Editing Michael Ancram

{{Short description|British politician and peer (1945–2024)}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix  = [[The Most Honourable]]
| name              = The Marquess of Lothian
| image             = Official portrait of The Marquess of Lothian crop 2.jpg
| caption           = Official portrait, 2019
| honorific-suffix  = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|PC|KC|DL}}
| office            = [[Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party (UK)|Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party]]
| leader            = {{ubl|[[Iain Duncan Smith]]|[[Michael Howard]]}}
| term_start        = 18 September 2001
| term_end          = 6 December 2005
| predecessor       = [[Peter Lilley]] (1999){{efn|Office vacant between 15 June 1999 and 18 September 2001.}}
| successor         = ''Office not in use''{{efn|[[William Hague]] subsequently served as [[Senior Member of the Shadow Cabinet]].}}
| office1           = [[Chairman of the Conservative Party]]
| leader1           = [[William Hague]]
| term_start1       = 2 December 1998
| term_end1         = 18 September 2001
| predecessor1      = [[Cecil Parkinson]]
| successor1        = [[David Davis (British politician)|David Davis]]
{{Collapsed infobox section begin|last = yes|[[Shadow cabinet]] posts
| titlestyle        = border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder
| embed             = yes
| office5           = [[Shadow Secretary of State for Defence]]
| leader5           = Michael Howard
| term_start5       = 10 May 2005
| term_end5         = 6 December 2005
| predecessor5      = [[Nicholas Soames]]
| successor5        = [[Liam Fox]]
| office6           = [[Shadow Foreign Secretary]]
| leader6           = {{ubl|Iain Duncan Smith|Michael Howard}}
| term_start6       = 18 September 2001
| term_end6         = 10 May 2005
| predecessor6      = [[Francis Maude]]
| successor6        = Liam Fox
| office7           = [[Shadow Cabinet of William Hague|Shadow Constitutional Affairs Spokesperson]]
| leader7           = William Hague
| term_start7       = 19 June 1997
| term_end7         = 1 June 1998
| predecessor7      = {{ubl|William Hague|Michael Howard}}
| successor7        = Liam Fox
{{collapsed infobox section end}}
}}
{{Collapsed infobox section begin|last = yes|Ministerial offices
| titlestyle        = border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder
| embed             = yes
| office2           = [[Minister of State for Northern Ireland]]
| primeminister2    = [[John Major]]
| term_start2       = 11 January 1994
| term_end2         = 2 May 1997
| predecessor2      = [[Robert Atkins (politician)|Robert Atkins]]
| successor2        = [[Adam Ingram (Labour politician)|Adam Ingram]]
| office3           = [[Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland]]
| primeminister3    = John Major
| term_start3       = 27 May 1993
| term_end3         = 11 January 1994
| predecessor3      = [[Jeremy Hanley]]
| successor3        = [[Tim Smith (British politician)|Tim Smith]]
| office4           = [[Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland]]
| primeminister4    = [[Margaret Thatcher]]
| term_start4       = 13 June 1983
| term_end4         = 14 June 1987
| predecessor4      = [[Alexander Fletcher (British politician)|Alex Fletcher]]
| successor4        = [[James Douglas-Hamilton]]
{{collapsed infobox section end}}
}}
{{Collapsed infobox section begin|last = yes|Parliamentary offices
| titlestyle        = border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder
| embed             = yes
| office8           = [[Member of the House of Lords]]
| status8           = [[Lord Temporal]]
| termlabel8        = [[Life peer]]age
| term_start8       = 22 November 2010
| term_end8         = 1 October 2024
| predecessor8      = 
| successor8        = 
| parliament9       = United Kingdom
| constituency_MP9  = [[Devizes (UK Parliament constituency)|Devizes]]
| term_start9       = 9 April 1992
| term_end9         = 12 April 2010
| predecessor9      = [[Charles Morrison]]
| successor9        = [[Claire Perry]]
| constituency_MP10 = [[Edinburgh South (UK Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh South]]
| term_start10      = 3 May 1979
| term_end10        = 18 May 1987
| predecessor10     = [[Michael Hutchison (politician)|Michael Hutchison]]
| successor10       = [[Nigel Griffiths]]
| constituency_MP11 = [[Berwick and East Lothian]]
| term_start11      = 28 February 1974
| term_end11        = 20 September 1974
| predecessor11     = [[John Mackintosh (Scottish politician)|John Mackintosh]]
| successor11       = John Mackintosh
{{collapsed infobox section end}}
}}
| birthname         = Michael Andrew Foster Jude Kerr
| birth_date        = {{birth date|1945|7|7|df=y}}
| birth_place       = London, England
| death_date        = {{death date and age|2024|10|1|1945|7|7|df=y}}
| death_place       = 
| party             = [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
| spouse            = {{marriage|[[Jane Kerr, Marchioness of Lothian|Lady Jane Fitzalan-Howard]]|1975}}
| children          = 3
| parents           = {{ubl|[[Peter Kerr, 12th Marquess of Lothian|The 12th Marquess of Lothian]]|[[Antonella Kerr, Marchioness of Lothian|Antonella Newland]]}}
| relatives         = [[Nick Hurd]] (son-in-law)
| alma_mater        = {{ubl|[[Christ Church, Oxford]]|[[University of Edinburgh]]}}
}}

'''Michael Andrew Foster Jude Kerr, 13th Marquess of Lothian, Baron Kerr of Monteviot''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|PC|KC|DL}} (7 July 1945 – 1 October 2024), commonly known as '''Michael Ancram''', was a British politician and peer who served as [[Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party (UK)|Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party]] from 2001 to 2005. He was formerly styled '''Earl of Ancram''' until he inherited [[Marquess of Lothian|the marquessate]] in 2004, upon the death of his father.

