Malcolm Bruce

Biography

Malcolm Bruce has been the MP for Gordon since election as a Liberal in the 1983 General Election. He has been chair of the International Development Select Committee since 2005 and is President of the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

Born in Birkenhead in 1944, Malcolm Bruce joined the Liberal Party as a schoolboy of 17 at Wrekin College. He graduated with honours in economics and political science from the University of St Andrews, where he was president of the Liberal Club.

Having started as a trainee journalist on the Liverpool Post (1966-7) Malcolm left because he felt he was not being trained, but exploited. He took a job as a buyer for Boots the Chemists (1968-9), and was subsequently research and information officer for the North East Scotland Development Authority (1971-5). He was a director of the Noroil Publishing House from 1975-81, and co-founder and editor of Aberdeen Petroleum Publishing (1981-4). Between 1986 and 1989 he was the Rector of Dundee University. He was awarded an MSc in marketing at Strathclyde University and was called to bar as a member of Gray's Inn with a special interest in company and European competition law in 1995.

In his political career, Malcolm first stood for election in 1974 for the constituency of North Angus and Mearns, and five years later contested West Aberdeenshire before being elected MP for Gordon in 1983. He has been his party's spokesperson on Scottish affairs (1983-5), energy (1985-7), trade and industry (1987-8), natural resources (1988-90), and the Treasury (1994-9).

Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats from 1988 to 1992, he was a candidate for the leadership of the Liberal Democrats in 1999 and chaired the Liberal Democrat parliamentary party from 1999 until 2001. He was Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary on Environment. Food and Rural Affairs in 2001-2, and Shadow Trade and Industry Secretary in 2003-5. He has been a member of the Scottish Affairs Select Committee (1983-7), the Trade and Industry Committee (1988-94), the Treasury Commitee (1994-9) and the Standards and Privileges Committee (1999-2001).

Malcolm Bruce is president of the Grampian branch and a national vice-president of the National Deaf Children's Society, and a vice-president of the Combined Heat & Power Association. Malcolm Bruce has been twice married. He and his first wife, Jane, with whom he had one son and a daughter, divorced in 1992, and Malcolm married Rosemary Vetterlein in 1998. They have one son and two daughters. Malcolm's leisure interests are music, theatre, walking and golf.

Education:

Wrekin College, Shropshire, St Andrews University, Strathclyde University, University of Middlesex, Inns of Court School of Law

Experience:

Journalist on Liverpool Daily Post, then worked in commerce for Boots and in local government for the North East Scotland Development Authority

Interests:

Music, theatre and walking

Memberships:

President of the Grampian Branch, National Vice President of the National Deaf Children's Society