Former Tory MP Michael Ancram dies aged 79

Michael Ancram, a prominent aristocrat who served as a Tory MP, senior government minister, party chairman, deputy leader, and grandee, has passed away at the age of 79. As minister of state for Northern Ireland during John Major’s tenure, he played a crucial role in the peace process that eventually led to the Good Friday Agreement under Tony Blair.

During his career, he was a trusted ally of Major and became the first UK government representative to engage in negotiations with the IRA, a move that was highly contentious at the time. The Conservative Party announced that Lord Lothian died peacefully in the early hours of Tuesday in hospital, with his close family by his side, following a short illness.

The party expressed their condolences, stating, “A stalwart of the Conservative Party and a respected figure in British politics, Lord Lothian’s passing marks the end of a distinguished career spanning over five decades.” His family also released a statement highlighting his intellectual curiosity and passion for the arts, especially country and folk music.

Lord Lothian was known for playing the acoustic guitar at Conservative Party conferences, adding a lighter touch to the political environment. He also performed on stage with his daughters at the Macmillan Cancer Support Parliamentary Palace of Varieties. A keen skier, he captained both the Oxford University and British Universities ski teams.

His family’s statement noted his unique blend of aristocratic heritage, personal humility, geniality, and modern conservative values. After the Conservative defeat in 1997, Ancram became Tory chairman under William Hague and later served as deputy leader under Iain Duncan Smith and Michael Howard until David Cameron took over in 2005.

Born into an aristocratic Roman Catholic family as the Earl of Ancram, he was later titled the Marchioness of Lothian in 2004 and returned to the House of Lords in 2010 as Lord Kerr of Monteviot. He is survived by his wife, Lady Jane Fitzalan-Howard, daughter of the 16th Duke of Norfolk, whom he married in 1975, as well as two daughters and three grandchildren.

Ancram’s education included Ampleforth College and Oxford and Edinburgh universities. He became an advocate at the Scottish Bar and first attempted to become an MP in West Lothian in 1970. He was elected as MP for Berwickshire and East Lothian in the February 1974 general election but lost the seat in the October election of the same year. He then won the Edinburgh South seat in 1979, defeating future prime minister Gordon Brown. His first ministerial role was as a junior minister in the Scottish Office from 1983 until he lost his seat in 1987.

He returned to the Commons in 1992 as the MP for Devizes in Wiltshire. In 1993, he became a junior minister at the Northern Ireland Office and was promoted to minister of state the following year. After the 1997 Labour landslide, he joined Hague’s shadow cabinet as constitutional affairs spokesman and later became Tory chairman from 1998 until the 2001 election.

Following Hague’s defeat, Ancram was a leadership candidate but was quickly eliminated. He supported Duncan Smith, who rewarded him with the roles of deputy leader and shadow foreign secretary. He retained these posts under Michael Howard’s leadership. Ancram stepped down from the opposition front bench when Cameron became leader in 2005 and joined Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee in 2006.

His career faced criticism during the 2009 parliamentary expenses scandal, and he stood down from the Commons at the 2010 election before returning to the House of Lords.