Prime Minister John Major Preceded by George Thompson Preceded by Michael Heseltine Name Ian Baron | Prime Minister John Major Role Baron Lang of Monkton Preceded by Malcolm Rifkind Succeeded by Margaret Beckett | |
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Born 27 June 1940 (age 83) ( 1940-06-27 ) Alma mater Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Books Blue Remembered Years: A Political Memoir Education Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, Rugby School People also search for Brian Duperreault, Daniel S. Glaser, Henry W. Marsh, Donald R. McLennan | ||
Ian Bruce Lang, Baron Lang of Monkton PC (born 27 June 1940) is a British Conservative politician and Life Peer who served as the Member of Parliament for Galloway, and then Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, from 1979 to 1997.
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On 29 September 1997 Lang was raised to the peerage. He has been an active member of the House of Lords and is currently the Chairman of the Constitution Committee, a post he took up in 2016, having previously served as Chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments from 2009 to 2014.
Early life
Lang was educated at Lathallan School, Rugby School and Sidney Sussex College of The University of Cambridge, where he was also a member of the Cambridge Footlights.
Parliamentary career
Lang first stood for Parliament for Central Ayrshire in 1970, but was unsuccessful. In the February 1974 general election he was defeated by Labour's James White contesting Glasgow Pollok.
Following this he became MP for Galloway from 1979 to 1983 and for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale from 1983 to 1997 and was a minister for a number of years. He served as a Government whip from 1981 to 1986, Under-Secretary of State for Employment (1986), Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (1986–1987) and Minister of State for Scotland (1987–1990). He joined the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Scotland from 1990 to 1995, and then President of the Board of Trade (and Secretary of State for Trade and Industry) until 1997. He was closely involved in John Major's re-election campaign as leader of the Conservative Party in July 1995.
Lang lost his seat in the 1997 general election, one of seven Cabinet members to do so (the others being Malcolm Rifkind, Michael Portillo, Michael Forsyth, Roger Freeman, William Waldegrave and Tony Newton).
House of Lords
Following the loss of his seat Lang was raised to the peerage in the 1997 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours as Baron Lang of Monkton, of Merrick and the Rhinns of Kells in Dumfries and Galloway. He has remained an active member of the House of Lords and, since 25 May 2016, has been Chairman of the Constitution Committee, which he joined in 2012.
Previously Lang served as Chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments from 2009 to 2014. As Chair, Lang insisted that Tony Blair's paid work for UI Energy Corporation, an oil firm with interests in Iraq, just 14 months after leaving office should be made public following a period when the committee agreed to keep it confidential due to "market sensitivity".
Since 1997, Lang has been a member of the Board of Directors of Marsh & McLennan Companies, becoming Chairman in May 2011. Lang has also been a Non-Executive Director of Charlemagne Capital Limited, since 2006 and European Telecom PLC since 1997.
On 30 January 2014 Lang stated that if Scotland voted for independence, it would dishonour the sacrifice of those who died fighting for Great Britain in the First World War.