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John McFall, Baron McFall of Alcluith

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The Lord McFall of Alcluith
Official portrait, 2022
Lord Speaker of the House of Lords
Assumed office
1 May 2021
Monarchs
DeputyThe Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Preceded byThe Lord Fowler
Senior Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords
In office
1 September 2016 – 30 April 2021
Lord SpeakerThe Lord Fowler
Preceded byThe Lord Laming (as Chairman of Committees)
Succeeded byThe Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Chairman of the Treasury Select Committee
In office
18 July 2001 – 6 May 2010
Preceded byGiles Radice
Succeeded byAndrew Tyrie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
In office
28 July 1998 – 2 December 1999
Prime MinisterTony Blair
Preceded byTony Worthington
Succeeded byVacant
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
In office
8 May 1997 – 28 July 1998
Prime MinisterTony Blair
ChancellorGordon Brown
Preceded byBowen Wells
Succeeded byJane Kennedy
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Assumed office
6 July 2010
Life peerage
Member of Parliament
for West Dunbartonshire
Dumbarton (1987–2005)
In office
11 June 1987 – 12 April 2010
Preceded byIan Campbell
Succeeded byGemma Doyle
Personal details
Born (1944-10-04) 4 October 1944 (age 80)
Glasgow, Scotland
Political partyNone
Other political
affiliations
SpouseJoan Ward
Children4
Alma mater

John Francis McFall, Baron McFall of Alcluith PC (born 4 October 1944), is a Scottish politician and life peer who has served as Lord Speaker, the presiding officer of the House of Lords, since 2021. He was a member of Parliament for the Labour and Co-operative Party from 1987 to 2010, first for Dumbarton and then from 2005 for West Dunbartonshire. He also served as Chairman of the House of Commons Treasury Committee. Following his appointment to the House of Lords, McFall served as Senior Deputy Speaker from 2016 to 2021 before succeeding Baron Fowler as Lord Speaker.

Early life

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McFall went to a boys' school, St Patrick's Secondary School (since merged with Notre Dame High School to form Our Lady & St Patrick's High School), on Hawthornhill Road in Castlehill, Dumbarton, leaving without any qualifications at 15. His father was a school caretaker and his mother had a newsagents shop, which sparked his (later) interest in how to run businesses. He worked for the local Parks Department in Dumbarton and then in a factory.

At the age of 24, he studied at Paisley College of Technology (now the University of the West of Scotland) receiving a BSc in chemistry. In 1977, he wanted to widen his knowledge away from science and obtained a BA from the Open University in education and philosophy. He was a chemistry and maths teacher from 1974 to 1987 in Dumbarton, Kirkintilloch and Glasgow, becoming a deputy-head in Glasgow and secretary of his Constituency Labour Party before he entered Parliament. Whilst a teacher he completed a part-time course over three years at the University of Strathclyde for an MBA. In 1994, he became a visiting professor at Strathclyde University Business School, and now is a member of the Strategic Advisory Board at the University of Glasgow Business School. He is a member of the GMB Union.

Political career

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He was first elected for the Dumbarton constituency, Scotland, at the 1987 general election, after the previous MP, Ian Campbell retired. His original majority was a little over 2,000. Dumbarton constituency was replaced with the new West Dunbartonshire constituency for the 2005 general election, which McFall won with a majority over 12,500.

In 1995 he introduced a private member's bill, the Wild Mammals (Protection) Bill which, although unsuccessful, informed the Hunting Act 2004 outlawing the hunting of mammals by dogs in England and Wales.[1]

He was a whip and junior minister (for Education, Training and Employment, Health and Community Relations, then in 1999 for Economy and Education) at the Northern Ireland Office from 1998 to 1999.

In 2001 he was appointed Chair of the Treasury Select Committee, and reappointed for a second term in this position in 2005. The committee conducted inquiries into the banking crisis, producing evidence of the bonus culture, the lack of banking qualifications among many top bankers and poor oversight of the industry by the Financial Services Authority.

On 29 January 2010, McFall announced his intention to stand down as an MP at the 2010 general election.[2]

House of Lords

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McFall enrobed at the coronation in 2023

On 17 June 2010, he was created a life peer as Baron McFall of Alcluith, of Dumbarton in Dunbartonshire,[3] and was introduced in the House of Lords on 6 July 2010.[4]

He was the Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Overseas Development (Apgood).[5]

In July 2016, he was appointed as Chairman of Committees of the House of Lords with effect from 1 September 2016. He was known as Senior Deputy Speaker while holding the office.[6]

In the 2021 Lord Speaker election, McFall was elected as Lord Speaker, succeeding Lord Fowler.[7]

In 2023 he suggested the House of Lords needs more independent, expert peers. Lord McFall stated he was making no direct criticism of recent peerage choices, but the upper house was in danger of becoming "out of sync" with its balance of legislators. McFall plans to meet Rishi Sunak to lift a cap limiting the number of new, non-party expert peers that can be created by the House of Lords Appointments Commission, currently set at a maximum of two a year.[8]

Other activities

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He was Chair of the Scotch Whisky and Spirits All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) and of the Royal Navy APPG.

He was Chairman of Strathleven Regeneration Company and of Clydebank re-built, two development companies based in his constituency.

He gave his backing to Dumpster Kids, a not-for-profit organisation aimed at rescuing abandoned children, in January 2011.

Since 2023, he routinely hosts the House of Lords themed podcast Lord Speaker's Corner, which features him discussing peership and other political topics with fellow Lords in Parliament.[9]

Personal life

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McFall's family lived in Bellsmyre, Dumbarton, where he met and married Joan Ward. They have three sons and a daughter.[10]

Publications

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  • Workplace Retirement Income Commission, Building a Strong, Stable and Transparent Pension System: Final Report (August 2011)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Timeline: Hunting row". BBC News. 17 February 2005. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  2. ^ "'Consumer champion' MP to stand down". BBC News. 29 January 2010.
  3. ^ "No. 59466". The London Gazette. 22 June 2010. p. 11706.
  4. ^ House of Lords Business, 22 June 2010
  5. ^ "Executive - All Party Parliamentary Group on Overseas Development". Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
  6. ^ House of Lords Minutes of Proceedings of Thursday 21 July 2016
  7. ^ "Lord McFall of Alcluith is next Lord Speaker". UK Parliament. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  8. ^ House of Lords needs more experts, says speaker, as former PMs line up allies
  9. ^ "Lord Speaker's Corner - UK Parliament". parliament.uk. 26 November 2024.
  10. ^ Bailey, Georgina (22 April 2021). "Westminster: Lord McFall of Alcuith Has Been Confirmed As New Lord Speaker". The Democrat. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
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News items

Video clips

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Dumbarton
1987–2005
Constituency abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament for West Dunbartonshire
2005–2010
Succeeded by
Preceded byas Chairman of Committees Senior Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords
2016–2021
Succeeded by
Preceded by Lord Speaker
2021–present
Incumbent
Order of precedence in England and Wales
Preceded byas Speaker of the House of Commons Gentlemen
as Lord Speaker
Succeeded byas President of the Supreme Court