Ministerial offices 2001‍–‍2025

Minister of State at the Cabinet Office
In office 10 February 2025 – 5 September 2025
Prime Minister	Keir Starmer
Preceded by	The Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Succeeded by	Dan Jarvis
Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security
In office 6 July 2024 – 5 September 2025
Prime Minister	Keir Starmer
Preceded by	Greg Hands
In office 8 September 2004 – 5 May 2005
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Mike O'Brien
Succeeded by	Ian Pearson
Secretary of State for International Development
In office 28 June 2007 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Hilary Benn
Succeeded by	Andrew Mitchell
Secretary of State for Transport
In office 6 May 2006 – 28 June 2007
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Alistair Darling
Succeeded by	Ruth Kelly
Minister of State for Europe
In office 5 May 2005 – 6 May 2006
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Denis MacShane
Succeeded by	Geoff Hoon
Minister for the Cabinet Office Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office 13 June 2003 – 8 September 2004
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	The Lord Macdonald of Tradeston
Succeeded by	Alan Milburn
Minister of State for the Cabinet Office
In office 29 May 2002 – 13 June 2003
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Barbara Roche
Succeeded by	David Miliband (2004)
Minister of State for e-Commerce and Competitiveness
In office 11 June 2001 – 29 May 2002
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Ian McCartney (1999)
Succeeded by	Stephen Timms

Shadow cabinet portfolios

2011–2015	Shadow Foreign Secretary
2010–2011	Work and Pensions Secretary
2010–2010	International Development Secretary

Member of Parliament
for Lothian East

Incumbent

Assumed office
4 July 2024

Preceded by

Kenny MacAskill

Majority

13,265 (27.7%)

Member of Parliament
for Paisley and Renfrewshire South
Paisley South (1997–2005)

In office
6 November 1997 – 30 March 2015

Preceded by

Gordon McMaster

Succeeded by

Mhairi Black

Personal details

Born

Douglas Garven Alexander

26 October 1967 (age 57)
Glasgow, Scotland

Political party

Labour Co-op

Relations

Wendy Alexander (sister)

Education

University of Edinburgh

Douglas Garven Alexander is a Scottish politician born on October 26, 1967. He is a member of the Labour Party and has held many important roles in the British government. Currently, he serves as the Secretary of State for Scotland, a position he took on September 5, 2025. He also held this role earlier from 2006 to 2007.

Douglas Alexander is a Member of Parliament (MP) for Lothian East since 2024. Before that, he was an MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South from 1997 to 2015. During his career, he served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Secretary of State for Transport, and Secretary of State for International Development under Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

Douglas Alexander: A Political Journey

Douglas Alexander: A Political Journey

Early Life and Education

Douglas Alexander was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father was a minister, and his mother was a doctor. He grew up in Bishopton and went to Park Mains High School. He joined the Labour Party when he was still a schoolboy in 1982.

In 1984, Douglas received a scholarship to study in Canada at the Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific. He then returned to Scotland to study politics and history at the University of Edinburgh. He also spent a year studying in the United States, where he worked for a Democratic senator. He finished his degree with top honors in 1990.

After university, Douglas worked as a speechwriter for Gordon Brown, who was a senior politician at the time. He later studied law at the University of Edinburgh and became a solicitor (a type of lawyer) in Scotland. He helped trade union members with legal issues.

Starting in Politics

Douglas Alexander first tried to become an MP in 1995 for the Perth and Kinross by-election. Although he didn't win, his strong performance caught the attention of party leader Tony Blair. He ran again in 1997 for the Perth constituency.

First Steps as an MP

In July 1997, the MP for Paisley South, Gordon McMaster, passed away. Douglas Alexander, who grew up nearby, was chosen to run in the special election. He was elected as the MP for Paisley South on November 6, 1997. He was re-elected in 2001 and again in 2005 for the new constituency of Paisley and Renfrewshire South.

In the 2015 general election, Douglas lost his seat to Mhairi Black, who was 20 years old at the time. This was a challenging election for the Labour Party in Scotland.

