Thomas Strathclyde is Leader of the Conservative Party in the House of Lords, a post he has held since 1998. He was made a Privy Counsellor in 1995, and he has been a member of the Shadow Cabinet since 1997.
He was born in Glasgow in 1960, and continues to divide his time between his home in Scotland and his work in London. He speaks fluent French and studied at the Universities of East Anglia, and Aix-en-Provence.
Although working professionally as a Lloyd’s insurance broker, he has attended the House regularly from his introduction in 1985, and subsequently devoted himself full-time to his parliamentary work since his first ministerial position in 1988. He was elected to remain in the Lords after Labour’s botched reforms of 1999.
In Opposition he has led many successful challenges to the Government in the Lords, championing the right of an independent second chamber to hold the Government to account. He is the author of several studies on the UK constitution.
PROUDEST POLITICAL ACHIEVEMENTS:
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Protecting the integrity of the House of Lords and resisting government attempts to turn it into a ‘crony’ house of rubber stampers
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Helping to win pension rights for war widows, and defending the right to trial by Jury
POSITIONS HELD:
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Government Spokesman for Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Treasury and Scotland 1988-89
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Government Whip 1988-89
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Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State: Department of Employment (Tourism) 1989-90; Department of Environment July-Sept 1990; DTI 1993-94;Scottish Office (Agriculture and Fisheries) 1990-92; Department of Environment 1992-93
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Minister of State DTI, 1994
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Government Chief Whip, 1994-97
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Member, Shadow Cabinet 1997-
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Opposition Chief Whip 1997-98
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Deputy Speaker 1997-98
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Deputy Chairman of Committees 1997-98
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Shadow Minister for Constitutional Affairs, Dec 1998-2005
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Leader of the Opposition, 1998 - May 2010
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Leader of the House of Lords, May 2010 -
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Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, May 2010 -
FAMILY LIFE:
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Married to Jane
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Three daughters