Malcolm Bruce
Encyclopedia
Malcolm Gray Bruce, MP
(born 17 November 1944) is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician
. He is the Member of Parliament for Gordon
. He has been the chairman of the International Development Select Committee since 2005.
, he was educated at Wrekin College
in Shropshire
, England, prior to attending Queen's College (now the University of Dundee
) at the University of St Andrews
, where he received a degree in economics
and political science
, and Strathclyde University
where he received a second degree in marketing
. He was a trainee journalist
with the Liverpool Post 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
seat of North Angus and Mearns
for the Liberal Party
at the October 1974 general election
, but the sitting Conservative and Unionist
MP Alick Buchanan-Smith
won with a majority of 2,551.
in 1975, in the same year he became a director with the Norboil Publishing House. He again stood for Parliament
at the 1979 general election
for the seat of Aberdeenshire West and was again defeated by a sitting Conservative and Unionist MP, this time by Russell Fairgrieve
by 2,766 votes. Bruce became the editor of the Aberdeen Petroleum Press in 1981 until his election.
, 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 has held the seat for more than twenty-five years.
When he was elected to parliament, Bruce served on the Scottish Affairs Select Committee, and in 1986 was given a job by David Steel
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, before speaking on Trade and Industry later in 1987. After the amalgamation of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party
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
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
spokesman. He was called to the bar
at the Gray's Inn
in 1995. 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
, became the Chairman of the Liberal Democrats until 2001, and since 2000 has been 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 is currently the Chairman of the International Development Committee
. He was made a Member of the Privy Council
on 19 July 2006.
, he is an outspoken opponent of coalition
with the Labour Party
. He married Veronica Jane Wilson in 1969 and they have a son and a daughter, but they divorce
d in 1992. Bruce remarried in 1998 to Rosemary Vetterlein, herself a Liberal Democrat politician, who had unsuccessfully contested the Beckenham seat
in 1997. They have two daughters and a son together. He takes a keen interest in deaf issues; one of his children is deaf.
As the Chair of the International Development Select Committee since 2005, he has been scrutinising the work of the Department of International Development.
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
(born 17 November 1944) is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He is the Member of Parliament for Gordon
Gordon (UK Parliament constituency)
Gordon is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom , which elects one member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
. He has been the chairman of the International Development Select Committee since 2005.
Early life
Bruce was born in BirkenheadBirkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
, he was educated at Wrekin College
Wrekin College
Wrekin College is a co-educational independent school located in Wellington, Shropshire, England. It was founded by Sir John Bayley in 1880 and was known as ‘The School in the Garden’ owing to its extensive gardens and playing fields...
in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England, prior to attending Queen's College (now the University of Dundee
University of Dundee
The University of Dundee is a university based in the city and Royal burgh of Dundee on eastern coast of the central Lowlands of Scotland and with a small number of institutions elsewhere....
) at the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
, where he received a degree in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, and Strathclyde University
University of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, Scotland, is Glasgow's second university by age, founded in 1796, and receiving its Royal Charter in 1964 as the UK's first technological university...
where he received a second degree in marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
. He was a trainee journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
with the Liverpool Post 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
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
seat of North Angus and Mearns
North Angus and Mearns (UK Parliament constituency)
Angus North and Mearns, Scotland, was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1950 to 1983...
for the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
at the October 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, October 1974
The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of...
, but the sitting Conservative and Unionist
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party is the part of the British Conservative Party that operates in Scotland. Like the UK party, it has a centre-right political philosophy which promotes conservatism and strong British Unionism...
MP Alick Buchanan-Smith
Alick Buchanan-Smith
Alick Laidlaw Buchanan-Smith was a Scottish Conservative and Unionist politician.The second son of Alick Drummond Buchanan-Smith, Baron Balerno and Mary Kathleen Smith, he was educated at Edinburgh Academy, Glenalmond College, Pembroke College, Cambridge and University of Edinburgh...
won with a majority of 2,551.
