Ian Lang, Baron Lang of Monkton

The Right Honourable
The Lord Lang of Monkton
PC DL
President of the Board of Trade
Secretary of State for Trade & Industry
In office
5 July 1995 – 2 May 1997
Prime Minister John Major
Preceded by Michael Heseltine
Succeeded by Margaret Beckett
Secretary of State for Scotland
In office
28 November 1990 – 5 July 1995
Prime Minister John Major
Preceded by Malcolm Rifkind
Succeeded by Michael Forsyth
Member of Parliament
for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale
Galloway (1979-1983)
In office
3 May 1979 – 1 May 1997
Preceded by George Thompson
Succeeded by Alasdair Morgan
Personal details
Born (1940-06-27) 27 June 1940
Alma mater Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge

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.

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.[1]

Early life

Rugby School

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.[2]

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.[3] 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.[4]

Previously Lang served as Chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments from 2009 to 2014.[5] 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".[6]

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.[7]

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.[8]

Styles of address and arms

Styles of address

Arms

References

  1. ↑ http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/lords-select/constitution-committee/mnis-membership/
  2. ↑ "Double Take". Footlights.org. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  3. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 54908. p. 11115. 2 October 1997.
  4. ↑ http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/lords-select/constitution-committee/mnis-membership/
  5. ↑ "PM's watchdog dragged into politicians' jobs row". The Independent. 27 March 2010. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
  6. ↑ Jason Groves (19 March 2010). "Blair's fight to keep his oil cash secret: Former PM's deals are revealed as his earnings since 2007 reach £20million". Mail Online. Daily Mail. Archived from the original on 22 March 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  7. ↑ "Ian Bruce Lang DL, PC". BusinessWeek. Archived from the original on 5 April 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  8. ↑ Ben Riley-Smith (30 January 2014). "Scottish independence would dishonour Britain's war dead, Tory peer claims". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 April 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
George Thompson		 Member of Parliament for Galloway
1979–1983 		Constituency abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale
1983–1997 		Succeeded by
Alasdair Morgan
Political offices
Preceded by
Malcolm Rifkind		 Secretary of State for Scotland
1990–1995 		Succeeded by
Michael Forsyth
Preceded by
Michael Heseltine		 President of the Board of Trade
1995–1997 		Succeeded by
Margaret Beckett
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