Editing David Steel (section)

==Political career==
{{BLP sources section|date=January 2023}}
After university, Steel worked for the Scottish Liberal Party, and then the [[BBC]], before being elected to the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] as the MP for [[Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles (UK Parliament constituency)|Roxburgh, Selkirk, and Peebles]] at the [[1965 Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles by-election|1965 by-election]], just before his 27th birthday, becoming the "[[Baby of the House]]". He represented this seat until 1983, when he was elected in [[Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale (UK Parliament constituency)|Tweeddale, Ettrick, and Lauderdale]], a new constituency covering much of the same territory. From 1966 to 1970, Steel was president of the British [[Anti-Apartheid Movement]] campaign.<ref>{{Cite news|url = http://www.actsa.org/Pictures/UpImages/AAM/Anti-Apartheid-News-WEB.pdf|title = Anti-Apartheid News Summer 2009 - ACTSA|date = Summer 2009|work = Anti-Apartheid News|access-date = 16 May 2014|page = 9|archive-date = 3 October 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121003025448/http://www.actsa.org/Pictures/UpImages/AAM/Anti-Apartheid-News-WEB.pdf|url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/12/anti-apartheid-movement-online-archive-south-africa |title=The Anti-Apartheid Movement goes online: a unique archive of the struggle |first=Jon|last=Henley|newspaper=The Guardian |date=13 March 2014 |access-date=25 July 2016}}</ref>

As an MP, Steel was responsible for introducing, as a [[Private member's bill]], the [[Abortion Act 1967]], and has argued for greater liberalisation of this legislation in recent years (see [[Abortion in the United Kingdom]]).<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bowditch|first1=Gillian|title=Why we need to rethink outdated laws on abortion|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/why-we-need-to-rethink-outdated-laws-on-abortion-vvptggkcd|work=The Sunday Times|date=17 January 2016|url-access=subscription }}</ref> He also became the Liberal Party's spokesman on employment, and, in 1970, its [[Chief Whip]].

===Leader of Liberal Party===
In 1976, following the downfall of [[Jeremy Thorpe]], and a short period in which [[Jo Grimond]] acted as caretaker leader, he won the Liberal leadership by a wide margin over [[John Pardoe]]. At only 38 years old, he was one of the youngest party leaders in British history. In March 1977, he led the Liberals into the "[[Lib–Lab pact]]". The Liberals agreed to support the Labour government, whose narrow majority since the [[October 1974 United Kingdom general election|general election in October 1974]] had been gradually eroded and left them as a minority government, in power, in return for a degree of prior consultation on policy. This pact lasted until August 1978.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/politics97/background/pastelec/ge79.shtml |title=BBC Politics 97 |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=3 May 1979 |access-date=19 September 2013}}</ref>

Steel was criticised, both then and since, for not driving a harder bargain. However, Steel's defenders contend that the continuing scandal surrounding Thorpe left the party in a very weak state to face an early general election, and Steel was wise to buy himself some time from Prime Minister [[James Callaghan]]. At the same time, the growing unpopularity of the Labour government impaired the Liberals' performance, and Steel's first election as leader, the [[1979 United Kingdom general election|1979 general election]], saw a net two-seat loss for the Liberals.

===SDP–Liberal Alliance===
In 1981, a group of Labour moderates left their party to form the [[Social Democratic Party (UK)|Social Democratic Party]]. They were joined by the former Labour deputy leader, Chancellor and Home Secretary [[Roy Jenkins]], who had previously had discussions with Steel about joining the Liberals. Under Jenkins' leadership, the SDP joined the Liberals in the [[SDP–Liberal Alliance]]. In its early days, the Alliance showed so much promise that for a time, it looked like the Liberals would be part of a government for the first time since 1945. Opinion polls were showing Alliance support as high as 50% by late 1981. Steel was so confident that he felt able to tell delegates at the Liberal Assembly that year: "Go back to your constituencies, and prepare for government."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3185313.stm | work=BBC News | title=Conference season's greatest hits | date=10 September 2003 | access-date=7 April 2010 | first=Ollie | last=Stone-Lee}}</ref> In the wake of the [[1981 Croydon North West by-election]], where Liberal candidate [[Bill Pitt (politician)|Bill Pitt]] came from third position to easily gain the Alliance's first by-election victory, Steel's reaction to the result was to state that his belief "that we are now unstoppable."<ref name="GH23October1981">{{cite news |last1=Parkhouse |first1=Geoffrey |title=Alliance triumph at Croydon |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19811023&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |access-date=13 January 2022 |work=The Glasgow Herald |date=23 October 1981 |page=1}}</ref>

