Thomas Galbraith, 2nd Baron Strathclyde

The Right Honourable The Lord Strathclyde CH PC
Official portrait, 2023
Leader of the House of Lords Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office 12 May 2010 – 7 January 2013
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
Succeeded by	The Lord Hill of Oareford
Offices held 1993-2010 Leader of the Opposition in the Lords Shadow Leader of the House of Lords In office 3 December 1998 – 11 May 2010 Leader William Hague Iain Duncan Smith Michael Howard David Cameron Preceded by Viscount Cranborne Succeeded by The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon Opposition Chief Whip of the House of Lords In office 2 May 1997 – 3 December 1998 Leader John Major William Hague Preceded by The Lord Graham of Edmonton Succeeded by The Lord Henley Chief Whip of the House of Lords Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms In office 20 July 1994 – 2 May 1997 Prime Minister John Major Preceded by The Viscount Ullswater Succeeded by The Lord Carter Minister of State for Trade and Industry In office 16 September 1993 – 20 July 1994 Prime Minister John Major Preceded by The Baroness Denton of Wakefield Succeeded by The Lord Fraser of Carmyllie (1995)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State 1988-1993 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment In office 15 April 1992 – 16 September 1993 Prime Minister John Major Preceded by Tim Yeo Succeeded by The Baroness Denton of Wakefield In office 26 July 1990 – 7 September 1990 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Preceded by Marion Roe Succeeded by The Baroness Blatch Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland In office 7 September 1990 – 14 April 1992 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher John Major Preceded by Michael Forsyth Succeeded by Allan Stewart Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment In office 26 July 1989 – 24 July 1990 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Preceded by John Lee Succeeded by The Viscount Ullswater
Lord-in-waiting Government Whip
In office 12 August 1988 – 24 July 1989
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	The Lord Beaverbrook
Succeeded by	The Viscount Ullswater
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
as a hereditary peer 18 March 1986 – 11 November 1999
Preceded by	The 1st Baron Strathclyde
Succeeded by	Seat abolished
Incumbent
as an elected hereditary peer 11 November 1999
Election	1999
Preceded by	Seat established
Personal details
Born	(1960-02-22) 22 February 1960 Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Jane Skinner
Children	3
Alma mater	University of East Anglia

Thomas Galloway Dunlop du Roy de Blicquy Galbraith, 2nd Baron Strathclyde, CH, PC (born 22 February 1960), known informally as Tom Strathclyde, is a British Conservative politician. Lord Strathclyde served in the political role of Leader of the House of Lords from the 2010 general election until January 2013 and as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, having been Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords (1998–2010). As of 2024, he is the most recent hereditary peer to serve as Leader of the Lords.

Biography

Thomas Galbraith was born in Glasgow, the son of Conservative politician Tam Galbraith and his Belgian wife Simone du Roy de Blicquy. His father was MP for Glasgow Hillhead from 1948 until his death in 1982. Galbraith succeeded to the barony in 1985 at the age of 25, following the death of his grandfather Thomas Galbraith, 1st Baron Strathclyde. He contested the Merseyside East constituency in the 1984 European election.

Education

Wellington College, Berkshire

Galbraith was educated at Sussex House School, in London, and Wellington College near Sandhurst, Berkshire. He attended the University of East Anglia, where he graduated in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in modern languages and European studies. He also studied at Aix-Marseille University.

House of Lords

Strathclyde entered the House of Lords in 1986, becoming a Junior Whip in 1988, then Minister for Tourism in 1989. Between 1990 and 1992, he was Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries in the Scottish Office. He then served in the Department of the Environment and the Department of Trade and Industry, before being appointed the Conservative Party Chief Whip in the House of Lords in 1994, succeeding Lord Ullswater. The next year, he was sworn of the Privy Council.

In 1998 Strathclyde, along with the Conservative front bench in the Lords, threatened to tender his resignation if the party refused to accept a proposed compromise plan for reform of the Lords that had been negotiated with the Labour Party by Lord Cranborne, the Conservatives' leader in the Lords, unbeknown to the Leader of the Opposition (in the Commons) William Hague, and to his annoyance. Hague, however, accepted the proposals, dismissing Cranborne for the conduct in negotiations, and Strathclyde was appointed to succeed him. Under his leadership, the House of Lords Act 1999 passed: under this, Strathclyde was elected by other peers as one of the 92 hereditary peers to remain in the House of Lords.

He won Channel 4 Peer of the Year 2000, and Spectator Peer of the Year 2004.

When the Conservatives formed a coalition government under David Cameron in May 2010, Strathclyde became Leader of the House of Lords and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, with a seat in the Cabinet.

On 7 January 2013, Strathclyde announced that he would be stepping down as Leader of the House of Lords, and resigning from the Cabinet with immediate effect, to pursue a second business career. He was succeeded by Lord Hill of Oareford. He was subsequently appointed a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour for his services to the Lords.

Marriage and children

Strathclyde married Jane Skinner, elder daughter of John Skinner, in 1992. They have three daughters:

• The Hon. Elizabeth Ida Skinner Galbraith (born 1 December 1993)
• The Hon. Annabel Jane Simone Skinner Galbraith (born 15 May 1996)
• The Hon. Rose Marie Louise Skinner Galbraith (born 27 January 1999)

The family lives in Westminster and at the Galbraith family estate in Mauchline, Ayrshire.

As Strathclyde has no sons, the heir presumptive to the peerage is his younger brother, the Hon. Charles William du Roy de Blicquy Galbraith (born 1962).

Outside interests

Lord Strathclyde is a governor of Wellington College, Berkshire. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Civil Law from the University of East Anglia in July 2018.

He is a director of Auchendrane Estates Ltd, a landowning company in Scotland. His wealth is estimated at £10m.

He was a non-executive director on the board of Trafigura's hedge-fund arm, Galena Asset Management, from 2004 until 2009. Trafigura defended court actions during the 2006 Ivory Coast toxic waste dump scandal and The Guardian suggested his appointment may be an attempt to de-toxify the Dutch company globally.

Arms

Coat of arms of Thomas Galbraith, 2nd Baron Strathclyde

Crest A Bear's Head erased Gules muzzled Argent Escutcheon Gules three Bears' Heads erased Argent muzzled Azure within a Bordure indented Or charged with three Mullets of the Third a Crescent of the Second for difference. Supporters Two Bears Gules muzzled Argent Motto Ab obice suavior ('Gentler because of the obstruction', alluding to the muzzled bear's head of the Clan Galbraith crest)

External links

• Profile at the Conservative Party
• Profile at the Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
• Current session contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Voting record at PublicWhip.org
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou.com
• Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record
• Profile at BBC News Democracy Live
• Portraits of Thomas Galbraith, 2nd Baron Strathclyde at the National Portrait Gallery, London
• Article archive at The Guardian