Junior ministerial offices

Minister of State for Europe
In office 9 June 1983 – 11 January 1986
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Douglas Hurd
Succeeded by	Lynda Chalker
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
In office 6 April 1982 – 9 June 1983
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	The Lord Trefgarne
Succeeded by	Ray Whitney
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
In office 7 May 1979 – 6 April 1982
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Frank McElhone
Succeeded by	John MacKay

Committee offices

Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee
In office 6 July 2010 – 24 February 2015
Preceded by	Kim Howells
Succeeded by	Dominic Grieve
Chair of the Standards and Privileges Committee
In office 1 December 2009 – 12 April 2010
Preceded by	David Curry
Succeeded by	Kevin Barron

Further offices held

Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
In office 6 May 2005 – 6 December 2005
Leader	Michael Howard
Preceded by	David Willetts
Succeeded by	Philip Hammond
Member of Parliament for Kensington Kensington and Chelsea (2005–2010)
In office 5 May 2005 – 30 March 2015
Preceded by	Michael Portillo
Succeeded by	Victoria Borwick
Member of Parliament for Edinburgh Pentlands
In office 28 February 1974 – 8 April 1997
Preceded by	Norman Wylie
Succeeded by	Lynda Clark

Personal details

Born

Malcolm Leslie Rifkind

21 June 1946 (age 79)
Edinburgh, Scotland

Political party

Conservative

Spouses

Edith Steinberg

(m. 1970; died 2019)

Jennifer (Sherrie) Bodie

(m. 2022)

Children

Caroline
Hugo

Alma mater

University of Edinburgh

Sir Malcolm Leslie Rifkind (born 21 June 1946) is a British politician. He was a very important government minister for many years. He worked in the cabinets of Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major from 1986 to 1997. Later, he led a special committee that looks after the UK's spy agencies from 2010 to 2015. He is also known for believing that Britain should work closely with other European countries.

Rifkind was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Edinburgh Pentlands from 1974 to 1997. During this time, he held several big jobs in the government. He was in charge of Scotland from 1986 to 1990, then the Defence Secretary from 1992 to 1995, and finally the Foreign Secretary from 1995 to 1997. In 1997, his party lost the election, and he lost his seat in Parliament.

He tried to get re-elected in 2001 but didn't win. Later, in 2005, he was elected as an MP for Kensington and Chelsea in London. He thought about becoming the leader of his party in 2005 but decided not to. In 2010, he became the Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament. This committee watches over the UK's spy agencies. He retired from Parliament in 2015. After leaving politics, he became a visiting professor at King's College, London and a distinguished fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. In 2016, he published his memoirs, Power and Pragmatism.

Early Life and Education
Becoming a Member of Parliament
After Parliament and Return
- Leadership Contest and Other Roles
- Leading the Intelligence and Security Committee
Personal Life
Other Roles and Memberships

Early Life and Education

Malcolm Rifkind was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. His family came to Britain from Lithuania in the 1890s. He went to George Watson's College and then studied law at the University of Edinburgh. He also got a special degree in political science. While at university, he traveled through the Middle East and India. He even appeared on the TV show University Challenge.

From 1967 to 1968, he worked as a lecturer in Rhodesia (now Harare). In 1970, he became a lawyer in Scotland and worked full-time until 1974. He was made a Queen's Counsel in 1985, which is a special title for experienced lawyers. He also joined the Privy Council in 1986, a group of important advisors to the Queen. Before becoming an MP, he was a member of the Edinburgh City Council from 1970 to 1974.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

Rifkind first tried to become an MP in 1970 but didn't win. He was elected to Parliament in 1974 for the Edinburgh Pentlands area. In 1975, when Margaret Thatcher became the leader of the Conservative Party, she made Rifkind a spokesman for Scottish affairs.

He later resigned from this role because he disagreed with his party's decision about a new Scottish Assembly. He believed the party should have supported the idea more. Even though he voted for the Assembly in a public vote, he changed his mind when the results showed Scotland was divided on the issue.

Working as a Junior Minister

Malcolm Rifkind served as a government minister for 18 years without a break. This is one of the longest times anyone has served continuously in Britain since the 1800s.

In 1979, he became a junior minister at the Scottish Office. He helped pass a law that allowed people living in council homes to buy them, which led to many more people owning their homes in Scotland. He also worked on local government and police matters.

In 1982, during the Falklands War, he moved to the Foreign Office. He became a Minister of State there in 1983. He was in charge of Britain's relationships with the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and Africa. He helped persuade Margaret Thatcher to change her approach to the Soviet Union. He was present when Thatcher first met Mikhail Gorbachev and decided she could "do business" with him.

Rifkind also supported the Solidarity movement in Poland. In 1984, he visited Poland and insisted on meeting with leaders of the banned Solidarity movement. This helped to pressure the Polish government to allow Solidarity and make political changes. He was later honored by the Polish government for his support.

Leading Scotland's Government Department

In 1986, Rifkind was promoted to the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Scotland. This meant he was the main minister in charge of Scotland. He was known for being a moderate voice and sometimes disagreed with Margaret Thatcher.

As Secretary of State for Scotland, he made big changes:

He privatized the Scottish electricity industry.
He created Scottish Homes to manage housing.
He also formed Scottish Natural Heritage to protect the environment.
He changed the Scottish Development Agency into Scottish Enterprise to involve more private businesses.