Steel had genuine hopes at that stage that the Alliance would win the next general election and form a [[coalition]] government. However, the beginning of the [[Falklands War]] the following spring radically shifted the attitude of the electorate, and the Conservatives regained the lead in polls from the Alliance by a wide margin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.epolitix.com/latestnews/article-detail/newsarticle/top-ten-lib-dem-breakthrough-moments/ |title=Top Ten: Lib Dem 'breakthrough moments' |publisher=ePolitix.com |date=24 April 2010 |access-date=19 September 2013 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100512171830/http://www.epolitix.com/latestnews/article-detail/newsarticle/top-ten-lib-dem-breakthrough-moments/ |archive-date=12 May 2010 }}</ref> The Alliance secured more than 25% of the vote at the [[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983 general election]], almost as many votes as Labour. However, its support was spread out across the country, and was not concentrated in enough areas to translate into seats under the [[first past the post system]]. This left the Alliance with only 23 seats — 17 for the Liberals, and six for the SDP. Steel's dreams of a big political breakthrough were left unfulfilled.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/basics/4393313.stm | work=BBC News | title=1983: Thatcher triumphs again | date=5 April 2005}}</ref>

Shortly afterwards, the former Labour Foreign Secretary [[David Owen]] replaced Jenkins as leader of the SDP, and the troubled leadership of the "Two Davids" was inaugurated. It was never an easy relationship—Steel's political sympathies were well to the left of Owen's. Owen had a marked antipathy towards the Liberals, though he respected Steel's prior loyalty to his own party contrasting it with Jenkins' lack of interest in preserving the SDP's independence. The relationship was also mercilessly satirised by ''[[Spitting Image]]'' which portrayed Steel as a squeaky voiced midget, literally in the pocket of Owen. Steel has often stated that he feels this portrayal seriously damaged his image.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article346544.ece|title=Politicians beware! 'Spitting Image' set to return|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|first=Robert|last=Verkaik|date=20 February 2006|access-date=11 May 2010|location=London|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081122055748/http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article346544.ece|archive-date=22 November 2008}}</ref> This portrayal of Steel as weaker than Owen was also present in other satires, such as ''[[Private Eye]]''{{'}}s ''[[Battle for Britain (Private Eye)|Battle for Britain]]'' strip. The relationship finally fell apart during the [[1987 United Kingdom general election|1987 general election]] when the two contradicted each other, both on defence policy and on which party they would do a deal with in the event of a [[hung parliament]].

===Two parties merge===
[[File:DavidSteel1987 cropped.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Steel addressing the Liberal Party assembly in [[Harrogate]] on merger in 1987]]
Steel was convinced the answer to these difficulties was a single party with a single leader, and was the chief proponent of the 1988 merger between the Liberals and the SDP. He emerged victorious in persuading both parties to accept merger in the teeth of opposition from Owen and radical Liberals such as [[Michael Meadowcroft]], but badly mishandled the issuing of a joint policy document. Steel had often been criticised for a lack of interest in policy, and it appeared he had agreed to the document – drawn up by politically naive SDP advisers – without reading it. His colleagues rejected it immediately and demanded a redraft, fatally wounding his authority.