Born in London and educated at [[Ampleforth College]], Ancram studied History at [[Christ Church, Oxford]], and read Law at the [[University of Edinburgh]]. After graduating from Edinburgh, he was called to the [[Scottish Bar]] and practised as an [[Advocate (Scotland)|advocate]] before entering politics. He unsuccessfully contested [[West Lothian (UK Parliament constituency)|West Lothian]] in [[1970 United Kingdom general election|1970]], but was elected as [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Berwick and East Lothian]] at the [[February 1974 United Kingdom general election|February 1974 general election]] and served until he lost the seat in [[October 1974 United Kingdom general election|the election]] held in October of that year. He re-entered Parliament in [[1979 United Kingdom general election|1979]], representing [[Edinburgh South (UK Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh South]] until his defeat in [[1987 United Kingdom general election|1987]]. During this time, he served as a minister at the [[Scotland Office]] in [[Margaret Thatcher]]'s government.

After being elected to represent [[Devizes (UK Parliament constituency)|Devizes]] at the [[1992 United Kingdom general election|1992 general election]], Ancram served at the [[Northern Ireland Office]] in [[John Major]]'s government. When Major was defeated at the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]], the Conservatives entered opposition and Ancram became [[Chairman of the Conservative Party]] under [[William Hague]] in 1998, having previously covered constitutional affairs in the [[Shadow Cabinet of William Hague|Shadow Cabinet]]. This was followed by a period as deputy party leader under [[Iain Duncan Smith]] and [[Michael Howard]], during which time he served in the Shadow Cabinet as [[shadow foreign secretary]] and [[shadow defence secretary]] respectively.

==Early life and career==
Ancram was born in London and is the elder son and second child of [[Peter Kerr, 12th Marquess of Lothian]], and his wife [[Antonella Kerr, Marchioness of Lothian|Antonella]].<ref name="Official Website">{{cite web |url=http://www.michaelancram.com/biography.aspx |archive-url=https://archive.today/20051228030954/http://www.michaelancram.com/biography.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 December 2005 |work=MichaelAncram.com |title=Biography |access-date=9 September 2013 }}</ref> He was educated at [[Ampleforth College]] in [[North Yorkshire]]. He graduated as a [[Bachelor of Arts]] in History from [[Christ Church, Oxford]], in 1966, later by convention converted to a [[Master of Arts (Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin)|Master of Arts]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=VOTE 2001 {{!}} CANDIDATES {{!}} Michael Ancram|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/vote2001/candidates/candidates/1/18701.stm|access-date=2020-07-21|website=BBC News}}</ref> While at Oxford, he was a member of the [[Bullingdon Club]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://imageshack.us/scaled/landing/841/bullcr.jpg |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102234343/http://imageshack.us/scaled/landing/841/bullcr.jpg |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-11-02 |title=Bullingdon Club 1966 |access-date=2016-03-28}}</ref> In 1968, he gained a [[Bachelor of Laws]] (LLB) degree from the [[University of Edinburgh]].<ref name=":0" /> He was called to the [[Scottish Bar]] in 1970 and began to practise as an advocate.<ref name=":1" />

==Political career==
===Member of Parliament===
Ancram unsuccessfully contested the [[West Lothian (UK Parliament constituency)|West Lothian]] parliamentary seat in [[1970 United Kingdom general election|1970]]. He was first elected to [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]] in the [[February 1974 United Kingdom general election|February 1974 general election]], when he contested and won the seat of [[Berwick and East Lothian (UK Parliament constituency)|Berwick and East Lothian]], but lost the seat in the [[October 1974 United Kingdom general election|October election]] of the same year. After losing his seat, he again took up legal practice.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=http://www.thepoliticalparties.com/UK_Political_Parties/Conservative_Parties/Conservative_MPs_Parties/MP_Michael_Ancram/337919-38540.html|title=MP Michael Ancram|work=UK Political Parties Directory|access-date=27 November 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717022434/http://www.thepoliticalparties.com/UK_Political_Parties/Conservative_Parties/Conservative_MPs_Parties/MP_Michael_Ancram/337919-38540.html|archive-date=17 July 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Ancram re-entered Parliament at the [[1979 United Kingdom general election|1979 election]] as the Member of Parliament for [[Edinburgh South (UK Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh South]], beating future Prime Minister [[Gordon Brown]]. He was a member of the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] Energy [[Select committee (United Kingdom)|Select Committee]] between 1979 and 1983, and Chairman of the [[Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party]] from 1980 to 1983. He was [[Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State]] at the [[Scottish Office]] with responsibility for [[Home Affairs]], [[Housing]], Local Government, Rating Reform and the [[Natural environment|Environment]] from 1983 until 1987. He lost his seat again at the [[1987 United Kingdom general election|1987 general election]], being one of several prominent Conservatives [[1987 United Kingdom general election in Scotland|defeated in Scotland in that contest]].<ref name="GH12June87p1story2">{{cite news |last1=Clark |first1=William |title=Labour gains raise the Doomsday issue |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19870612&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |access-date=28 April 2021 |work=The Glasgow Herald |date=12 June 1987 |page=1}}</ref>

