The Lord Irvine of Lairg | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait,c. 1997 | |
| Lord Chancellor | |
| In office 2 May 1997 – 12 June 2003 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | The Lord Mackay of Clashfern |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Falconer of Thoroton |
| Shadow portfolios | |
| 1992–1997 | Shadow Lord Chancellor |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| Assumed office 25 March 1987 Life peerage | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alexander Andrew Mackay Irvine (1940-06-23)23 June 1940 (age 85) Inverness, Scotland |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow Christ's College, Cambridge |
Alexander Andrew Mackay Irvine, Baron Irvine of Lairg,PC, KC (born 23 June 1940), known asDerry Irvine, is a Scottishlawyer and politician who served asLord Chancellor from 1997 to 2003.
He founded and headed 11 King's Bench Walk Chambers in the 1980s, and later became aRecorder and DeputyHigh Court Judge. A member of theLabour Party, Irvine was appointed to theHouse of Lords in 1987 and served asShadow Lord Chancellor from 1992 to 1997. He was appointed to the position inCabinet byPrime MinisterTony Blair, his former pupil, after the1997 election and served until his dismissal in 2003.
Alexander Andrew Mackay Irvine was born on 23 June 1940 inInverness,Scotland to a roofer and a waitress. He was educated at the independentHutchesons' Boys' Grammar School inGlasgow.
Irvine studiedScots law at theUniversity of Glasgow, where he became involved in debating through theGlasgow University Dialectic Society andGlasgow University Union; he befriendedDonald Dewar andJohn Smith through his involvement in the societies. Irvine subsequently studiedEnglish law atChrist's College, Cambridge.
After teaching law at theLondon School of Economics, Irvine wascalled to the Bar in 1967 and joined chambers headed byMorris Finer. He was appointed aQueen's Counsel in 1978 and founded 11 King's Bench Walk Chambers in 1981, becoming head of chambers. Irvine's pupil barristers includedTony Blair andCherie Booth. In the 1980s, he became aRecorder and later a DeputyHigh Court Judge.
At the1970 general election, Irvine unsuccessfully contestedHendon North as theLabour Party candidate.[1] A legal adviser to the Party through the 1980s, he was awarded alife peerage asBaron Irvine of Lairg, ofLairg in the District ofSutherland, on 25 March 1987.[2]
Irvine served asShadow Lord Chancellor from 1992 to 1997 under Labour leadersJohn Smith,Margaret Beckett, andTony Blair. After Labour's election victory in1997, Blair appointed him asLord Chancellor.
During Irvine's tenure as Lord Chancellor, he oversaw the incorporation of theEuropean Convention on Human Rights into UK law. In 2001, Irvine gained further responsibility for constitutional issues including human rights and freedom of information. He notably chose not to wear the officeholder's traditional attire during most of his tenure in the role.[3][4] Irvine was the last Lord Chancellor to give judgments at theAppellate Committee of the House of Lords, giving a brief concurring judgment inAIB Group (UK) Ltd v Martin [2001] UKHL 63. He also gave the last reasoned judgment to be given by a Lord Chancellor, inUratemp Ventures Ltd v Collins [2001] UKHL 43.
Blair dismissed Irvine from theCabinet in June 2003, when he announced his intention to abolish the position of Lord Chancellor. However, the role was not abolished, but was used as a secondary title for theSecretary of State for Constitutional Affairs from 2003 to 2007 and theJustice Secretary from 2007.
Irvine was criticised for spending £650,000 of public money to redecorate the Lord Chancellor's residence in 1998.[5] The cost included £59,000 in hand-printed wallpaper, and contractors had to sign theOfficial Secrets Act to prevent expenditure leaks.[5] Although renovation responsibility was with the Lords authorities, Irvine defended the cost by stating that the materials would last longer than cheaper products.[6]
He was awarded a pay rise of £22,691 in 2003, as a result of a formula designed to keep his salary ahead that of theLord Chief Justice. However, he accepted a lower increase following public backlash to the decision.
Irvine was married to Alison McNair, with whom he had a son, Alistair, and later divorced.[7] He began his relationship with McNair during her marriage toDonald Dewar. Alistair was sentenced to 16 months in jail in the US, after pleading guilty tostalking and vandalism in 2002.[8][9]
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| Preceded by | Shadow Lord Chancellor 1992–1997 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain 1997–2003 | Succeeded by |
| Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Gentlemen Baron Irvine of Lairg | Followed by |
| International | |
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| People | |
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