Jim Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness

James Robert Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness, PC, QC, FRSE (born 25 August 1954) is a British politician and former leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords. He was formerly Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Member of Parliament (MP) for Orkney and Shetland, Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Orkney, the first Deputy First Minister of Scotland in the Scottish Executive and Advocate General for Scotland.

The Right Honourable The Lord Wallace of Tankerness PC QC FRSE
Wallace in 2019
Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords
In office 15 October 2013 – 13 September 2016
Leader	Nick Clegg Tim Farron
Preceded by	The Lord McNally
Succeeded by	The Lord Newby
Advocate General for Scotland
In office 14 May 2010 – 8 May 2015
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	The Lord Davidson of Glen Clova
Succeeded by	The Lord Keen of Elie
Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
In office 15 October 2013 – 8 May 2015
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Leader	The Lord Hill of Oareford The Baroness Stowell of Beeston
Preceded by	The Lord McNally
Succeeded by	The Earl Howe
Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning
In office 21 May 2003 – 27 June 2005
First Minister	Jack McConnell
Preceded by	Iain Gray (Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning)
Succeeded by	Nicol Stephen
First Minister of Scotland Acting
In office 8 November 2001 – 22 November 2001
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	Henry McLeish
Succeeded by	Jack McConnell
In office 11 October 2000 – 26 October 2000
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	Donald Dewar
Succeeded by	Henry McLeish
Deputy First Minister of Scotland
In office 17 May 1999 – 23 June 2005
First Minister	Donald Dewar Henry McLeish Jack McConnell
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Nicol Stephen
Minister for Justice
In office 7 May 1999 – 21 May 2003
First Minister	Donald Dewar Henry McLeish
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Cathy Jamieson
Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats
In office 18 April 1992 – 23 June 2005
Deputy	Michael Moore
Preceded by	Malcolm Bruce
Succeeded by	Nicol Stephen
Liberal Democrat Chief Whip in the House of Commons
In office 16 July 1988 – 9 April 1992
Leader	Paddy Ashdown
Preceded by	Himself (Liberal Party) John Cartwright (SDP)
Succeeded by	Archy Kirkwood
Liberal Chief Whip in the House of Commons
In office 11 June 1987 – 16 July 1988
Leader	David Steel
Preceded by	David Alton
Succeeded by	Himself (as Chief Whip of the Liberal Democrats)
Parliamentary Representation Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal Incumbent Assumed office 17 October 2007 Life Peerage Member of the Scottish Parliament for Orkney In office 6 May 1999 – 3 May 2007 Preceded by Constituency created Succeeded by Liam McArthur Member of Parliament for Orkney and Shetland In office 9 June 1983 – 14 May 2001 Preceded by Jo Grimond Succeeded by Alistair Carmichael
Personal details
Born	(1954-08-25) 25 August 1954 Annan, Scotland, United Kingdom
Political party	Liberal Democrats
Spouse(s)	Rosemary Fraser (1983-present)
Education	Annan Academy, Dumfriesshire
Alma mater	Downing College, Cambridge University of Edinburgh

Early life

Lord Wallace was born in Annan in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, and grew up there. As a boy, his first interest in politics was stoked when he collected autographs from politicians visiting the local area:[1] he still possesses one from Tam Dalyell, with whom he later served in the House of Commons.

Education

Wallace was educated at Annan Academy, a state secondary school in his hometown of Annan. Following school, he was accepted by Downing College, Cambridge, where he obtained a joint degree in economics and law, and was also rumoured to have been a member of the 'Three Kings' society. From there he returned to Scotland to study law at the University of Edinburgh, graduating in 1977. Based in Edinburgh, he practised as an advocate at the Scottish Bar, mostly in civil law cases.

Member of Parliament (UK)

Wallace joined the then-Liberal Party in the early 1970s, but did not become very active in it until after completing his second degree. His first foray as a parliamentary candidate was in the constituency of Dumfriesshire in 1979, where he failed to win. He also stood, unsuccessfully, as the Liberal candidate in the South of Scotland constituency at the European Parliament elections of that year.

Four years later, he would earn the Liberal nomination for the seat of Orkney and Shetland, the seat being vacated by former party leader Jo Grimond, and won election to the Parliament. At the time, it was extremely rare for Liberal candidates to successfully win elections to succeed former Liberal MPs, although many have since done so. He was to serve as the MP there for 18 years, occupying a number of front bench posts for the Liberal Party (and, from 1988 onwards, the Liberal Democrats), including Employment spokesman and Chief Whip.

