Des Browne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Browne of Ladyton
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Official portrait, 2022
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| Secretary of State for Scotland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 28 June 2007 – 3 October 2008 |
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| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Douglas Alexander | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Jim Murphy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Secretary of State for Defence | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 5 May 2006 – 3 October 2008 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair Gordon Brown |
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| Preceded by | John Reid | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | John Hutton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chief Secretary to the Treasury | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 6 May 2005 – 5 May 2006 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Paul Boateng | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Stephen Timms | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 22 March 1952 Stevenston, Scotland, United Kingdom |
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| Political party | Scottish Labour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Desmond Henry Browne, Baron Browne of Ladyton (born 22 March 1952) is a Scottish politician. He was a very important person in the UK government. He worked under Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
From 2006 to 2008, he was the Secretary of State for Defence. This means he was in charge of the UK's armed forces. He was also the Secretary of State for Scotland from 2007 to 2008. This role involved looking after Scottish affairs in the UK government.
Desmond Browne is a member of the Labour Party. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Kilmarnock and Loudoun. He served as an MP from 1997 to 2010.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Desmond Browne was born in Kilwinning, Scotland, on 22 March 1952. He spent his early years living in Stevenston.
He went to school at St Michael's Academy in Kilwinning. Later, he studied at the University of Glasgow. There, he earned a degree in law.
Becoming a Lawyer
Desmond Browne started his legal career in 1974. He worked as a trainee lawyer, called an apprentice solicitor. In 1976, he became an assistant solicitor. By 1980, he was promoted to a partner in a law firm.
He became a partner in another firm, McCluskey Browne, in 1985. He was also part of the Law Society of Scotland from 1988 to 1992. In 1993, he became an advocate, which is a lawyer who speaks in higher courts. He worked mainly on cases involving children.
His Time in Parliament
Desmond Browne first tried to become an MP in 1992. He ran for the parliamentary seat of Argyll and Bute.
In 1997, he was chosen to run for the Kilmarnock and Loudoun seat. This was a safe seat for the Labour Party. He won the election with a large number of votes. He gave his first speech in Parliament on 20 June 1997.
When he became an MP, he joined a special committee. This committee looked at issues in Northern Ireland. In 1998, he became a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS). This role meant he helped the Secretary of State for Scotland. He continued as a PPS for other ministers.
In 2009, Desmond Browne announced he would not run for MP again. He left Parliament in 2010.
Working in Government
After the 2001 election, Desmond Browne joined Tony Blair's government. He became a junior minister in the Northern Ireland Office. In 2003, he was promoted to Minister of State for Work. He then moved to the Home Office in 2004. There, he was in charge of issues related to immigration.
In 2005, he joined the Cabinet. The Cabinet is a group of the most important ministers in the government. He became the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. This role helps manage the country's money. He also became a member of the Privy Council. This is a group of senior advisors to the King.
On 5 May 2006, he became the Secretary of State for Defence. He supported the UK Trident programme, which is about the UK's nuclear weapons. In 2007, he convinced Parliament to vote to replace Trident. He faced some criticism when some Royal Navy personnel were captured. They were later allowed to share their stories publicly.
When Gordon Brown became Prime Minister in June 2007, Desmond Browne got more responsibilities. He also became the Secretary of State for Scotland. He left the Cabinet in October 2008.
In 2010, he gave evidence to the Iraq Inquiry. This was a public investigation into the Iraq War. On 22 July 2010, he was made a life peer. This means he became a member of the House of Lords for life. He took the title Baron Browne of Ladyton. He is also a Fellow Commoner at St Catharine's College, Cambridge.
After Leaving Government
After leaving government, Desmond Browne continued to work on important global issues. He is the vice chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI). This group works to make the world safer. Its main goal is to reduce the risk of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons being used or spreading.
He also helps lead groups that work for nuclear disarmament. This means trying to get rid of nuclear weapons around the world. He is a supporter of Global Zero. This is an international effort to eliminate all nuclear weapons.
