Malcolm Gray Bruce, Baron Bruce of Bennachie, (born 17 November 1944) is a British
Liberal Democrat politician.
He was the
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
for
Gordon from 1983 to 2015 and was the chairman of the
International Development Select Committee from 2005 to 2015.
He was deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats from 28 January 2014. He was nominated for a
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 ...
age in the
2015 Dissolution Honours
The 2015 Dissolution Honours List was issued on 27 August 2015 upon the advice of the Prime Minister, David Cameron. The Life Peerages were announced separately from the other appointments, while it was gazetted as a single list on 22 September 2 ...
. He was also previously President of the
Scottish Liberal Democrats
The Scottish Liberal Democrats ( gd, Pàrtaidh Libearal Deamocratach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Leeberal Democrats) is a liberal, federalist political party in Scotland, a part of the United Kingdom Liberal Democrats. The party currently holds 4 of ...
until being succeeded by Councillor Eileen McCartin from 1 January 2016.
Early life
Bruce was born in
Birkenhead
Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liv ...
, and educated at
Wrekin College in Shropshire, England, prior to attending Queen's College (now the
University of Dundee
, mottoeng = "My soul doth magnify the Lord"
, established = 1967 – gained independent university status by Royal Charter1897 – Constituent college of the University of St Andrews1881 – University College
, ...
) at the
University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
, where he received a degree in economics and
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...
, and
Strathclyde University
The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal c ...
where he received a second degree in marketing. He was a trainee journalist with the ''
Liverpool Post
The ''Liverpool Post'' was a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The newspaper and its website ceased publication on 19 December 2013.
Until 13 January 2012 it was a daily morning newspaper, with the ti ...
'' for a year from 1966 prior to him becoming a section buyer with the
Boots Group in 1967. After a brief spell with A. Goldberg & Son, he was appointed in 1971 as a research and information officer with the
North East Scotland Development Agency. He contested the
parliamentary
A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...
seat of
North Angus and Mearns for the
Liberal Party at the
October 1974 general election, but the sitting
Conservative and Unionist
The Conservative Party, officially the Conservative and Unionist Party and also known colloquially as the Tories, is one of the two main political parties in the United Kingdom, along with the Labour Party. It is the current governing party, ...
MP
Alick Buchanan-Smith won with a majority of 2,551.
Career
Bruce was elected as the Vice-Chairman of the
Scottish Liberal Party in 1975, in the same year he became a director with the
Noroil Publishing House. He again stood for
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
at the
1979 general election for the seat of
West Aberdeenshire and was again defeated by a sitting Conservative and Unionist MP, this time by
Russell Fairgrieve
Sir Thomas Russell Fairgrieve CBE (3 May 1924 – 17 February 1999) was a Scottish Conservative and Unionist politician.
He was educated at St. Mary's School, Melrose, Sedbergh School, and the Scottish College of Textiles. He served as a Major ...
by 2,766 votes. Bruce became the editor of the ''
Aberdeen Petroleum Press'' in 1981 until his election as MP for Gordon in 1983.
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
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and W ...
in 1995.
Member of Parliament
Bruce stood for parliament for a third time at the newly created seat of
Gordon, based largely on the former Aberdeenshire West. Fairgrieve retired, and at the
1983 general election he was very narrowly elected and became the Liberal MP for Gordon with a majority of just 850, and held the seat for thirty-two years. He was an outspoken opponent of
coalition
A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces.
Formation
According to ''A Gui ...
with the
Labour Party.
When he was elected to parliament, Bruce served on the
Scottish Affairs Select committee
The Scottish Affairs Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Office of the Secretary of St ...
, and in 1986 was given a job by
David Steel
David Martin Scott Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood, (born 31 March 1938) is a British politician. Elected as Member of Parliament for Roxburgh, Selkirk, and Peebles, followed by Tweeddale, Ettrick, and Lauderdale, he served as the final leade ...
as a Spokesman on Energy and Scotland. He also became
Rector of the University of Dundee in 1986 for three years. After the
1987 general election, at which Bruce's majority had increased to 9,519, he was briefly a spokesman on
Education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...