Serving as a Minister

After helping with the Labour Party's successful election campaign in 2001, Douglas Alexander was appointed as a Minister of State for e-Commerce and Competitiveness. This role was in the department that dealt with trade and industry.

From 2002 to 2003, he worked in the Cabinet Office, helping to manage government strategies. He was then promoted to Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in 2003. In 2004, he became the Minister of State for Trade.

Important Cabinet Roles

After the 2005 election, Douglas became the Minister of State for Europe. This meant he attended important government meetings with the Cabinet. He helped with important discussions about Europe's finances.

In May 2006, he took on two big jobs at once: Secretary of State for Transport and Secretary of State for Scotland. He was responsible for both transport across the UK and Scottish affairs. In 2007, when Gordon Brown became Prime Minister, Douglas was appointed Secretary of State for International Development. In this role, he worked with international organizations like the World Bank to help countries in need.

Alexander at the India Economic Summit, 2008

Working for the Labour Party

Douglas Alexander played a key role in many election campaigns. He helped plan the strategy for the first Scottish Parliament elections in 1999. He also coordinated Labour's successful 2001 General Election Campaign.

In 2010, he was the Labour Party's General Election Coordinator. He helped prepare Gordon Brown for the first televised debates. Later that year, he co-chaired David Miliband's campaign for the leadership of the Labour Party. He also led the election strategy for Ed Miliband's campaign in 2015.

Advocating for Fairness and Respect

Douglas Alexander has always spoken out against prejudice and for fairness. He is a supporter of the Jewish Labour Movement, a group that works for equality.

In 2011, he publicly criticized comments made about a British ambassador's religion. He stated that a diplomat's faith should not matter to their ability to do their job, calling such suggestions "wrong and offensive." He believes that everyone should be treated with respect, regardless of their background.

Alexander (right) in January 2014

Beyond Parliament: New Roles

After leaving Parliament in 2015, Douglas Alexander took on several academic roles. He was a fellow at Harvard University and the University of Chicago. He also taught as a visiting professor at New York University (Abu Dhabi) and King's College London.

He worked as a senior advisor to Bono, the musician, helping to secure investments to fight global poverty. He also joined a law firm as a strategic advisor.

Sharing Ideas Through Broadcasting

Douglas Alexander has also worked in broadcasting for BBC Radio 4. He wrote and presented several documentaries and series. These included "A Culture of Encounter" (2017), which explored how different groups in society interact. He also presented the "Belonging" series (2018), which looked at how people find a sense of belonging in modern society.

In 2020, he presented "A Guide to Disagreeing Better," which explored how people can have respectful discussions even when they have different opinions. Before the COP26 climate conference in 2021, he presented "Glasgow: Our Last Best Hope," a guide to the conference and its goals. In 2022, he presented "Connections," which looked at how recent global events affected people's relationships.

Back to Parliament

In December 2022, Douglas Alexander decided to return to politics. He applied to be the Labour candidate for East Lothian. He won the selection in February 2023 and was elected as the MP for the redrawn Lothian East constituency in July 2024.

Leading Scotland Again

After his return to Parliament, Douglas Alexander was appointed Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security on July 6, 2024. He also became Minister of State at the Cabinet Office on February 10, 2025.

On September 5, 2025, he was appointed to his current role as Secretary of State for Scotland. He succeeded Ian Murray in this important position.

Sharing Ideas and Publications

Douglas Alexander has written many articles for newspapers in the UK and USA, including The New York Times and The Guardian.

He has also contributed to and edited several books. These include "New Scotland New Britain" (1999), "Europe in a Global Age" (2005), and "Rethink: How We Can Make A Better World" (2021). This last book was a collection of essays from international figures, discussing how to build a better world after the pandemic.

Personal Life

Douglas Alexander is married to Jacqueline Christian, and they have a daughter and a son. His sister, Wendy Alexander, was also a politician and served in the Scottish Parliament. His father, a Church of Scotland minister, led the funeral service for Donald Dewar, Scotland's first First Minister.

He is a member of the Fabian Society, a group that promotes socialist ideas.

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