Derry Irvine, Baron Irvine of Lairg

Alexander " Derry " Irvine, Baron Irvine of Lairg, in the District of Sutherland PC QC ( born June 23, 1940 in Inverness, Scotland ) is a British lawyer and Labour Party politician, who was among other things, 1997-2003 Lord Chancellor.

Life

After schooling Irvine Scottish studied law at the University of Glasgow and subsequently law at Christ's College, University of Cambridge and worked by the lawyer's approval in 1967 as an attorney in the law firm of Morris Finer. In the general election, 1970, he ran unsuccessfully as a candidate of the Labour Party in the constituency of Hendon North a seat in the House of Commons. In 1978 he was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1981 and was elected president of the 11 King 's Bench Walk Chambers, an association of renowned barrister.

In 1987, Derry Irvine as a life peer with the title Baron Irvine of Lairg, raised in the District of Sutherland to the peerage and became a member of the House of Lords.

During his many years with the House of Lords, he was initially 1992-1997 spokesman for the opposition Labour group on legal and domestic policy and subsequent member of the shadow cabinet of his party in the function of the Lord Chancellor.

After the election of the Labour Party in the general election on 1 May 1997 he was appointed by Prime Minister Tony Blair as a successor to Baron Mackay of Clashfern Lord Chancellor in his first cabinet and had occupied this position until his replacement by Baron Falconer of Thoroton 2003. At the same time in this period, he was spokesman for the government in legal policy and affairs of the Lord Chancellor.

Subsequently, he was until 2008 Lord of Appeal and since 2005 saint of Prisoners Abroad, a charity to support British nationals who are serving prison sentences in foreign prisons. Baron Irvine is also Co-President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and Vice President of the British section of the Parliamentary Association of the Commonwealth.