In 1992, he was unopposed in becoming the new leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, succeeding Malcolm Bruce. Scottish politics at this time was dominated by the question of constitutional reform. There were few opportunities for legislation affecting Scots Law to be debated or effectively scrutinised at Westminster and, especially after the 1987 Election, with only ten Conservative MPs in Scotland but with a large majority in the House of Commons, it was argued that there was a democratic deficit in Scotland.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats were committed to an overarching principle of federalism throughout the United Kingdom, with the Scottish Labour Party advocating legislative devolution for Scotland and Wales, as had been attempted unsuccessfully in the late 1970s, the Scottish National Party seeking independence. However, the Conservative Government wanted no such change, and Scottish Secretaries, such as Ian Lang and Michael Forsyth, advocated internal parliamentary reforms at Westminster, such as holding more debates in the Scottish Grand Committee, which then consisted of all 72 MPs for Scottish constituencies.

Given the similarity of their preferred options, the Scottish Liberal Democrats had co operated with the Scottish Labour Party in the Scottish Constitutional Convention to produce a blueprint for a devolved parliament within the United Kingdom. Wallace continued this and the Convention's final proposals were published on St Andrew's Day 1995. A key part of this plan was the decision that this new parliament would be elected by a system of proportional representation (PR).

This was a long-held Liberal Democrat (and Liberal) policy which would ensure a fairer distribution of seats, and which would almost certainly deny any single party an overall majority. The Labour Party was initially strongly opposed to this policy, and it was a mark of success for Wallace and the Liberal Democrats that it was agreed. Both parties agreed to work to enact the proposals, especially after the next election.

When the Conservatives lost the 1997 Election, the New Labour government converted the Constitutional Convention's proposals into a White Paper and a referendum of the Scottish people was held on 11 September 1997. Wallace was a key figure in that campaign, arguing strongly for the proposal (alongside Labour and Scottish National Party leaders), although campaigning in the referendum was suspended for several days following the death of Princess Diana.

Despite Conservative opposition, the plan was approved by nearly 75% of those voting, and nearly 64% also voted separately for the Parliament to have the power to vary the basic rate of income tax. The Scotland Bill was then successfully piloted through Westminster, and became the founding legislation of the new Parliament.

He led the Scottish Liberal Democrats in the first election to the new Scottish Parliament in 1999, himself winning the constituency of Orkney with 67% of the votes cast. This meant he served as a Member of both the Scottish and Westminster Parliaments for a time with a dual mandate, although like other MPs elected to Holyrood (such as John Swinney, John Home Robertson and Donald Gorrie) he stood down from Westminster at the 2001 General Election.

Member of the Scottish Parliament

As expected, the proportional election system for the new Scottish Parliament meant that Labour failed to gain an outright majority in the first elections. Their Leader, Donald Dewar, chose to seek a formal coalition government with a working majority rather than try to operate as a minority government.

He contacted Wallace and a week of formal negotiations were held between the two parties' representatives, following which a partnership agreement was signed, committing both parties to support a negotiated joint agenda. Wallace became Deputy First Minister and Minister for Justice, and maintained these briefs throughout the first term of the Parliament.[2]

The decision to enter a coalition government with Labour was controversial at the time. British politicians were unaccustomed to coalition politics, and the Liberal Democrats came under fire from Conservative and SNP opponents who claimed they had 'sold out' their principles. Key to this criticism was the Labour policy of making students pay tuition fees, which the Liberal Democrats had promised to abolish as their price of entering a coalition, but which became merely the subject of an inquiry as the coalition was formed.

In the event, the Liberal Democrats did insist on the abolition of tuition fees after the inquiry reported in 2001, but in 1999, the delay was perceived to have been a compromise, and Wallace in particular became the focal point for extremely bitter criticism.

Despite this, and other difficult moments, he and his party stayed firm and remained in power. Wallace established himself as a minister. On three occasions over the first term of the Parliament, he became Acting First Minister twice in 2000 due to at first the illness, and later the death, of the first First Minister Donald Dewar, and then again in 2001, after the resignation of Dewar's successor as First Minister, Henry McLeish. Each occasion lasted for only a few weeks.

Under his continued leadership, the Scottish Liberal Democrats' popularity grew steadily. After leading the party through the second Holyrood elections in 2003 Elections, again winning 17 MSPs but with a higher share of the vote, he led the party into a second coalition with Labour. The 2003 coalition negotiation process was widely seen as a more successful enterprise by the Liberal Democrats than the preceding one, with key aspects of Labour's proposals on anti-social behaviour dropped or limited, and with the promise of proportional representation for Scotland's 32 local councils.

