John McFall, Baron McFall of Alcluith

The Right Honourable The Lord McFall of Alcluith PC
Official portrait, 2022
Lord Speaker of the House of Lords
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 May 2021
Monarchs	Elizabeth II Charles III
Deputy	The Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Preceded by	The Lord Fowler
Senior Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords
In office 1 September 2016 – 30 April 2021
Lord Speaker	The Lord Fowler
Preceded by	The Lord Laming (as Chairman of Committees)
Succeeded by	The Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Chairman of the Treasury Select Committee
In office 18 July 2001 – 6 May 2010
Preceded by	Giles Radice
Succeeded by	Andrew Tyrie
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
In office 28 July 1998 – 2 December 1999
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Tony Worthington
Succeeded by	Vacant
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
In office 8 May 1997 – 28 July 1998
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Chancellor	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Bowen Wells
Succeeded by	Jane Kennedy
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 July 2010 Life peerage
Member of Parliament for West Dunbartonshire Dumbarton (1987–2005)
In office 11 June 1987 – 12 April 2010
Preceded by	Ian Campbell
Succeeded by	Gemma Doyle
Personal details
Born	(1944-10-04) 4 October 1944 Glasgow, Scotland
Political party	None
Other political affiliations	Labour Co-op (until 2016) Non-affiliated (2016–2021)
Spouse	Joan Ward
Children	4
Alma mater	University of Strathclyde Open University

John Francis McFall, Baron McFall of Alcluith PC (born 4 October 1944), is a Scottish politician and life peer who has served as Lord Speaker, the presiding officer of the House of Lords, since 2021. He was a member of Parliament for the Labour and Co-operative Party from 1987 to 2010, first for Dumbarton and then from 2005 for West Dunbartonshire. He also served as Chairman of the House of Commons Treasury Committee. Following his appointment to the House of Lords, McFall served as Senior Deputy Speaker from 2016 to 2021 before succeeding Baron Fowler as Lord Speaker.

Early life

McFall went to a boys' school, St Patrick's Secondary School (since merged with Notre Dame High School to form Our Lady & St Patrick's High School), on Hawthornhill Road in Castlehill, Dumbarton, leaving without any qualifications at 15. His father was a school caretaker and his mother had a newsagents shop, which sparked his (later) interest in how to run businesses. He worked for the local Parks Department in Dumbarton and then in a factory.

At the age of 24, he studied at Paisley College of Technology (now the University of the West of Scotland) receiving a BSc in chemistry. In 1977, he wanted to widen his knowledge away from science and obtained a BA from the Open University in education and philosophy. He was a chemistry and maths teacher from 1974 to 1987 in Dumbarton, Kirkintilloch and Glasgow, becoming a deputy-head in Glasgow and secretary of his Constituency Labour Party before he entered Parliament. Whilst a teacher he completed a part-time course over three years at the University of Strathclyde for an MBA. In 1994, he became a visiting professor at Strathclyde University Business School, and now is a member of the Strategic Advisory Board at the University of Glasgow Business School. He is a member of the GMB Union.

Political career

He was first elected for the Dumbarton constituency, Scotland, at the 1987 general election, after the previous MP, Ian Campbell retired. His original majority was a little over 2,000. Dumbarton constituency was replaced with the new West Dunbartonshire constituency for the 2005 general election, which McFall won with a majority over 12,500.

In 1995 he introduced a private member's bill, the Wild Mammals (Protection) Bill which, although unsuccessful, informed the Hunting Act 2004 outlawing the hunting of mammals by dogs in England and Wales.

He was a whip and junior minister (for Education, Training and Employment, Health and Community Relations, then in 1999 for Economy and Education) at the Northern Ireland Office from 1998 to 1999.

In 2001 he was appointed Chair of the Treasury Select Committee, and reappointed for a second term in this position in 2005. The committee conducted inquiries into the banking crisis, producing evidence of the bonus culture, the lack of banking qualifications among many top bankers and poor oversight of the industry by the Financial Services Authority.

On 29 January 2010, McFall announced his intention to stand down as an MP at the 2010 general election.

House of Lords

McFall enrobed at the coronation in 2023

On 17 June 2010, he was created a life peer as Baron McFall of Alcluith, of Dumbarton in Dunbartonshire, and was introduced in the House of Lords on 6 July 2010.

He was the Vice-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Overseas Development (Apgood).

In July 2016, he was appointed as Chairman of Committees of the House of Lords with effect from 1 September 2016. He was known as Senior Deputy Speaker while holding the office.

In the 2021 Lord Speaker election, McFall was elected as Lord Speaker, succeeding Lord Fowler.

In 2023 he suggested the House of Lords needs more independent, expert peers. Lord McFall stated he was making no direct criticism of recent peerage choices, but the upper house was in danger of becoming "out of sync" with its balance of legislators. McFall plans to meet Rishi Sunak to lift a cap limiting the number of new, non-party expert peers that can be created by the House of Lords Appointments Commission, currently set at a maximum of two a year.

Other activities

He was Chair of the Scotch Whisky and Spirits All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) and of the Royal Navy APPG.

He was Chairman of Strathleven Regeneration Company and of Clydebank re-built, two development companies based in his constituency.

He gave his backing to Dumpster Kids, a not-for-profit organisation aimed at rescuing abandoned children, in January 2011.

Since 2023, he routinely hosts the House of Lords themed podcast Lord Speaker's Corner, which features him discussing peership and other political topics with fellow Lords in Parliament.

Personal life

McFall's family lived in Bellsmyre, Dumbarton, where he met and married Joan Ward. They have three sons and a daughter.

Publications

• Workplace Retirement Income Commission, Building a Strong, Stable and Transparent Pension System: Final Report (August 2011)

See also

• 2008 United Kingdom bank rescue package

External links

• Official Website Archived 8 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine
• Guardian Unlimited Politics – Ask Aristotle: John McFall MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com – John McFall MP
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John McFall
• Treasury Select Committee

News items

• 4 May 2008 – Treasury hard man is really a softy at heart
• 19 April 2008 – John McFall urges clarity on tax rates
• 7 April 2008 – Government must gauge effect of winter heating payments on fuel poverty
• 10 March 2008 – Added value Archived 14 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
• 5 March 2008 – Helping people back into work
• 3 March 2008 – Banks "refused to believe the good times were about to end"
• Telegraph interview December 2007
• Criticising banks in 2006 for being unsympathetic
• Advising that bank ATMs should explicitly mention charges in 2005
• Little praise for the savings industry in 2004
• High credit card charges in 2003
• Confusing bank charges in 2002
• New Economy minister in Northern Ireland in 1999
• Wanting lifelong learning in Northern Ireland in 1998

Video clips

• John McFall, Baron McFall of Alcluith's channel on YouTube