Tributes paid to Lord Jim Wallace
The Scottish Liberal Democrats today announce with great sadness the passing of Jim Wallace, Lord Wallace of Tankerness, former Deputy First Minister of Scotland and a towering figure of modern Scottish liberalism.
Jim Wallace was born in Dumfriesshire and educated at Annan Academy before attending Cambridge and Edinburgh universities. He was called to the bar in 1979, practising mainly in civil law cases, and became a QC in 1997.
Jim was elected to parliament in 1983 as MP for Orkney & Shetland, succeeding Jo Grimond, and held the seat for 18 years, earning a formidable reputation as a diligent constituency champion and a respected voice at Westminster. After becoming leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats in 1992, he led the party through the Scottish devolution referendum in 1997, having also been a member of the Scottish Constitutional Convention which created the blueprint for devolution and a Scottish Parliament.
Upon the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, Jim was elected as MSP for Orkney and became Deputy First Minister of Scotland, serving in government from 1999 to 2005. He became acting First Minister while Donald Dewar underwent heart surgery in April 2000, after Dewar’s death in October 2000 and again following the resignation of Henry McLeish in 2001.
He also held the roles of Minister for Justice and later Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, playing a central role in the early years of devolution and helping to shape Scotland’s modern political settlement. He also established a world-leading freedom of information regime.
He entered the House of Lords in 2007 as Lord Wallace of Tankerness, where he remained an authoritative and thoughtful contributor on constitutional, legal and Scottish affairs, including serving five years as Advocate General for Scotland.
Jim also served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from 2021 to 2022.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:
“Jim Wallace was one of the architects of modern Scotland and one of the finest liberals our party has ever produced.
“He believed deeply in devolution as a way to give people better services and more control over their own lives and he lived a life of public service right up until the end.
“For me personally, he was a mainstay of support throughout my adult life. Even as he went into hospital for the final time, he was still sending me words of advice and I will always try to live up to the standards he set.
“Throughout his career, Jim was widely respected across party lines for his integrity, calm judgement and deep belief in liberal values: fairness, the rule of law and respect for communities, no matter how remote.
“Scotland is a better country because of Jim Wallace, and the Liberal Democrats are a better party because of his example.”
Alistair Carmichael, MP for Orkney & Shetland, said:
“Jim Wallace gave his adult life to serving the people of the Northern Isles, Scotland and the United Kingdom. His sudden and tragic death leaves a huge gap in public life. For those of us who knew him as a friend and for his family that gap is one that we shall struggle ever to fill.
“In the world of politics, having people on whom you can truly depend is a rare and precious thing. For me, Jim was someone who was there through good times and bad and I am bereft at his passing. I shall miss his acute political analysis, his warm and occasionally waspish wit and, most of all, his easy company and friendship. He was never someone for whom I had to present a front.
“My thoughts are with his wife Rosie, his daughters Helen and Clare, his mother and his brother Neil who I know are heartbroken at this moment. I hope that they may eventually take some comfort from the knowledge that the man that they loved in their family was loved by so many others too.”
Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, said:
“Jim was a hugely influential figure in Scottish politics and public life over the past four decades. He was a passionate champion of liberalism as well as a fierce and effective advocate on behalf of the island communities in Orkney and Shetland he proudly represented over many years, first at Westminster and then Holyrood.
“He played a key role in delivering and shaping devolution, epitomising a style of politics that saw no contradiction in arguing your case robustly while working collaboratively to deliver for people, communities and our country. It is an approach that earned him respect and affection across the political spectrum and beyond, and one that is needed now more than ever in our politics.
“Jim was my boss, my mentor but most of all he was my friend. I am devastated by his death but feel enormously privileged to have known him so well for so long. My heart goes out to his wife Rosie, daughters Helen and Clare and all the family who will be feeling the pain of his loss. It is a grief that will be shared by many whose lives were touched by this wise, compassionate and thoroughly decent man.”