Wallace remained as Deputy First Minister, but left the Justice brief, becoming instead the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning.[3]

Resignation and peerage

On 9 May 2005, following the 2005 General Election, Wallace announced his intention to stand down as party leader and Deputy First Minister. He would remain as MSP for Orkney until the 2007 election, but would serve his time out as a backbencher. He ceased to be an MSP with the dissolution of the Scottish Parliament on 2 April 2007.

On 13 September 2007, it was announced that he was to be appointed to the House of Lords.[4] He was subsequently created a life peer on 17 October 2007 taking the title Baron Wallace of Tankerness, of Tankerness in Orkney.[5] Wallace also received an Honorary Doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 2007 [6]

On 28 April 2008, it was announced that the new Lord Wallace would be a member of the Commission on Scottish Devolution, chaired by Sir Kenneth Calman, established by the Scottish Parliament to consider the future powers of the Parliament, including powers over finance. This is a distinct exercise from the SNP Government's national conversation.

In November 2008, Wallace received a lifetime achievement award in the Scottish Politician of the Year Awards.[7]

In May 2010, he was appointed Advocate General for Scotland, one of the Law Officers of the Crown, who advise the government on Scots law.[8]

He was elected unopposed, as the leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords on 15 October 2013, replacing Lord McNally, who had stepped down earlier in the month.[9]

In September 2016, he stepped down as the Leader of the Liberal Democrat in the House of Lords, citing a desire to step back from "frontline" politics stating "I was first elected to the House of Commons 33 years ago. For 28 of these years, I have been on the frontline, including sixteen years in a leadership role, here in the Lords and in Scotland." [10]

Honours and awards

In 2018 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.[11]

Personal life

Wallace married Rosemary (née Fraser) a speech therapist in 1983: the couple has two daughters.[12] Wallace is an elder of the Church of Scotland, attending St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, Orkney.

See also

• List of Scottish Executive Ministerial Teams

References

1. "CV: Jim Wallace". BBC News. 2 April 2003. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
2. "Previous MSPs: Session 1 (1999–2003): Jim Wallace MSP". The Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
3. "Previous MSPs: Session 2 (2003–2007): Jim Wallace MSP". Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
4. "Former Lib Dem leader made a peer". BBC News. 13 September 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
5. "No. 58495". The London Gazette. 26 October 2007. p. 15513.
6. "Annual Review 2007 : Principal's Review". www1.hw.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
7. "Lord Wallace's Lifetime of Achievement". The Herald (Glasgow). 14 November 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
8. "Ministerial role: HM Advocate General for Scotland". UK Government. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
9. "Jim Wallace to lead Lib Dems in Lords". BBC News. 15 October 2013.
10. "Jim Wallace resigns as Lib Dem leader in the House of Lords". STV. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
11. "The Rt Hon Lord James Wallace of Tankerness FRSE". The Royal Society of Edinburgh. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
12. "In sickness and in health, but not in tow". Scottish Herald.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Jim Wallace
• The Advocate General for Scotland – official website
• The Constant Face of Devolution BBC profile, 9 May 2005

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Jo Grimond	Member of Parliament for Orkney and Shetland 1983–2001	Succeeded by Alistair Carmichael
Party political offices
Preceded by David Alton	Liberal Chief Whip in the House of Commons 1987–1988	Position abolished
New office	Liberal Democrat Chief Whip in the House of Commons 1988–1992	Succeeded by Archy Kirkwood
Preceded by Malcolm Bruce	Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats 1992–2005	Succeeded by Nicol Stephen
Preceded by The Lord McNally	Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords 2013–2016	Succeeded by Richard Newby
Scottish Parliament
New constituency	Member of the Scottish Parliament for Orkney 1999–2007	Succeeded by Liam McArthur
Political offices
New office	Deputy First Minister of Scotland 1999–2005	Succeeded by Nicol Stephen
	Minister for Justice 1999–2003	Succeeded by Cathy Jamieson
Preceded by Donald Dewar	First Minister of Scotland Acting 2000	Succeeded by Henry McLeish
Preceded by Henry McLeish	First Minister of Scotland Acting 2001	Succeeded by Jack McConnell
Preceded by Iain Gray as Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning	Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning 2003–2005	Succeeded by Nicol Stephen
Preceded by The Lord McNally	Deputy Leader of the House of Lords 2013–2015	Succeeded by The Earl Howe
Legal offices
Preceded by The Lord Davidson of Glen Clova	Advocate General for Scotland 2010–2015	Succeeded by The Lord Keen of Elie
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by The Lord Janvrin	Gentlemen Baron Wallace of Tankerness	Followed by The Lord Stern of Brentford