The Lord Browne of Ladyton | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Secretary of State for Scotland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 28 June 2007 – 3 October 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Douglas Alexander | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Jim Murphy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Secretary of State for Defence | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 5 May 2006 – 3 October 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair Gordon Brown | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | John Reid | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | John Hutton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chief Secretary to the Treasury | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 6 May 2005 – 5 May 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Paul Boateng | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Stephen Timms | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1952-03-22)22 March 1952 (age 73) Stevenston, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Party | Scottish Labour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Desmond Henry Browne, Baron Browne of Ladyton,PC (born 22 March 1952) is a Scottish politician who served in theCabinet of the United Kingdom underTony Blair andGordon Brown asSecretary of State for Defence 2006 to 2008 andSecretary of State for Scotland from 2007 to 2008. A member of theLabour Party, he wasMember of Parliament (MP) forKilmarnock and Loudoun from1997 to2010.
Browne was born in Boglemart, Stevenston,North Ayrshire, lived inStevenston for the early part of his life, and was educated at the Catholic St Michael's Academy inKilwinning and later at theUniversity of Glasgow, where he received adegree inlaw.
He started his legal career in 1974 as an apprenticesolicitor with the firm James Campbell & Co. On qualifying in 1976 he became an assistant solicitor with Ross, Harper and Murphy, and was promoted to partner in 1980. He became a partner in McCluskey Browne in 1985, and was a council member of theLaw Society of Scotland from 1988 to 1992. He was admitted as anadvocate in 1993, practising at the Scottish bar until 1997. He worked mainly in child law.
Browne contested theparliamentary seat ofArgyll and Bute at the1992 general election, and finished in fourth place behind the sittingLiberal Democrat MPRay Michie. He was elected to theFaculty of Advocates in 1993. Browne was selected to contest the safe Labour seat of Kilmarnock and Loudoun following the retirement of the sitting MPWilliam McKelvey. Browne won the seat at the1997 general election with a majority of 7,256. He made hismaiden speech on 20 June 1997.
Browne joined theNorthern Ireland Affairs Select Committee on his election, and became theParliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to theSecretary of State for ScotlandDonald Dewar in 1998. After Dewar left the Cabinet in 1999, to seek election as theFirst Minister of Scotland, Browne remained in post as PPS to the new Secretary of StateJohn Reid. In 2000 he became the PPS to theMinister of State at theNorthern Ireland Office.
On 27 November 2009, Browne announced his intention not to seek election in the2010 general election.[1]
After the2001 general election Browne enteredTony Blair's government as theParliamentary Under Secretary of State at theNorthern Ireland Office. He was promoted toMinister of State for Work in 2003, before moving to theHome Office in 2004 as the minister with responsibility forimmigration. He joined the Cabinet following the2005 general election as theChief Secretary to the Treasury, and became amember of the Privy Council.
Browne was appointedSecretary of State for Defence on 5 May 2006. An advocate of theUK Trident programme, in 2007 he successfully persuaded Parliament to vote to replace Trident. He came under criticism, however, after allowing theRoyal Navy personnel captured by Iran in spring 2007 to sell and publish their stories.[2] Under Blair's premiership, Browne was considered a supporter of theChancellor of the ExchequerGordon Brown.[2][3] He received the additional responsibilities ofSecretary of State for Scotland in June 2007 after Brown became prime minister.
In a free parliamentary vote on 20 May 2008, Browne voted for cutting the upper limit for abortions from 24 to 12 weeks, along with two other Catholic cabinet ministers,Ruth Kelly andPaul Murphy.[4] He returned to the backbenches in October 2008 following a cabinet reshuffle.
Brownegave evidence to theIraq Inquiry on 25 January 2010.[5]
He was created alife peer on 22 July 2010, taking the titleBaron Browne of Ladyton,of Ladyton inAyrshire andArran.[6]
He is a Fellow Commoner ofSt Catharine's College, Cambridge.[7]
Browne is vice chairman of the Washington, DC–based Nuclear Threat Initiative, a non-profit, nonpartisan organisation founded in 2001 by former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn, who serves as co-chair and CEO, andCNN founder and philanthropistTed Turner. NTI's mission is to strengthen global security by reducing the risk of use and preventing the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.
Browne is convener of theEuropean Leadership Network for Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament and Non-proliferation.[8] and he is also convenor of theTop Level Group of UK Parliamentarians for Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament and Non-proliferation, established in October 2009.[9][10]
He is a signatory ofGlobal Zero, a non-profit international initiative for the elimination of all nuclear weapons worldwide.[11][12]
In February 2009, Browne was appointed by PM Brown as the government'sspecial envoy toSri Lanka. However, the government ofMahinda Rajapaksa, fighting theLTTE rebel group, rejected Browne's appointment, stating that the British government made the appointment unilaterally, without consultation with the Sri Lankan government.[13]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forKilmarnock and Loudoun 1997–2010 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minister of State for Immigration, Citizenship and Counterterrorism 2004–2005 | Succeeded byas Minister of State for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality |
| Preceded by | Chief Secretary to the Treasury 2005–2006 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for Defence 2006–2008 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for Scotland 2007–2008 | Succeeded by |
| Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Gentlemen Baron Browne of Ladyton | Followed by |
| Secretaries of state for Scotland 1707–1746 | .svg) | |
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| Secretaries for Scotland 1885–1926 | ||
| Secretaries of state for Scotland (pre-devolution) 1926–1999 | ||
| Secretaries of state for Scotland (post-devolution) 1999–present | ||
| Asylum and immigration 1999–2002 | .svg) | |
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| Immigration, citizenship and counter-terrorism 2002–2005 | ||
| Immigration, citizenship and nationality 2005–2006 | ||
| Borders and immigration 2006–2010 | ||
| Immigration 2010–2023 | ||
| Legal migration and delivery 2023–2024 | ||
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
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