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Alistair Carmichael

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The Right Honourable
Alistair Carmichael
MP
Official portrait, 2024
Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office
9 September 2024
Preceded byRobert Goodwill
Secretary of State for Scotland
In office
7 October 2013 – 8 May 2015
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Preceded byMichael Moore
Succeeded byDavid Mundell
Deputy Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons
Comptroller of the Household
In office
11 May 2010 – 7 October 2013
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Preceded byJohn Spellar
Succeeded byDon Foster
Chief Whip of the Liberal Democrats
In office
16 June 2017 – 27 August 2020
LeaderVince Cable
Jo Swinson
Ed Davey
Preceded byTom Brake
Succeeded byWendy Chamberlain
In office
11 May 2010 – 7 October 2013
LeaderNick Clegg
Preceded byPaul Burstow
Succeeded byDon Foster
Member of Parliament
for Orkney and Shetland
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 June 2001
Preceded byJim Wallace
Majority7,807 (37.7%)
Liberal Democrat portfolios
2006, 2015–2016,
2020–2024		Home Affairs
2007–2010[a]Scotland Office
2019Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
2020
2017–2024[b]Northern Ireland Office
2022–2024Justice
Personal details
Born
Alexander Morrison Carmichael

(1965-07-15) 15 July 1965 (age 59)
Islay, Inner Hebrides, Scotland
Political partyScottish Liberal Democrats
SpouseKate Carmichael
Children2 sons
Alma materUniversity of Aberdeen (LLB)
Websitewww.alistaircarmichael.co.uk

Alexander Morrison "Alistair" Carmichael[1] (born 15 July 1965) is a British politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Orkney and Shetland since 2001. A member of the Liberal Democrats, he previously served in the Cameron–Clegg coalition as Secretary of State for Scotland from 2013 to 2015 and as Deputy Government Chief Whip from 2010 to 2013. He currently serves as the Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee.

Carmichael served as Liberal Democrat Chief Whip of the House of Commons from 2010 to 2013. From 7 October 2013 to 8 May 2015, he was the Secretary of State for Scotland in the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government. He served a second term as Chief Whip from 2017 to 2020, having taken over the position from Tom Brake following the 2017 general election. He was the Liberal Democrat Spokesman for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Exiting the European Union from January 2020 to August 2020. He was previously the Deputy Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats from 2012 to 2021. He was Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Home Affairs, Justice and for Northern Ireland until his election as select committee chair in September 2024.

He was the only Scottish MP representing the Liberal Democrats in the House of Commons during the 57th Parliament (2015–2017). He is the longest-serving Liberal Democrat MP and the senior Scottish MP in the current UK Parliament.

Early life and career

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Alexander Carmichael was born on 15 July 1965 to hill farming parents on Islay in the Inner Hebrides,[2] and went on to attend Port Ellen Primary School and Islay High School.[3] He worked between 1984 and 1989 as a hotel manager after 2 years of study at the University of Glasgow. There, he was a member of the Students' Representative Council[4] and President of the Liberal Club.[5] He ultimately left his course early. He returned to education at the University of Aberdeen, where he gained an LLB in 1992, qualifying as a solicitor in 1993.[3] From 1993 to 1996, he was a Procurator Fiscal Depute for Edinburgh and Aberdeen, and from 1996 to 2001 he was a solicitor with Aberdeen and Macduff.[3]

Parliamentary career

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Carmichael first stood for Parliament at Paisley South in 1987, being defeated by the sitting Labour MP, Norman Buchan.[6] He finished in second place, achieving 15.1% of the vote, which was down 9% from 1983.[7]

At the 2001 general election, he was elected as the MP for Orkney and Shetland, succeeding the Liberal Democrat MP Jim Wallace, who had chosen to stand for the Scottish Parliament constituency of Orkney instead.[8] Carmichael won with 41.3% of the vote,[8] a decrease of 10.7% from the 1997 general election, and with a majority of 3,475, nearly half of the 6,968 majority won by Wallace in 1997.[9] One of the constituency's previous MPs was the Liberal Party leader Jo Grimond.

Carmichael was re-elected at the 2005 general election with an increased vote share of 51.5% and an increased majority of 6,627.[10]

Carmichael was appointed Liberal Democrat Northern Ireland and Scotland Spokesman by Sir Menzies Campbell in July 2007,[11] but resigned in March 2008 to vote in favour of a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.[12] He was reappointed to the position by Nick Clegg in October 2008. He had also briefly served as the Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesman, following the resignation of Mark Oaten.

In June 2009, Carmichael was involved in a successful campaign against the book by Max Scratchmann, Chucking it All: How Downsizing to a Windswept Scottish Island Did Absolutely Nothing to Improve My Life, an irreverent account of the author's experience downshifting from Manchester to Orkney, which Carmichael said was "hurtful and vindictive", and attacked a number of "clearly identifiable" residents of the islands. Carmichael's complaints to the publisher led them to cancel publication.[13][14]

Carmichael was re-elected at the 2010 general election with an increased vote share of 62.0% and an increased majority of 9,928.[15][16][17]

At the beginning of the Liberal Democrat - Conservative coalition government in May 2010, Carmichael was appointed Deputy Chief Whip and Comptroller of the Household.