Public service
Bruce was elected as the Vice Chairman of the Scottish Liberal PartyScottish Liberal Party
The Scottish Liberal Party was the dominant political party of Victorian Scotland, and although its importance declined with the rise of the Labour and Unionist parties during the 20th century, it was still a significant force when it finally merged with the Social Democratic Party in Scotland, to...
in 1975, in the same year he became a director with the Norboil Publishing House. He again stood for Parliament
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
at the 1979 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
for the seat of Aberdeenshire West and was again defeated by a sitting Conservative and Unionist MP, this time by Russell Fairgrieve
Thomas Russell Fairgrieve
Sir Thomas Russell Fairgrieve CBE was a Scottish Conservative and Unionist politician.He was educated, at St Mary's School, Melrose, Sedbergh School, and the Scottish College of Textiles...
by 2,766 votes. Bruce became the editor of the Aberdeen Petroleum Press in 1981 until his election.
Member of Parliament
Bruce stood for parliament for a third time at the newly created seat of GordonGordon (UK Parliament constituency)
Gordon is a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom , which elects one member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
, based largely on the former Aberdeenshire West. Fairgrieve retired, and at the 1983 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
he was very narrowly elected and became the Liberal MP for Gordon with a majority of just 850, and has held the seat for more than twenty-five years.
When he was elected to parliament, Bruce served on the Scottish Affairs Select Committee, and in 1986 was given a job by David Steel
David Steel
David Martin Scott Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood, KT, KBE, PC is a British Liberal Democrat politician who served as the Leader of the Liberal Party from 1976 until its merger with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the Liberal Democrats...
as a Spokesman on Energy and Scotland. He also became Rector of the University of Dundee
Rector of the University of Dundee
The Rector of the University of Dundee is elected by the matriculated students of the University. From 1967 to 2010 the Rector was automatically a full member of the University Court...
in 1986 for three years. After the 1987 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
, at which Bruce's majority had increased to 9,519, he was briefly a spokesman on Education, before speaking on Trade and Industry later in 1987. After the amalgamation of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
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
Paddy Ashdown
Jeremy John Durham Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, GCMG, KBE, PC , usually known as Paddy Ashdown, is a British politician and diplomat....
. In 1989 he was appointed as the Environment
Secretary of State for the Environment
The Secretary of State for the Environment was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Department of the Environment . This was created by Edward Heath as a combination of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Building and Works on 15...
spokesman, before having the Scotland portfolio after 1990.
After the 1992 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
, 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
HM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
spokesman. He was called to the bar
Call 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 a "call to the bar"...
at the Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1995. At the 1997 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
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
Shadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government...
system and Bruce became the Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
. 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 Kennedy
Charles Peter Kennedy is a British Liberal Democrat politician, who led the Liberal Democrats from 9 August 1999 until 7 January 2006 and is currently a Member of Parliament for the Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency....
, became the Chairman of the Liberal Democrats until 2001, and since 2000 has been the president of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.
Bruce won Gordon for the fifth consecutive time at the 2001 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
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
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills is a cabinet position in the United Kingdom government. Its secondary title is the President of the Board of Trade...
in 2003. He stood down from the frontbench following the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, where he was re-elected with his highest majority yet at 11,026. He is currently the Chairman of the International Development Committee
International Development Committee
The International Development 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 Department for International Development and its associated public...
. He was made a Member of the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
on 19 July 2006.
Policy
Whilst a Treasury spokesman it was Bruce who developed the idea of a 'penny on income tax'. He is politically moderateModerate
In politics and religion, a moderate is an individual who is not extreme, partisan or radical. In recent years, political moderates has gained traction as a buzzword....
, he is an outspoken opponent of coalition
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
with the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
. He married Veronica Jane Wilson in 1969 and they have a son and a daughter, but they divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d in 1992. Bruce remarried in 1998 to Rosemary Vetterlein, herself a Liberal Democrat politician, who had unsuccessfully contested the Beckenham seat
Beckenham by-election, 1997
A by-election in Beckenham, England, was called in 1997 when the sitting Member of Parliament, Piers Merchant , resigned from Parliament on 21 October 1997...
in 1997. They have two daughters and a son together. He takes a keen interest in deaf issues; one of his children is deaf.
As the Chair of the International Development Select Committee since 2005, he has been scrutinising the work of the Department of International Development.
External links
- Malcolm Bruce MP official site
- Profile at the Liberal Democrats
- Profile at the Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Profile: Malcolm Bruce at BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
, 30 March 2006