One of his biggest challenges was dealing with the unpopular "Poll Tax." He supported its introduction, but later admitted it was a big mistake. He also advised Margaret Thatcher to step down when she faced a leadership challenge in 1990.

In Charge of Transport

In 1990, John Major made him Secretary of State for Transport. One of his first tasks was to see the first connection between the French and British sides of the Channel Tunnel as it was being built.

He also worked on plans to privatize the railways. Rifkind believed that the railway tracks and the train operating companies should stay together. He thought this would make the railways work better. However, other government officials disagreed, and after he left the department, the tracks and train companies were separated, leading to the creation of Railtrack.

Leading the UK's Defence

Rifkind in 1993

After the 1992 election, Rifkind became Secretary of State for Defence. Even though he didn't have a military background, he strongly believed in having strong armed forces. He stopped plans to disband some army regiments.

In 1994, he had to deal with demands to cut the defence budget. He made a deal to find even more savings than asked. In return, he could use the extra money to buy new military equipment. This plan was called the "Front Line First Report" and was well-received. He also helped the UK buy cruise missiles from the United States.

One of the hardest problems he faced was Britain's involvement in the Bosnian War. Rifkind, like Prime Minister John Major, did not want British troops to fight in the war. However, he supported using British soldiers to protect aid convoys that were helping civilians. He disagreed with the American idea of "lift and strike," which would have involved bombing Bosnian Serbs.

Serving as Foreign Secretary

In the last years of John Major's government, Rifkind became the Foreign Secretary. This meant he was in charge of Britain's relationships with other countries. One of his first jobs was to lead a meeting about the war in Bosnia, which helped lead to a peace agreement.

He also spoke at the United Nations, asking for a rule that would stop terrorists from getting political asylum. He also pushed for global free trade. In the Middle East, he was the first British Foreign Secretary to support the idea of a Palestinian State. He also worked on the final negotiations with China about the transfer of Hong Kong. Rifkind also suggested creating a free trade area between Europe, the United States, and Canada.

After Parliament and Return

In the 1997 general election, Rifkind lost his seat in Parliament. This happened to all Conservative MPs in Scotland. He tried to win back his seat in 2001 but was unsuccessful. During this time, he remained active in politics and criticized the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

After 1997, he was offered a special title (a peerage) but turned it down. He was given a knighthood, becoming a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG), for his work as Foreign Secretary.

In 2005, he returned to Parliament as an MP for Kensington and Chelsea in London.

Leadership Contest and Other Roles

In 2005, after his party lost the general election, Rifkind considered running to be the leader of the Conservative Party. He gave a speech at the party conference, saying that Conservatives should be "pragmatic, sensitive, and moderate." However, he later decided to withdraw from the race and supported Kenneth Clarke.

In December 2005, he left the main Conservative team when David Cameron became the new leader. Rifkind said he only wanted to be the Shadow Foreign Secretary, but that job went to someone else. He remained a loyal and experienced member of the party.

Rifkind speaking in 2012

In 2008, he became a leading voice for the Global Zero movement, which works to get rid of all nuclear weapons. In 2010, he was appointed to a group of important people who advise the Commonwealth.

He was also the Chairman of the Standards and Privileges Committee in the House of Commons until 2010. In the 2010 election, he was elected as the MP for Kensington.

Leading the Intelligence and Security Committee

Rifkind became the Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) in 2010. He held this important job until 2015. As Chairman, he helped change the committee's powers. This allowed the ISC to demand information from spy agencies like MI5, MI6, and GCHQ, rather than just asking for it. The committee could also now oversee the actual operations of these agencies. During his time, the ISC held its first public meetings, including a live televised session with the heads of the spy agencies.

Rifkind supported the NATO military action in Libya and sending weapons to the rebels there.

Rifkind with American businessman Richard Burt, 2012

In 2013, Rifkind suggested that Britain might need to take military action in the Syrian civil war if the Syrian government used chemical weapons. He believed that if there was wide international agreement, action should be taken even without a UN Security Council approval.

In 2014, he spoke out against Russia's actions in Crimea (part of Ukraine). He said that Ukraine's forces showed "remarkable restraint." He called Western actions against Russia "pathetic" because they only affected a few people. Because of his strong criticism, Russia banned him from visiting the country. Rifkind said he was proud to be on such a list.

In November 2014, the ISC published a report on the murder of Lee Rigby. Rifkind criticized Facebook for not identifying threats and reporting them to authorities. He said that companies were "providing a safe haven for terrorists."

Personal Life

Rifkind married Edith Amalia Steinberg in London in 1970. They had two children, Caroline and Hugo Rifkind, who is a newspaper columnist. Edith Rifkind passed away in 2019. In 2022, Rifkind married Jennifer (Sherrie) Bodie. He is also a distant cousin of the late politician Leon Brittan and the music producer Mark Ronson.

Other Roles and Memberships

Sir Malcolm Rifkind has held many other important roles and is a member of various groups:

In 2020, he led an inquiry into the future of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London. The committee recommended that the Institute should continue and expand, which the University accepted.
He is a Visiting Professor at Department of War Studies, King's College London.
He is a Distinguished Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute.
He is Chairman of the Advisory Board for the UK National Committee on China.
He is a member of the Royal Company of Archers, which is the King's Bodyguard for Scotland.
He has received honorary degrees from several universities.
He has received special decorations from Poland and Lithuania for his support.

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