Thomas Galbraith, 2nd Baron Strathclyde

The Right Honourable The Lord Strathclyde CH PC
Leader of the House of Lords Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office 12 May 2010 – 7 January 2013
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Deputy	The Lord McNally
Preceded by	The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
Succeeded by	The Lord Hill of Oareford
Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords
In office 3 December 1998 – 11 May 2010
Leader	William Hague Iain Duncan Smith Michael Howard David Cameron
Preceded by	The Viscount Cranborne
Succeeded by	The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
Chief Whip in the House of Lords Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms
In office 20 July 1994 – 2 May 1997
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	The Viscount Ullswater
Succeeded by	The Lord Carter
Personal details
Born	(1960-02-22) 22 February 1960 Glasgow, United Kingdom
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Jane Skinner
Children	3
Alma mater	University of East Anglia

Thomas Galloway Dunlop du Roy de Blicquy Galbraith, 2nd Baron Strathclyde, CH, PC, informally Tom Strathclyde (born 22 February 1960), is a British politician. Lord Strathclyde was previously the Leader of the House of Lords and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster as well as being Leader of the Conservative Party in the House of Lords.

Early life, family

Thomas Galbraith was born in Glasgow, the son of Conservative politician The Hon. Sir Tam Galbraith, KBE and his Belgian wife Baroness Simone du Roy de Blicquy (b. 1924). His father was MP for Glasgow Hillhead (1948–82) but died in 1982, triggering the famous by-election won by Roy Jenkins. Galbraith succeeded to the barony at the age of 25 on the death of his grandfather in 1985.

Education

Galbraith was educated at Sussex House School, a day school in Cadogan Square in Chelsea in London and Wellington College, a boarding school in the village of Crowthorne in Berkshire, followed by the University of East Anglia, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1982. He also studied at the University of Aix-en-Provence, and is fluent in French.

House of Lords

Strathclyde first entered the House of Lords in 1986, becoming a Junior Whip in 1988, then Minister for Tourism in 1989. Between 1990 and 1992 he was Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries in the Scottish Office. He then served in the Department of the Environment and the Department of Trade and Industry before being appointed Conservative Chief Whip in the House of Lords in 1994, succeeding Lord Ullswater. The next year, he was sworn of the Privy Council.

In 1998 Strathclyde, along with the entire Conservative front bench in the House of Lords, threatened to tender his resignation if the party refused to accept a proposed compromise plan for reform of the Lords that had been negotiated by Lord Cranborne, Conservative leader in the Lords, to the disapproval of party leader William Hague. Hague accepted the proposals, though Cranborne was dismissed for the way in which they had been negotiated, and Strathclyde was appointed to succeed him. Under his leadership the House of Lords Act 1999 passed. Strathclyde was subsequently elected as one of the 92 hereditary peers to remain in the House of Lords.

When the Conservatives returned to power under David Cameron in May 2010, Strathclyde became Leader of the House of Lords and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, with a seat in the Cabinet.

He won Channel 4 Peer of the Year 2000, and Spectator Peer of the Year 2004.

On 7 January 2013, Strathclyde announced that he would be stepping down as Leader of the House of Lords and resigning from the Cabinet with immediate effect to pursue a second business career. He was succeeded by Jonathan Hill, Baron Hill of Oareford. He was subsequently appointed a Companion of Honour (CH) for his services to the Lords .

Insignia of C.H.

Personal life

Lord Strathclyde married his wife Jane, elder daughter of John Skinner, in 1992. They have three daughters, and the family lives at Westminster and at the ancestral estate in Mauchline, Ayrshire.

Outside interests

Lord Strathclyde is a Governor of Wellington College, Berkshire.

He is a director of Auchendrane Estates Ltd, a landowning company in Scotland. His wealth is estimated at £10m.

He was a non-executive director on the board of Trafigura's hedge-fund arm, Galena Asset Management until 2009 Trafigura has been in the news for a number of years in relation with the 2006 Ivory Coast toxic waste dump scandal.

Styles

• The Hon. Thomas Galbraith (1982–1985)
• The Lord Strathclyde (1985–1995)
• The Lord Strathclyde PC (1995–2013)
• The Lord Strathclyde CH PC (2013–)

External links

• Profile at the Conservative Party
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
• Current session contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Voting record at PublicWhip.org
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou.com
• Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record
• Profile at BBC News Democracy Live
• Article archive at The Guardian
• Debrett's People of Today
• www.burkespeerage.com

Political offices
Preceded by The Viscount Ullswater	Chief Whip in the House of Lords 1994–1997	Succeeded by The Lord Carter
	Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms 1994–1997
Preceded by The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon	Leader of the House of Lords 2010–2013	Succeeded by The Lord Hill of Oareford
	Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 2010–2013
Party political offices
Preceded by The Viscount Ullswater	Conservative Chief Whip in the House of Lords 1994–1998	Succeeded by The Lord Henley
Preceded by The Viscount Cranborne	Leader of the Conservative Party in the House of Lords 1998–2013	Succeeded by The Lord Hill of Oareford
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Thomas Galbraith	Baron Strathclyde 2nd creation 1985–present	Incumbent