of Advocates Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Lochiel Scottish clan chiefs Lords of Parliament in the Jacobite peerage Scottish Conservative parliamentary candidates Conservative Party (UK) life peers Life peers created by Charles III Members of the Middle Temple