Michael Andrew Foster Jude Kerr Ancram

Biography

Michael Ancram stepped down as MP for Devizes in May 2010.

Michael was born in 1945. He was educated at Ampleforth College; Christ Church, Oxford (MA) and Edinburgh University (LLB), and was called to the Scottish Bar in 1970 and practised until 1979.

He is married to Jane Fitzalan Howard and they have two daughters. He has been a company director to several companies including industrial (paper), Corporate Communications (Chairman) and parliamentary consultants.

Michael was Member of Parliament for Berwickshire & East Lothian from February to October 1974 and Edinburgh South from 1979-87. He has been Member of Parliament for Devizes since April 1992.

He was a Member of the House of Commons Energy Select Committee from 1979-83 and Chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party from 1980 until 1983.

He was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Scottish Office with responsibility for Home Affairs, Housing, Local Government, Rating Reform and the Environment from 1983-87. He was a member of the Public Accounts Committee and Chairman of the Backbench Constitutional Affairs Committee from 1992 until May 1993.

In May 1993, Michael was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office. In January 1994, he was appointed Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office.

He was made a Privy Counsellor in January 1996. He was appointed to the Shadow Cabinet with responsibility for Constitutional Affairs in June 1997, a position he held until June 1998 when he became Deputy Party Chairman. In October 1998, Michael became Chairman of the Conservative Party. In September 2001, he was appointed Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs; in November 2003, he also become Shadow Secretary of State for International Affairs. Until December 2005, he was Shadow Secretary of State for Defence and Deputy Leader of the Party.

Constituency

Devizes

Twitter

Constituency Address

Devizes Constituency Conservative Association 116 High Street Marlborough Wiltshire SN8 1LZ

Constituency Tel

01672 512675

Date of Birth

7 July 1945.

Email

ancramm@parliament.uk

Party

Conservative

Personal Website

http://www.ancram.com/

Westminster Address

House of Commons London SW1A 0AA

Westminster Tel

020 7219 4435