Menzies Campbell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Campbell of Pittenweem
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Official portrait, 2019
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| Chancellor of the University of St Andrews | |
| Assumed office 9 January 2006 |
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| Vice-Chancellor |
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| Preceded by | Kenneth Dover |
| Leader of the Liberal Democrats | |
| In office 2 March 2006 – 15 October 2007 |
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| Deputy | Vince Cable |
| President | Simon Hughes |
| Preceded by | Charles Kennedy |
| Succeeded by | Nick Clegg |
| Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats | |
| In office 12 February 2003 – 2 March 2006 |
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| Leader | Charles Kennedy |
| Preceded by | Alan Beith |
| Succeeded by | Vince Cable |
| Liberal Democrats Spokesperson for Defence | |
| In office 12 October 2017 – 21 August 2019 |
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| Leader | Sir Vince Cable Jo Swinson |
| Preceded by | The Baroness Jolly |
| Succeeded by | Jamie Stone |
| Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 7 May 1992 – 7 January 2006 |
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| Leader | Paddy Ashdown Charles Kennedy |
| Succeeded by | Michael Moore |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal |
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| Assumed office 13 October 2015 Life Peerage |
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| Member of Parliament for North East Fife |
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| In office 11 June 1987 – 30 March 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Barry Henderson |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Gethins |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Walter Menzies Campbell
22 May 1941 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Political party | Liberal (before 1988) Liberal Democrats (1988–present) |
| Spouse |
Elspeth Urquhart
(m. 1970; died 2023) |
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow Stanford University |
| Signature |  |
Walter Menzies Campbell, Baron Campbell of Pittenweem, often known as Ming Campbell, is a British politician and former athlete. He was born on 22 May 1941. He was a member of the Liberal Democrats political party.
Menzies Campbell was a Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Fife from 1987 to 2015. He also led the Liberal Democrats party from 2006 to 2007. Before his political career, he was a very fast runner. He held the British record for the 100-metre sprint for seven years. Since 2006, he has been the Chancellor of the University of St Andrews. In 2015, he became a member of the House of Lords, which is part of the UK Parliament.
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Early Life and Education
Menzies Campbell was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He went to Hillhead High School. After school, he studied at the University of Glasgow. He earned a Master of Arts degree in 1962 and a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1965. While at university, he was elected President of the Glasgow University Liberal Club in 1962. He also led the Glasgow University Union from 1964 to 1965.
Amazing Athletics Career
| Medal record | ||
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| Men's athletics | ||
Representing  Great Britain |
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| Summer Universiade | ||
| Gold | 1963 Porto Alegre | 4 x 400 m |
| Silver | 1967 Tokyo | 200 m |
| Silver | 1967 Tokyo | 4 x 400 m |
| Bronze | 1961 Sofia | 4 x 400 m |
| Bronze | 1965 Budapest | 200 m |
| Bronze | 1967 Tokyo | 4 x 100 m |
Menzies Campbell was a talented sprinter during his university days. In 1961, he broke a Scottish record for the 300 yards race that had stood for 53 years. He represented Great Britain at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. He competed in the 200 metres and the 4x100 metres relay.
He was also the captain of the Scotland team at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Jamaica. He captained the Great Britain athletics team in 1965 and 1966. Menzies Campbell held the British 100 metres record from 1967 to 1974. At one point, he was known as "the fastest white man on the planet." He ran the 100m in 10.2 seconds twice in 1967. In one of these races, he even beat O. J. Simpson, who was also a promising athlete. He won the British 220 yards championship twice.
Political Career
Menzies Campbell became a Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Fife in 1987. He served in this role until 2015.
Speaking for the Liberal Democrats
As the Liberal Democrats' spokesperson for foreign affairs, Menzies Campbell was a strong voice against the 2003 Iraq War. He believed the British government should share legal advice about the war. He also disagreed with Prime Minister Tony Blair's strong support for US President George W. Bush. Campbell felt that Britain's relationship with the United States should not mean always agreeing with them. He said that a friendship based on "my ally right or wrong" was not fair and could not last.
Leading the Liberal Democrats
On 7 January 2006, Menzies Campbell became the temporary leader of the Liberal Democrats. This happened after the previous leader, Charles Kennedy, resigned. Campbell then won the election to become the official leader on 2 March 2006. He won with 29,697 votes, beating Chris Huhne.
