Former Conservative Vice President Michael Ancram dies, aged 79

Former deputy leader of the Conservative party Michael Ancram has died, aged 79, his family announced.

The 13th Marquess of Lothian, as he was formally known, died in hospital after a short illness, surrounded by close family.

His political journey, which spans five decades, began in 1974 when he was first elected to parliament representing Berwickshire and East Lothian, returning to the House of Commons in 1979 as Member for Edinburgh South.

Scottish Conservative party leader Russell Findlay paid tribute to the Tory stalwart, labeling him “a first rate politician and a gentleman”.

Michael Ancram’s ministerial career included roles in the Scotland Office and the Northern Ireland Office.

He played a significant role in the formative stages of the Northern Ireland peace process as Minister of State until 1997.

In 1995, he was the first British minister to sit at the negotiating table in public talks with the IRA, despite having survived the Brighton bombing 11 years earlier.

He ran unsuccessfully for the party leadership in 2001, but when Iain Duncan Smith was chosen he was appointed deputy leader.

He held this role with Duncan Smith and later Michael Howard for five years.

Born on July 7, 1945, he was educated at the Catholic boarding school Ampleforth College before studying history at Oxford.

He went on to study Law at the University of Edinburgh, later practicing law in Scotland and becoming a QC.

After first being elected to parliament in 1974, representing Berwickshire & East Lothian, aged 29, he lost his seat just eight months later when the Labor Party’s Harold Wilson called an early election.

But he returned to the House of Commons in 1979 as MP for Edinburgh South, defeating future Labor Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Although he was seen as a “one nation” Conservative, it was Margaret Thatcher who gave him his first ministerial role as Under-Secretary in the Scottish Cabinet Office.

The role meant he was involved in the introduction of the poll tax in Scotland, where it was trialled a year earlier than in England and Wales.

After the 1987 election defeat, he returned as MP for the West Country seat of Devizes in 1992, until retiring from the House of Commons in May 2010.

A few months later he entered the House of Lords as a life peer.

Ancram became the 13th Marquess of Lothian upon his father’s death in 2004, although he preferred not to use the title.

He was also the hereditary chief of the Scottish Clan Kerr, a testament to his deep Scottish roots.

He is survived by his wife, Lady Jane Fitzalan-Howard.

The couple had three daughters, three grandchildren and five stepchildren.

His nephew, former Conservative MP and MSP Donald Cameron said: “Michael was a man of great warmth, humor and generosity.

“As an uncle, he was a great support and inspiration to me. We will all miss him very much.”

A statement from his family said funeral arrangements will be announced in due course, with a private requiem mass in Scotland in the coming weeks, followed by a thanksgiving service in London at a later date.