Douglas Alexander facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable Douglas Alexander MP
Official portrait, 2024
Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 July 2024
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
Ministerial offices 2001‍–‍2010 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 Scotland In office 6 May 2006 – 28 June 2007 Prime Minister Tony Blair Preceded by Alistair Darling Succeeded by Des Browne 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 (1967-10-26) 26 October 1967 (age 57) Glasgow, Scotland
Political party	Labour Co-op
Relations	Wendy Alexander (sister)
Education	University of Edinburgh

Douglas Garven Alexander (born 26 October 1967) is a British politician. He has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Lothian East since 2024. He was also an MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South from 1997 to 2015.

Douglas Alexander is a member of the Labour Party. He has held important roles in the government. These include Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Scottish Secretary, Transport Secretary, and International Development Secretary. He served under Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

He was first elected as an MP in 1997. In 2001, Tony Blair made him a Minister of State for e-Commerce. He then became Minister of State for the Cabinet Office from 2002 to 2003. In 2003, he was promoted to Minister for the Cabinet Office. He also became Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

In 2004, he was appointed Minister of State for Trade. After the 2005 election, he became Minister of State for Europe. He also joined the Privy Council and started attending cabinet meetings. In 2006, he became both the Scottish Secretary and the Transport Secretary. When Gordon Brown became Prime Minister in 2007, Alexander was appointed International Development Secretary.

After Labour lost the 2010 election, Alexander helped with David Miliband's campaign for party leader. When Ed Miliband became leader, Alexander joined the Shadow cabinet. He became the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. In 2011, he was appointed Shadow Foreign Secretary. In 2013, he led the Labour Party's election strategy. In the 2015 election, he lost his seat to Mhairi Black.

In 2022, Alexander decided to return to Parliament. He was chosen as the Labour candidate for East Lothian. He won the seat in July 2024. He was then appointed Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security.

Early Life and Education

Douglas Alexander was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on October 26, 1967. His father was a minister in the Church of Scotland. He spent most of his childhood in Bishopton.

He went to Park Mains High School in Erskine. He joined the Labour Party when he was a schoolboy in 1982. In 1984, he won a scholarship to study in Canada. There, he earned an International Baccalaureate Diploma.

He then returned to Scotland to study politics and history at the University of Edinburgh. He spent a year studying at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States. While in America, he worked for Michael Dukakis during the 1988 presidential election campaign. He also worked for a Democratic senator in Washington DC. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1990.

In 1990, Douglas worked for Gordon Brown, who was a key Labour politician. He wrote speeches and did research. He then studied law at the University of Edinburgh. He became a solicitor in Scotland in 1993. He worked for a law firm that helped trade union members.

Political Journey

Early Elections

In 1995, Douglas Alexander ran as a Labour candidate in the 1995 Perth and Kinross by-election. This was a special election to fill a vacant seat. He did well, pushing the Conservative candidate into third place. This result caught the attention of the Labour Party leader, Tony Blair.

He then ran in the 1997 United Kingdom general election for the Perth constituency. He increased Labour's share of the vote, but came in third.

Becoming an MP

Alexander was elected as the MP for Paisley South on November 6, 1997. In 2001, he was re-elected with more votes. After the 2005 election, he was re-elected for the new area of Paisley and Renfrewshire South. He was also promoted to Minister of State for Europe.

In the 2010 General Election, he was re-elected for Paisley and Renfrewshire South. However, in the 2015 election, he lost his seat to Mhairi Black. She was a 20-year-old from the Scottish National Party.

Government Roles

Alexander played an important part in Labour's campaign for the 2001 United Kingdom general election. After the election, Tony Blair appointed him Minister of State for e-Commerce. This role was in the Department of Trade and Industry.

In 2002, he moved to the Cabinet Office as Minister of State. He helped manage government strategy and the Civil Service. In 2003, he was promoted to Minister for the Cabinet Office. He also became Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. In 2004, he became Minister of State for Trade.

Cabinet Minister Positions

After the 2005 election, he became Minister of State for Europe. This meant he attended Cabinet meetings. He helped with important talks about the European Union budget. In 2005, he also became a member of the Privy Council.

On May 5, 2006, he was appointed Secretary of State for Transport and Secretary of State for Scotland. He replaced Alistair Darling. In August 2006, he helped lead the government's response to a major aircraft plot. He worked with police and intelligence agencies.

When Gordon Brown became Prime Minister in 2007, he appointed Douglas Alexander as Secretary of State for International Development. In this role, Alexander worked to help poorer countries. He also served as a governor for several international development banks.

Election Campaign Leadership

Alexander was key in the first Scottish Parliament elections in 1999. He helped create the campaign strategy. He also coordinated Labour's successful 2001 General Election Campaign. This led to Labour winning many seats in Parliament.

In 2003, Tony Blair appointed him to Labour's National Executive Committee. In 2010, Gordon Brown made him Labour's General Election Coordinator. He helped prepare Gordon Brown for the first televised leader debates. Later that year, he helped lead David Miliband's campaign for Labour Party leader. He also led Ed Miliband's strategy for the 2015 general election.

Return to Parliament

In December 2022, Douglas Alexander decided to try and return to Parliament. He applied to be the Labour candidate for East Lothian. He won the selection in February 2023. In July 2024, he was elected as the MP for the new Lothian East area. He then became Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security.

Life Outside Parliament

After leaving Parliament in 2015, Alexander became a Senior Fellow at Harvard University. He also taught as a visiting professor at the University of Chicago and New York University. He is currently a visiting professor at King's College London.

In 2015, he started working as a senior advisor to Bono, the singer. He helped secure money to fight global poverty. He also joined a law firm as a strategic advisor. He is still a member of the UK Privy Council. He is also a Council Member on the European Council of Foreign Relations. He is a Trustee of the Royal United Services Institute.

Broadcasting Work

Alexander has written and presented several programmes for BBC Radio 4.

• In 2017, he presented "A Culture of Encounter." This show explored what divides people in society.
• In 2018, he created the three-part "Belonging" series. This series looked at why people's sense of belonging has changed.
• In 2020, he presented "A Guide to Disagreeing Better." This programme explored why public discussions often become disrespectful.
• In 2021, he presented "Glasgow: Our Last Best Hope." This was a guide to the COP26 climate conference.
• In 2022, he presented "Connections." This show looked at whether recent crises brought people together or pushed them apart.

University of Edinburgh Role

In August 2021, Alexander was appointed to a role at the University of Edinburgh. He is a member of the university's highest governing body.

Personal Life

Douglas Alexander married Jacqueline Christian in 2000. They have a daughter and a son. His sister, Wendy Alexander, was also a politician. She was a Member of the Scottish Parliament until 2011. She also briefly led the Labour Party in the Scottish Parliament. His father conducted the funeral of Donald Dewar, the first First Minister of Scotland.