In 2011, Carmichael was elected Honorary President of the Scottish Liberal Democrats youth wing, Liberal Youth Scotland.[18]

Deputy Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats and Secretary of State for Scotland

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Carmichael took over from Jo Swinson as Deputy Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats on 23 September 2012 at the Annual Liberal Democrat Conference in Brighton.[19]

In October 2013, he was promoted by Nick Clegg to the position of Secretary of State for Scotland in the UK Cabinet, replacing Michael Moore.[20]

Carmichael retained his seat at the 2015 general election, the only Liberal Democrat in Scotland out of 11 MPs elected in 2010 who managed to do so. He was re-elected, but saw his vote share decrease by 20.6%, and saw his majority cut from 9,928 to just 817.[21] Carmichael was one of only eight Liberal Democrat MPs returned to Parliament.

Following the resignation of Nick Clegg as party leader, Alistair Carmichael took temporary charge of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Commons,[22] under the de facto leadership of Party President Sal Brinton.[23]

Campaign memo and election petition

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On 4 April 2015, during the general election campaign Carmichael was involved in the leaking of a memo from the Scotland Office about comments allegedly made by the French ambassador Sylvie Bermann about Nicola Sturgeon, claiming that Sturgeon had privately stated she would "rather see David Cameron remain as PM", in contrast to her publicly stated opposition to a Conservative government.[24] The veracity of the memo was quickly denied by the French ambassador, French Consul General and Sturgeon herself.[25]

At the time of the leak, Carmichael denied all knowledge of the leaking of the memo in a television interview with Channel 4 News.[26] After the election, Carmichael accepted the contents of the memo were incorrect, and admitted that he had lied, and that he had authorised the leaking of the inaccurate memo to the media. This was after a Cabinet Office enquiry identified Carmichael's role in the leak. The enquiry found phone records that proved Euan Roddin, Carmichael's Special Adviser, contacted the Telegraph on 1 April, two days before the story appeared.[27] Carmichael apologised and accepted that had he still been a government minister, this was a matter that would have "required [his] resignation".[28]

Four electors from Orkney and Shetland lodged an election petition on 29 May 2015, the last date possible to do this following the general election on 7 May, attempting to unseat Carmichael and force a by-election.[29][30] On 2 June 2015, the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner launched an investigation into his conduct, under sections 10, 14 and 16 of the Code of Conduct,[31] but this investigation was dropped because Carmichael became aware of the memo via the Scottish Office and not in his capacity as an MP.[32] On 9 December 2015, it was decided it had not been proven beyond reasonable doubt that he had committed an "illegal practice"[33] and he was allowed to retain his seat.[34] In February 2016, his application for costs was rejected, leaving him £150,000 out of pocket.[35] Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie contributed £750 towards his costs.[36] Carmichael was awarded £50,000 towards the costs from the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust.[37]

Carmichael was again re-elected at the snap 2017 general election with an increased vote share of 48.6% and an increased majority of 4,563.[38][39] He was again re-elected at the 2019 general election, with a decreased vote share of 44.8% and a decreased majority of 2,507.[40][41] At the 2024 general election, Carmichael was again re-elected, with an increased vote share of 55.1% and an increased majority of 7,807.[42][43]

After the 2024 General Election

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On 9 September 2024, Alistair Carmichael was elected as Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee.[44]

Personal life

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He married Kathryn Jane Eastham in 1987.[45] They have two sons (born in 1997 and 2001)[46] and the family reside in Orkney where she is a local veterinary surgeon.[47] He speaks French and German.[48] Carmichael is an elder in the Church of Scotland.[49]

Notes

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  1. ^ Role briefly covered by Michael Moore from 5 March 2008 to 7 October 2008 during Vince Cable's acting leadership.
  2. ^ Role briefly covered by Wendy Chamberlain from 6 January 2020 to 1 September 2020 during Ed Davey's acting leadership.

