Former Conservative deputy chairman Michael Ancram dies, aged 79

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

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

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

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

Michael Ancram’s ministerial career included roles in the Scotland Office and 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 across the negotiating table in public talks with the IRA, despite having survived the Brighton bombing 11 years earlier.

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

He held that role under Duncan Smith and later Michael Howard for five years.

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

He went on to study law at the University of Edinburgh, later practising as an advocate in Scotland and becoming a QC.

After being first elected to parliament in 1974 representing Berwickshire & East Lothian at the age of 29, he lost the seat just eight months later when Labour’s Harold Wilson called a snap election.

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

Although he was seen as a “One Nation” Conservative, it was Margaret Thatcher who gave him his first ministerial post as under secretary in the Scotland Office.

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

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

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

Ancram became the 13th Marquis of Lothian following the death of his father in 2004, though 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 step-grandchildren.

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

“As an uncle, he was a huge 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, to be followed by a Service of Thanksgiving in London at a later date.