Malcolm McEacharn Mitchell-Thomson, 3rd Baron Selsdon (27 October 1937 – 15 September 2024) was a British peer, banker and businessman. He sat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

from 1963 to 2021, having been elected as one of the 90

hereditary peers The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of April 2025, there are 800 hereditary peers: 30 dukes (including six royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 189 earls, 108 viscounts, and 439 barons (not counting subsidiary ...

who retained their seats after the passing of the

House of Lords Act 1999 The House of Lords Act 1999 (c. 34) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given royal assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords ...

Background

The son of Patrick William Malcolm Mitchell-Thomson, 2nd Baron Selsdon (1913−1963), and his first wife, Phoebette Swithinbank (d. 1991), Selsdon was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is an English Public school (United Kingdom), public school (a long-established fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) with some provision for day school, day attendees, in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It wa ...

. He served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

from 1956 to 1958, reaching the rank of sub-lieutenant in the

Royal Naval Reserve The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original ...

. Selsdon was married twice: in 1965 to Patricia Anne Smith (d. 2018); and in 1995, after divorcing his first wife, to Gabrielle Williams. He had one son, Callum Malcolm McEacharn Mitchell-Thomson, 4th Baron Selsdon (b. 1969). Selsdon died on 15 September 2024, at the age of 86.

Parliamentary career

Having succeeded his father as Baron Selsdon at the age of 25, he took his seat in the

on 30 July 1963. He made his

maiden speech A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament. Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country. In many Westminster system governments, there is a convention th ...

on 9 December 1970 in a debate entitled ''Pollution and Protection of the Environment''. His next speech was in a debate on the ''

EEC The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...

: British entry negotiations'' on 19 January 1971. In his third speech he seconded the ''Address in Reply to Her Majesty's Most Gracious Speech'' by Lady Macleod of Borve (widow of

Iain Macleod Iain Norman Macleod (11 November 1913 – 20 July 1970) was a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician. A playboy and professional Contract bridge, bridge player in his twenties, after war service Macleod worked for the ...

) on 2 November 1971, an honour given him after he caught the eye of fellow Wykehamist and EEC enthusiast Lord Jellicoe,

Leader of the House of Lords The leader of the House of Lords is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Lords. The post is also the leader of the governing party in the House of Lords who acts ...

. Seldson was a delegate to the

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from 1972 to 1978. He chaired the Committee for Middle East Trade from 1979 to 1986 and was a member of the British Overseas Trade Board and the Eastern European Trade Council. He was one of the 90

elected to remain in the House of Lords after the passing of the

, sitting as a

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. His membership ended on 11 May 2021 due to non-attendance. At the time, in his 58th year of service, he was the second longest-serving member of the House of Lords after Lord Trefgarne.

Business career

Selsdon worked for the UAM Group from 1959 to 1963, for the

London Press Exchange The London Press Exchange was founded in 1892 by Frederick Higginbottom and Reginald J.Sykes, becoming a significant Government advertising agency during World War II. It merged with the Leo Burnett agency in 1969. The agency also produced pro ...

Group from 1964 to 1972 and for Singer & Friedlander from 1972 to 1976. Between 1976 and 1990 he was the director of international banking and public finance adviser for the Midland Bank Group. In addition, he worked from 1978 to 1998 with Merloni Group, from 1994 to 1998 for Raab Karcher and after 1996 for the MJ Gleeson Group. Between 1992 and 1998 he was president of the British Exporters' Association.

Other interests

Selsdon was a keen sportsman − a player of rackets, squash and real and lawn tennis, as well as a skier and sailor − and he chaired the Greater London and South East Regional Council for Sport and Recreation from 1977 to 1983. In 2001 he became president of the Anglo-Swiss Society, and in 2004 he was honorary treasurer and honorary secretary of the House of Lords Yacht Club.''Register of Lords' Interests: as on 16 July 2004'' (Great Britain Parliament: House of Lords, 2004), p. 234.

Notes

References

Sources

* 1937 births 2024 deaths 3 Conservative Party (UK) hereditary peers English bankers Mitchell Royal Naval Reserve personnel Hereditary peers elected under the House of Lords Act 1999 Peers removed under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 {{UK-baron-stub