References

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  1. ^ Full name is given as "CARMICHAEL, Alexander Morrison, commonly known as Alistair Carmichael" in the returning officer's 2010 general election declaration Archived 17 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Profile: Alistair Carmichael". BBC News. 7 October 2013. Archived from the original on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "CARMICHAEL, Alexander Morrison, (Alistair)". Who's Who online edition. Oxford University Press. December 2008. Retrieved 12 June 2009.
  4. ^ Alistair Carmichael (1 March 2008). "Speech to the Scottish Liberal Democrat spring conference in Aviemore". Scottish Liberal Democrats. Archived from the original on 21 August 2008. Retrieved 12 June 2009.
  5. ^ "Alistair Carmichael MP: I am excited and inspired by the idea of having Ming as our leader". 13 February 2006. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 12 June 2009.
  6. ^ "Election Data 1987". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  7. ^ "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  8. ^ a b "Election Data 2001". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  9. ^ "Election Data 1997". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  10. ^ "Election Data 2005". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  11. ^ Summers, Deborah (3 July 2007). "Campbell reshuffles frontbench". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2009.
  12. ^ Lib Dem trio quit in referendum revolt – The Independent, 5 March 2006
  13. ^ "Orkney satire makes for pulp friction". Scotland on Sunday. 21 June 2009. Archived from the original on 25 June 2009. Retrieved 29 June 2009.
  14. ^ Green, Chris (22 June 2009). "Shelved, the book that outraged the Orkneys". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 24 June 2009. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
  15. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  16. ^ "Press Association Elections". pressassociation.com. Archived from the original on 4 May 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  17. ^ "BBC News — Election 2010 - Constituency - Orkney & Shetland". bbc.co.uk.
  18. ^ "Alistair Carmichael". lyscotland.org. Archived from the original on 19 October 2015.
  19. ^ "BBC News – Alistair Carmichael new deputy leader of Scottish Lib Dems". BBC. 23 September 2012. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  20. ^ Andrew Sparrow (7 October 2013). "Government and Labour reshuffle: Politics live blog | Politics". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 October 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  21. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  22. ^ "John Bercow to continue as Commons Speaker". 18 May 2015. Archived from the original on 21 May 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  23. ^ Buchanan, Rose Troup (9 May 2015). "Every major British political party – except the Conservatives – currently led by a woman". The Independent. Independent Group. Archived from the original on 13 May 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  24. ^ John, Simon (3 April 2015). "Nicola Sturgeon secretly backs David Cameron". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 21 April 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  25. ^ Settle, Michael (23 May 2015). "Carmichael caught in his own tangled web of deceit". The Herald. Glasgow. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  26. ^ "Video of Alistair Carmichael interview by Channel 4". 5 April 2015. Archived from the original on 23 May 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  27. ^ ""Carmichael faces ethics inquiry as demands grow for him to quit as MP", Herald Scotland, 24 May 2015". 24 May 2015. Archived from the original on 2 June 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  28. ^ Tim Reid (22 May 2015). "Alistair Carmichael admits Nicola Sturgeon memo leak". BBC. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  29. ^ Carmichael facing legal challenge as campaigners raise £43,000 Archived 6 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine the Herald, 29 May 2015
  30. ^ "Alistair Carmichael legal campaign reaches £60,000 target". BBC News. 9 June 2015. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  31. ^ Standards watchdog to investigate Carmichael memo leak Archived 28 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine BBC News 2 June 2015
  32. ^ "Carmichael probe dropped over Frenchgate remit issue". Scottish Legal News. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2016.]
  33. ^ "Alistair Carmichael case: Legal bid to oust Lib Dem MP fails". BBC News. 9 December 2015. Archived from the original on 9 December 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  34. ^ "Alistair Carmichael: election court throws out attempt to unseat MP". The Guardian. 9 December 2015. Archived from the original on 10 December 2015. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  35. ^ "Alistair Carmichael faces £150,000 bill after attempt to oust him". The Guardian. 8 February 2016. Archived from the original on 9 February 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  36. ^ "Willie Rennie: 'I gave money to Alistair Carmichael's legal fund'". The Herald. Glasgow. 3 April 2016. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  37. ^ Russell, Greg (26 March 2016). "They should donate money to the people of Orkney and Shetland – not a self-confessed liar". The National. Archived from the original on 5 April 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  38. ^ "shetnews: Barton for Labour". shetnews. 27 April 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  39. ^ "shetnews: Hill to Stand for Parliament". shetnews. 2 May 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  40. ^ "Candidates announced for Orkney and Shetland constituency - 14 November". Orkney Islands Council. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  41. ^ "Orkney & Shetland parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  42. ^ "UK Parliamentary Election - 4 July 2024 Orkney and Shetland Constituency" (PDF). Orkney Islands Council. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  43. ^ "Orkney and Shetland results". 5 July 2024.
  44. ^ "Alistair Carmichael elected as Chair of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee". UK Parliament. 9 September 2024.
  45. ^ "VOTE 2001". BBC News. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  46. ^ Andrew, Louise (7 October 2013). "Profile: Alistair Carmichael". BBC News. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  47. ^ Munro, Alistair (6 February 2023). "Carmichael reselected to stand for Lib Dems". The Shetland Times. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  48. ^ "Alistair Carmichael MP - Who is he?". Politics.co.uk. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  49. ^ Brooks, Cameron (28 May 2015). "SNP distance itself from plot to strip Alistair Carmichael of church elder status". The Press and Journal. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alistair Carmichael.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Orkney and Shetland
2001–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Liberal Democrat Chief Whip of the House of Commons
2010–2013 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Deputy Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats
2012–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by Liberal Democrat Chief Whip of the House of Commons
2017–present
Political offices
Preceded by Government Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Commons
2010–2013 		Succeeded by
Comptroller of the Household
2010–2013
Preceded by Secretary of State for Scotland
2013–2015 		Succeeded by
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