34 Facts About Michael Ancram

Michael Ancram was formerly styled Earl of Ancram until he inherited the marquessate in 2004.

Michael Ancram unsuccessfully contested West Lothian in 1970, but was elected as Member of Parliament for Berwick and East Lothian at the February 1974 general election and served until the election held in October of that year.

Michael Ancram re-entered parliament in 1979, representing Edinburgh South until 1987.

When Major was defeated at the 1997 general election, the Conservatives entered opposition and Michael Ancram became Chairman of the Conservative Party under William Hague in 1998, having previously covered constitutional affairs in the Shadow Cabinet.

Michael Ancram was born in London and is the elder son and second child of Peter Kerr, 12th Marquess of Lothian, and his wife Antonella.

Michael Ancram was educated at the Roman Catholic private school Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire.

Michael Ancram graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History from Christ Church, Oxford in 1966, later converted to Master of Arts.

Michael Ancram was called to the Scottish Bar in 1970 and practised as an advocate.

Michael Ancram unsuccessfully contested the West Lothian parliamentary seat in 1970.

Michael Ancram was first elected to Parliament in the February 1974 general election, when he contested and won the seat of Berwickshire and East Lothian, but lost the seat in the October election of the same year.

Michael Ancram re-entered Parliament at the 1979 election as the Member of Parliament for Edinburgh South, beating future Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Michael Ancram was a member of the House of Commons Energy Select Committee between 1979 and 1983, and Chairman of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party from 1980 to 1983.

Michael Ancram was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Scottish Office with responsibility for Home Affairs, Housing, Local Government, Rating Reform and the Environment from 1983 until 1987.

Michael Ancram lost his seat again at the 1987 general election, being one of several prominent Conservatives defeated in Scotland in that contest.

Michael Ancram was a member of the Public Accounts Committee and Chairman of the backbench Constitutional Affairs Committee from 1992 until May 1993, when he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office.

Michael Ancram was promoted to Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office in January 1994, and was sworn as a Privy Councillor in January 1996.

Michael Ancram then served as Chairman of the Conservative Party from December 1998 to September 2001.

Michael Ancram remained in this position after Michael Howard took over in 2003.

Michael Ancram stood down from the Shadow Cabinet in December 2005, following the election of David Cameron as Conservative Party Leader.

Michael Ancram was a founding signatory in 2005 of the Henry Jackson Society principles, advocating a proactive approach to the spread of liberal democracy across the world, including when necessary by military intervention.

In 2006, Michael Ancram set up Global Strategy Forum, a bi-partisan foreign affairs think tank based in London.

From 2008 to 2013, Michael Ancram was chair of foreign policy forum Le Cercle.

Michael Ancram is a founder member of the Top Level Group of UK Parliamentarians for Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament and Non-proliferation, established in October 2009.

On 11 August 2009, Michael Ancram announced that he was to stand down as the MP for Devizes at the 2010 general election due to heart problems.

Michael Ancram retired when Parliament was dissolved on 12 April 2010; his successor as Conservative member for the Devizes constituency was Claire Perry.

Michael Ancram married Lady Jane Fitzalan-Howard, the fourth daughter of The 16th Duke of Norfolk, who on 7 April 2017 succeeded as the 16th Lady Herries of Terregles.

Michael Ancram is a Patron of the Right to Life Trust and a patroness of the Royal Caledonian Ball.

Michael Ancram is a keen country music fan and has often played acoustic guitar at Conservative Party conferences.

Michael Ancram is a knight of Order of St John and Order of St Lazarus; he was made a Freeman of Gibraltar in 2010.

Michael Ancram was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale in 1990.

Michael Ancram is said to have dropped the use of this title in favour of plain Mr Michael Ancram after becoming a lawyer, supposedly because he believed it might confuse the jury if any judge were to have addressed him as "My Lord".

Michael Ancram became Marquess of Lothian upon his father's death in October 2004, but did not take up use of this title in public life whilst still sitting as an MP.

Michael Ancram was created a life peer on 22 November 2010 as Baron Kerr of Monteviot, of Monteviot in Roxburghshire, and was introduced in the House of Lords the same day; by custom, he is referred to by his senior title as The Marquess of Lothian during all parliamentary business and in other official records such as Hansard.

Michael Ancram is one of the five co-heirs to the barony of Butler, abeyant since 1905.