Malcolm Shepherd, 2nd Baron Shepherd
Member of the House of Lords | |
|---|---|
| as a hereditary peer 8 March 1955 – 11 November 1999 | |
| Preceded by | The 1st Baron Shepherd |
| Succeeded by | Seat abolished |
| as a life peer 16 November 1999 – 5 April 2001 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 September 1918 Blackburn, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 5 April 2001 (aged 82) Lanzarote, Canary Islands |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | Allison Wilson Redmond (m. 1941) |
| Children | 2 |
Malcolm Newton Shepherd, 2nd Baron Shepherd, Baron Shepherd of Spalding (27 September 1918 – 5 April 2001), was a British
Shepherd was the son of the Labour politician George Shepherd, 1st Baron Shepherd. With the House of Lords Act 1999, the right of the hereditary peers of an automatic seat in the House of Lords was removed, so Shepherd was created a life peer as Baron Shepherd of Spalding, of Spalding in the County of Lincolnshire to keep his seat.
Early life
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Born in
After the end of the Second World War, Shepherd, together with his wife Allison, went to Singapore as an employee of a British trading company. Later Shepherd purchased majority shares in the firm of Fielding, Brown and Finch working in Malaya and Singapore. When his father died in 1954, he took six months leave, came to the UK to settle his father's affairs and made his maiden speech in the House of Lords before returning to the Far East and resuming his business career. In 1958, his company headquarters moved to London and Shepherd moved himself and his family to the UK.
Political career
| This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2023) |
Shepherd succeeded to the title of Baron Shepherd of Spalding on the death of his father in December 1954, and took his seat in the House of Lords on 8 March 1955.[1] In 1960 he became Deputy Opposition Chief Whip in the Lords, and became Opposition Chief Whip in 1964.
When Shepherd first joined the
Although a moderate in his political views he was an early advocate of House of Lords reform. He thought there was too much unnecessary ceremony and in 1971 argued that those entitled to vote in the Upper House be restricted to regular attenders.
After the Labour victory in the
Shepherd was appointed to the
As Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, a role that had previously been known as Secretary of State for the Colonies. During his tenure at The Foreign Office, Britain was busy shedding Empire and he was very involved in the new constitutions of colonies becoming independent, including
From 1970 to 1974, Shepherd was Opposition Deputy Leader, House of Lords. In 1974 he became Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords, a post he held until he resigned in 1976.
In 1975, Shepherd and his wife Allison accompanied The Queen and Prince Philip on the first state visit to Japan.
In November 1975,
Shepherd remained an active member of the House of Lords for the rest of his life, and on 16 November 1999 he was created a life peer as Baron Shepherd of Spalding, of Spalding in the County of Lincolnshire[4] in order to keep his seat after the House of Lords Act removed the right of hereditary peers to an automatic seat in the House.
Business career
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After the surprise defeat of Harold Wilson's Labour government in the 1970 general election, Shepherd worked for Rudy Sternberg's Sterling Group.
He returned to an active career in business after resigning from the Cabinet in 1976 and also held a number of public offices.
Shepherd was the first Chairman of the Civil Service Pay Research Unit board from 1978 to 1981. He served on the Packaging Council from 1978 to 1980. He was chairman of the
From 1976 to 1986 he was Deputy Chairman of Rudi Sternberg's, later to become Lord Plurenden, Sterling Group of Companies. In 1979 he became chairman of the National Bus Company which was then one of the largest nationalised industries. Shepherd oversaw a large rise in its profits which reached £48m by 1984. He tried to persuade the Conservative government not to privatise the company, warned of the disappearance of loss-making rural services and frequently clashed with the Transport Secretary Nicholas Ridley.
He was President of the Centre Européen de l'Enterprise Publique from 1985 and of the Institute of Road Transport Engineers.
Family
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In 1941, Shepherd married Allison Wilson Redmond (died 1998), the sister of broadcaster James Redmond. Their two sons, Graeme and Douglas, were born in Singapore before he succeeded to the title.
He was on holiday in Lanzarote (with his Whip's permission), where he died suddenly on 5 April 2001. His elder son Graeme inherited the hereditary title. He is buried together with his wife, Allison, in the yard of Muiravonside church in Falkirk, Scotland.
Reflinks
- ^ "Prayers (1955)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Lords. 8 March 1955.
- ^ "No. 43667". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 June 1965. p. 5471.
- ^ Political Staff (5 December 1975). "MPs censure 'courtesy' to Franco". The Times. No. 59570. London, England.
The Parliamentary Labour Party last night condemned almost unanimously the Government's decision to send a Cabinet minister to represent Britain at the funeral of General Franco. Only one of about 100 Labour MPs voted against the critical resolution... After the meeting, 20 back bench MPs signed a letter to the Prime Minister in which they said that Mr Callaghan had criticized members of the party for condemning the attendance of Lord Shepherd, the Lord Privy Seal, at the funeral, with out having put forward their views beforehand.
- ^ "No. 55672". The London Gazette. 19 November 1999. p. 12349.
Sources
- The Independent, 7 April 2001 (obituary)
- The Guardian, 6 April 2001 (obituary)
- The Times (obituary)
- The Daily Telegraph (obituary)
- Who's Who 1999
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