As leader, Campbell brought many younger MPs into important roles. This included Nick Clegg as the Home Affairs spokesperson and Jo Swinson as the Scotland spokesperson.
Challenges as Leader
Early on, some people criticized Campbell's performances during the weekly Prime Minister's Questions. However, he said he was confident in his role. He gained support during debates about "extraordinary rendition" (sending people to other countries for questioning) and the conflict in Lebanon.
Some polls in July 2006 suggested that more voters preferred the previous leader, Charles Kennedy. This led to more criticism of Campbell's leadership. However, Kennedy said he was not planning to challenge Campbell for the leadership.
In 2007, Menzies Campbell was invited to meet with Gordon Brown, who was then the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Brown later became Prime Minister. Brown surprised Campbell by suggesting that two Liberal Democrats join his government. After thinking about it, Campbell turned down the offer. He felt the two parties had too many differences, especially on foreign policy.
After much discussion, Gordon Brown announced in late 2007 that there would not be a general election that year. Following this, questions about Campbell's leadership came up again. Some in his party felt it was time for a younger leader. On 15 October 2007, Menzies Campbell announced he would step down as leader.
Stepping Down as Leader
Menzies Campbell resigned as leader of the Liberal Democrats on 15 October 2007. His deputy, Vince Cable, became the acting leader. Campbell was the first elected leader of the Liberal Democrats who did not lead the party into a general election.
After his resignation, Nick Clegg, who later became leader, said that Campbell had been unfairly treated because of his age. He called it "barely disguised ageism." The charity Age Concern also raised concerns about ageism in the media's coverage of Campbell in September 2006. They said that the media needed to change its views on older people.
Retirement from Parliament
On 9 October 2013, Menzies Campbell announced that he would not stand for election as an MP in the 2015 general election. He said it was time to start retiring from the House of Commons. Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader at the time, praised Campbell for his great service to the country and the party.
In October 2015, he became a life peer and a member of the House of Lords. This means he was given a title and a seat in the House of Lords for life. Campbell has said he believes the House of Lords should be mostly elected by the public.
Political Ideas
Menzies Campbell supported policies that would change how taxes are collected. He wanted to tax things that are bad for the environment more, and tax things like jobs less. He believed this would help lower-income people pay less tax.
His main interest was foreign policy. He strongly supported international groups like the European Union and the United Nations. However, he also believed these groups needed to improve. He thought the European Union should be more democratic. He also felt the United Nations needed better ways to deal with humanitarian crises around the world.
Campbell was critical of what he saw as too much military action by the Israeli Defence Force in Gaza and Lebanon. He argued that these actions made tensions worse and could lead to human rights problems. While he supported cooperation between the UK and the US, he felt that the relationship between George W. Bush and Tony Blair was too one-sided. He thought it hurt Britain's standing with other international groups.
He also stressed that the Liberal Democrats needed to support more women, disabled people, and people from ethnic minority backgrounds to become politicians.
In July 2007, Campbell proposed tax changes to shift the tax burden. He wanted lower and middle-income earners to pay less tax. He suggested cutting the basic rate of income tax from 20% to 16%. To make up for this, he wanted to close tax loopholes for high-earners and introduce larger green taxes on polluters. He said that it was unfair that the poorest people paid a higher percentage of their income in tax than the very rich. His goal was for "the rich and people with environmentally damaging lifestyles to pay a fairer share."
Menzies Campbell is a member of a group of UK politicians who support getting rid of nuclear weapons. In August 2018, he spoke at a rally for People's Vote. This group wanted the public to vote on the final Brexit deal between the UK and the European Union.
Personal Life
Menzies Campbell married Elspeth Urquhart in June 1970. Elspeth was the daughter of Major General Roy Urquhart. Menzies and Elspeth did not have children together, but Elspeth had a son from her first marriage. Lady Campbell passed away on 5 June 2023, at the age of 83.
Honours and Awards
Menzies Campbell has received many honours for his public and political service. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1987. He became a Privy Counsellor in 1999. In 2004, he was knighted, which means he received the title "Sir."
In 2013, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH). This is a very special honour. In October 2015, he was given a life peerage and became Baron Campbell of Pittenweem.
He also has honorary degrees from the University of Glasgow and the University of Strathclyde. Since 2006, he has been the Chancellor of the University of St Andrews. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree when he was installed as Chancellor on 22 April 2006.
