Menzies “Ming” Campbell, former leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2006-2007, has died aged 84 after a period at the Kyn Hurlingham care facility.
Lord Campbell was the Member of Parliament for North East Fife between 1987 and 2015, when he was awarded a peerage in the House of Lords.
He grew up in Glasgow and was educated at Hillhead High School before attending both the University of Glasgow and Stanford University.
Lord Campbell pursued a career in the law and was called to the bar as an advocate in 1968, but maintained a connection to the Scottish Liberal Party.
As the Shadow Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in 1997, Ming was outspoken on foreign policy and a staunch critic of the Iraq War.
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey said Lord Campbell’s “principled leadership opposing the Iraq war was a mark of his morality, courage and wisdom.”
He added, “He spoke up for what was right, even when it was hard.”
Gregor Grant Suttie, Lord Campbell’s grandson, noted that he was a “rare breed of Scotsman whose contribution and ideas spanned so much further than his home country’s border”, giving Scotland “the ability to be extremely proud of one of their own.”
A further tribute was given by Scottish Liberal Democratic leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, who said, “Ming Campbell was one of the most respected politicians of his generation.”
Beyond his political life, Lord Campbell was a keen athlete and dubbed the ‘flying Scotsman’, having competed for Britain in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
A year later, he set the British 100m record at 10.2 seconds, a record that would remain unbroken until 1972.
“Sir Menzies Campbell MP, Leader, Liberal Democrats (2006-07) (14448974151)” by Chatham House, London is licensed under CC BY 2.0.