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The Right HonourableThe Lord McNallyPC
Official portrait, 2020
Chairman of the Youth Justice Board
In office March 2014 – March 2017
Appointed by	Chris Grayling
Preceded by	Frances Done
Succeeded by	Charlie Taylor
Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
In office 13 May 2010 – 15 October 2013
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Leader	The Lord Strathclyde The Lord Hill of Oareford
Preceded by	Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
Succeeded by	Lord Wallace of Tankerness
Minister of State for Justice
In office 13 May 2010 – 18 December 2013
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	Michael Wills
Succeeded by	Simon Hughes
Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords
In office 24 November 2004 – 15 October 2013
Leader	Charles Kennedy Sir Menzies Campbell Vince Cable (acting) Nick Clegg
Preceded by	The Baroness Williams of Crosby
Succeeded by	Lord Wallace of Tankerness
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 January 1996 Life Peerage
Member of Parliament for Stockport South
In office 3 May 1979 – 13 May 1983
Preceded by	Maurice Orbach
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Political Secretary to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office 1976–1979
Prime Minister	James Callaghan
Preceded by	Marcia Falkender
Succeeded by	Richard Ryder
Personal details
Born	(1943-02-20) 20 February 1943 (age 81)
Nationality	British
Political party	Labour (until 1981) SDP (1981–1988) Liberal Democrats (1988–present)
Alma mater	University College London

Thomas McNally, Baron McNally, PC (born 20 February 1943) is a British politician and a former Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords.

Early life

McNally was born in Blackpool. A Catholic of Irish descent, he attended St Joseph's College, Blackpool. He later attended University College London, where he was elected president of the Debating Society as well as Students' Union President.

Professional career

He later worked for the Fabian Society, and then as a full-time employee of the Labour Party, becoming its international secretary. He served as a political advisor to Foreign Secretary, James Callaghan during the conflict in Cyprus in the 1970s, before becoming head of the Prime Minister's political office at Downing Street in 1976 when Callaghan succeeded Harold Wilson.

Political career

Elected to the House of Commons in 1979 as a member of the Labour Party for the constituency of Stockport South, in 1981 he was one of the later defectors to the new Social Democratic Party (SDP). Following constituency boundary changes for the 1983 general election McNally was the SDP candidate for the new constituency of Stockport, but finished in third place behind Labour and the Conservative victor, Tony Favell.

From 1993 he was Head of Public Affairs at Shandwick Consultants, and later non-executive vice-chairman of its successor Weber Shandwick.

On 18 November 1995 it was announced McNally would receive a life peerage. The Letters Patent were issued on 20 December and he took the title Baron McNally, of Blackpool in the County of Lancashire.

After being elected unopposed to succeed Baroness Williams of Crosby, he took office as Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords at the beginning of the 2004/05 session of Parliament.

In January 2006, McNally was linked to the resignation of Charles Kennedy as leader of the Liberal Democrats, with critical comments regarding Kennedy's leadership of the party, and the effect that infighting was having on their electoral prospects in the upcoming local elections in May. McNally criticised Kennedy, suggesting that his style and content were lacklustre. Also in January 2006, McNally revealed in an interview that he had himself been alcohol dependent in the 1980s. He said, "I don't think the passing of a more boozy, ill-disciplined, ill-researched type of politics is to be regretted at all."

He has been President of the Stockport Liberal Democrat Constituency Party since 2007. In May 2010, following the formation of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Government, Lord McNally was appointed Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice, under Kenneth Clarke.

In 2012 McNally justified the absence of an official pardon of mathematician Alan Turing on indecency charges, saying that Turing was rightly prosecuted under the UK's 1950s laws.

On 2 October 2013, Lord McNally announced he would be stepping down as leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, saying it had been "an enormous privilege to serve as Leader of a Group which, by its discipline and cohesiveness has constantly punched above its weight".

Lord McNally resigned as Minister of State for Justice on 18 December 2013 following his appointment as Chair of the Youth Justice Board. He is a vice-president of the Debating Group.

Family

Lord McNally is married with two sons and one daughter.

See also

• Liberal Democrat Frontbench Team

References

1. "Youth Justice Board website". Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
2. United Kingdom. "BBC Democracy Live: Lord McNally biography". BBC News. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
3. ^ "The Rt Hon Lord McNally - Ministry of Justice, Minister of State (and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords)". The Liberal Democrats. Archived from the original on 12 May 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
4. "No. 54217". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 November 1995. p. 15659.
5. "No. 54252". The London Gazette. 28 December 1995. p. 17450.
6. "Dire election prophecies fail to make my flesh creep". Timesonline.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 May 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
7. ^ "Lib Dem Lord's alcohol confession". BBC News. 21 January 2006. Archived from the original on 7 March 2009. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
8. Glendinning, Lee (13 May 2010). "Full list of new cabinet ministers and other government appointments". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
9. Ellis, Philip (22 June 2012). "Happy 100th Birthday, Alan Turing". Huffingtonpost.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
10. "Tom McNally to stand down as Leader of the Lib Dem Lords". Libdemvoice.org. Archived from the original on 30 May 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
11. "Ministerial changes: December 2013". www.gov.uk. 18 December 2013. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
12. "Debating Group". Debating Group. 24 March 2014. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2016.

External links

• Lord McNally profile at libdems.org.uk

v t e Political secretaries to the prime minister
Harold Wilson	Marcia Williams (1964–1970, 1974–1976)
Edward Heath	Douglas Hurd (1970–1974)
James Callaghan	Tom McNally (1976–1979)
Margaret Thatcher	Richard Ryder (1979–1981) Derek Howe (1981–1983) Stephen Sherbourne (1983–1988) John Whittingdale (1988–1990)
John Major	Judith Chaplin (1990–1992) Jonathan Hill (1992–1994) Howell James (1994–1997)
Tony Blair	Sally Morgan (1997–2001) Robert Hill (2001–2002) Pat McFadden (2002–2005) John McTernan (2005–2007)
Gordon Brown	Joe Irvin (2007–2010)
David Cameron	Stephen Gilbert (2010–2015) Laurence Mann (2015–2016)
Theresa May	Stephen Parkinson (2016–2019)
Boris Johnson	Danny Kruger (2019–2019) Benjamin Gascoigne (2019–2021) Declan Lyons (2021–2022)
Liz Truss	Sophie Jarvis (2022)
Rishi Sunak	James Forsyth (2022–2024)

• 1943 births
• Living people
• Alumni of University College London
• Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
• Liberal Democrats (UK) life peers
• Social Democratic Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
• UK MPs 1979–1983
• British people of Irish descent
• English Roman Catholics
• Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
• Life peers created by Elizabeth II