, before speaking on
Trade and Industry later in 1987. After the amalgamation of the Liberal Party and the
Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
For ...
and the formation of the Liberal Democrats he became the new party's Energy spokesman and at the same time became the Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats under the new leadership of
Paddy Ashdown. In 1989 he was appointed as the
Environment
Environment most often refers to:
__NOTOC__
* Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally
* Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...
spokesman, before having the Scotland portfolio after 1990.
After the
1992 general election, at which he narrowly held Gordon by just 274 votes, he again became the Trade and Industry spokesman. By 1994 he had become the
Treasury
A treasury is either
*A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry.
*A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state or royal property, church treasure or i ...
spokesman. Whilst a Treasury spokesman it was Bruce who developed the idea of a 'penny on income tax'. At the
1997 general election Bruce's majority had risen again to 6,997. The Liberal Democrats had 46 MPs, more than they have had since before the 1920s. Paddy Ashdown created a new
Shadow Cabinet system and Bruce became the
Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer. When Ashdown stood down in 1999 he contested the leadership of the party but came in third place. In 1999, under the new leadership of
Charles Kennedy
Charles Peter Kennedy (25 November 1959 – 1 June 2015) was a British Liberal Democrat politician who served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1999 to 2006, and was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ross, Skye and Lochaber from 1983 ...
, became the Chairman of the Liberal Democrats until 2001, and 2000 - 2015 was the president of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.
Bruce won Gordon for the fifth consecutive time at the
2001 general election with a still rising majority of 7,879. Following his re-election, Bruce became the Liberal Democrat Shadow
Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Shadow
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in 2003. He stood down from the frontbench following the
2005 general election, where he was re-elected with his highest majority yet at 11,026. He was Chairman of the
International Development Select Committee from 2005 to 2015, scrutinising the work of the
Department of International Development.
He was made a
Member of the Privy Council on 19 July 2006.
He was
knighted
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the G ...
in the
2012 Birthday Honours for public and political service.
On 2 September 2013 he announced that he would not seek re-election as an MP at the
2015 General Election. He was announced as a
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 ...
in the
2015 Dissolution Honours
The 2015 Dissolution Honours List was issued on 27 August 2015 upon the advice of the Prime Minister, David Cameron. The Life Peerages were announced separately from the other appointments, while it was gazetted as a single list on 22 September 2 ...
and was created Baron Bruce of Bennachie, ''of
Torphins
Torphins ( ; gd, Tòrr Fionn) is a village in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland which lies about west of Aberdeen. It is situated on the A980, about north-west of Banchory, and was once served by the Great North of Scotland Railway.
W ...
in the
County of Aberdeen
Aberdeenshire or the County of Aberdeen ( sco, Coontie o Aiberdeen, gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is a historic county and registration county of Scotland. The area of the county, excluding the city of Aberdeen itself, is also a lieutenancy ...
'' on 19 October.
Personal life
He married Veronica Jane Wilson in 1969 and they have a son and a daughter, before divorcing in 1992. Bruce married secondly, in 1998, Rosemary Vetterlein, a Lib Dem activist and
prospective parliamentary candidate who contested
Beckenham
Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley, in Greater London. Until 1965 it was part of the historic county of Kent. It is located south-east of Charing Cross, situated north of Elmers End and E ...
unsuccessfully in 1997.
Lord and Lady Bruce have two daughters and a son together. Bruce takes a keen interest in
deaf issues; one of his children is deaf.
References
External links
Malcolm Bruce MPofficial site
Profileat the Liberal Democrats
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruce, Malcolm Gray
1944 births
Alumni of the University of Dundee
Alumni of the University of St Andrews
Alumni of the University of Strathclyde
Knights Bachelor
Leaders of the Scottish Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats (UK) life peers
Life peers created by Elizabeth II
Scottish Liberal Party MPs
Living people
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
People educated at Wrekin College
People from Birkenhead
Rectors of the University of Dundee
Scottish Liberal Democrat MPs
UK MPs 1983–1987
UK MPs 1987–1992
UK MPs 1992–1997
UK MPs 1997–2001
UK MPs 2001–2005
UK MPs 2005–2010
UK MPs 2010–2015