Steel was briefly joint interim leader of the Social and Liberal Democrats (as the new party was at first called) in the run-up to elections in which he did not stand, before becoming the party's foreign affairs spokesman. In 1989, he accepted an invitation from Italian Liberals to stand for the [[European Parliament]] in the [[1989 European Parliament election in Italy|1989 election]] as a Pan-European gesture, but was not elected.<ref>{{cite web |title=Europee 18/06/1989 |url=https://elezionistorico.interno.gov.it/index.php?tpel=E&dtel=18/06/1989&tpa=Y&tpe=I&lev0=0&levsut0=0&levsut1=1&es0=S&es1=S&ms=S&ne1=3&lev1=3 |website=Eligendo |access-date=2 May 2024 |language=Italian}}</ref>

Steel became President of the [[Liberal International]] in 1994, holding the office until 1996.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.liberalhistory.org.uk/item_single.php?item_id=18&item=biography |title=Liberal Democrat History Group |publisher=Liberalhistory.org.uk |access-date=11 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716021334/http://www.liberalhistory.org.uk/item_single.php?item_id=18&item=biography |archive-date=16 July 2010 }}</ref>

=== Life peerage and Scottish Parliament ===
Steel retired from the House of Commons at the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]] and was made a [[life peer]] as '''Baron Steel of Aikwood''', of [[Ettrick Forest]] in the [[Scottish Borders]], on 6 June 1997.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=54812 |date=20 June 1997 |page=7187}}</ref> He campaigned for [[Scottish devolution]], and in 1999 was elected to the [[Scottish Parliament]] as a Liberal Democrat [[Member of the Scottish Parliament|MSP]] for [[Lothians (Scottish Parliament electoral region)|Lothians]]. He became the first [[Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament|Presiding Officer]] (speaker) of the Scottish Parliament on 12 May 1999.<ref name="session1">{{cite web |url=http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msps/31929.aspx |title=Previous MSPs: Session 1 (1999-2003): Sir David Steel |date=8 April 2011 |publisher=[[Scottish Parliament]] |access-date=17 January 2015}}</ref>

In this role, he used the style "Sir David Steel", despite his peerage. He suspended his Liberal Democrat membership for the duration of his tenure as Presiding Officer, believing that the post, like the [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|Speaker]] of the UK House of Commons, should be strictly nonpartisan. All subsequent Presiding Officers have followed this practice.

Steel stepped down as an MSP when the parliament was dissolved for the [[2003 Scottish Parliament election|2003 election]], but remained as Presiding Officer until he had supervised the election of his successor [[George Reid (Scottish politician)|George Reid]] on 7 May of that year. He was appointed [[Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland]] in both 2003 and 2004.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

=== Cyril Smith child sex abuse scandal ===
On 14 March 2019, Steel was suspended by the Liberal Democrats after an admission that discussions he had conducted in 1979 with the then Liberal MP for Rochdale [[Cyril Smith]], at a time when Steel was leader of the Liberal Party, had led him to conclude that Smith had been a sexual abuser of children in the 1960s and that Steel nonetheless failed to instigate any assessment by the party of whether Smith was an on-going risk to children. [[Richard Scorer]], representing victims at the [[Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse]], called for him to be stripped of his peerage.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/mar/14/david-steel-faces-suspension-from-lib-dems-over-cyril-smith-revelation|title=David Steel suspended from Lib Dems over Cyril Smith revelation|first=Rajeev|last=Syal|newspaper=The Guardian |date=14 March 2019 |access-date=15 March 2019}}</ref> On 14 May 2019, the Liberal Democrats ruled that there were "no grounds for action" against Steel and reinstated him to party membership.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-48268104|title=Lib Dems find 'no grounds for action' against Sir David Steel|work= BBC News|date=14 May 2019 |access-date=16 August 2019}}</ref>

On 25 February 2020, Steel announced his resignation from the Liberal Democrats and subsequently his position as a member of the House of Lords, after admitting that during his leadership of the [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] he "assumed" that Smith had been a child abuser, and failed to investigate claims made by ''[[Private Eye]]'' against Smith, dating from before Smith was a party member.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-51634431 Former leader Lord Steel quits Liberal Democrats] ''BBC News'' 25 February 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2020</ref> This came about after the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse accused Steel of an "abdication of responsibility" over allegations against Smith. He retired officially from the House of Lords on 27 March 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Parliamentary career for Lord Steel of Aikwood - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament|url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/949/career|access-date=13 February 2021|website=members.parliament.uk|language=en}}</ref>