After losing his seat in 1987, Ancram returned to Parliament at the [[1992 United Kingdom general election|1992 general election]] representing [[Devizes (UK Parliament constituency)|Devizes]]. He was a member of the [[Public Accounts Committee (United Kingdom)|Public Accounts Committee]] and Chairman of the backbench [[Constitutional Affairs Committee]] from 1992 until May 1993, when he was appointed [[Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State]] at the [[Northern Ireland Office]]. He was promoted to [[Minister of State]] at the Northern Ireland Office in January 1994, and was sworn as a [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Councillor]] in January 1996.

===Shadow Cabinet and failed leadership bid===
Following the Conservatives' defeat at the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 election]], Ancram served in the [[Shadow Cabinet]] as [[Shadow Cabinet of William Hague|Shadow Constitutional Affairs Spokesperson]] from June 1997 to June 1998. He then served as [[Chairman of the Conservative Party]] from December 1998 to September 2001.

In 2001, he ran against [[Iain Duncan Smith]], [[Michael Portillo]], [[Kenneth Clarke]] and [[David Davis (British politician)|David Davis]] in [[2001 Conservative Party leadership election|the election for the party leadership]]. In the first poll of Conservative MPs he and [[David Davis (British politician)|David Davis]] were tied for last place, leading to a re-run in which Ancram was placed bottom. He was eliminated, and Davis withdrew. Both swung their support behind [[Iain Duncan Smith]], who went on to win, beating Clarke in the final vote of party members. Duncan Smith made Ancram Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party and [[Shadow Foreign Secretary]] in September 2001. He remained in this position after [[Michael Howard]] took over in 2003.

In the reshuffle following the [[2005 United Kingdom general election|2005 election]], Ancram was moved to [[Shadow Secretary of State for Defence]] but remained deputy leader. He stood down from the Shadow Cabinet in December 2005, following the election of [[David Cameron]] as Conservative Party Leader.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=news.story.page&obj_id=125517 |title=Ancram to stand down from Shadow Cabinet |date=4 October 2005 |access-date=1 November 2006 |work=Conservative Party |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060418235701/https://www.conservatives.com/tile.do?def=news.story.page&obj_id=125517 |archive-date=18 April 2006 }}</ref> In January 2006 he was appointed to the [[Intelligence and Security Committee]], replacing [[James Arbuthnot]].

===Later years as an MP===
Ancram was a founding signatory in 2005 of the [[Henry Jackson Society]] principles, advocating a proactive approach to the spread of [[liberal democracy]] across the world, including when necessary by military intervention. On 21 April 2006 he became one of the first senior Conservative MPs to call for British troops to withdraw from [[Iraq]], saying it was effectively in a state of civil war and that "It is time now for us to get out of Iraq with dignity and honour while we still can."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4929180.stm|title=Tory MP urges Iraq troop pull-out|date=21 April 2006|access-date=1 November 2006|work=BBC News}}</ref>

In 2006, Ancram set up [[Global Strategy Forum]], a bi-partisan foreign affairs [[think tank]] based in London.

From 2008 to 2013, Ancram was chair of foreign policy forum [[Le Cercle]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ancram |first=Michael |date=21 February 2012 |title=Le Cercle |url=https://isgp-studies.com/organisations/Cercle/2012-02-21-le-cercle-pinay-document.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528014351/https://isgp-studies.com/organisations/Cercle/2012-02-21-le-cercle-pinay-document.pdf |archive-date=28 May 2023}}</ref>

Ancram was a founder member of the [[Top Level Group|Top Level Group of UK Parliamentarians for Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament and Non-proliferation]],<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/sep/08/nuclear-disarmament-cross-party-group | location=London | work=The Guardian | title=Nuclear-free world ultimate aim of new cross-party pressure group | first=Julian | last=Borger | date=8 September 2009}}</ref> established in October 2009.

On 11 August 2009, Ancram announced that he was to stand down as the MP for [[Devizes (UK Parliament constituency)|Devizes]] at the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 general election]] due to heart problems.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/6009691/Michael-Ancram-to-stand-down-as-MP.html |title=Michael Ancram to stand down as MP |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |date=11 August 2009| first=Rosa | last=Prince | access-date=12 May 2010}}</ref> He retired when Parliament was dissolved on 12 April 2010; his successor as Conservative member for the Devizes constituency was [[Claire Perry]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/politics_show/regions/west/8346502.stm | work=BBC News | title=Claire Perry chosen for Devizes | date=6 November 2009 | access-date=12 May 2010}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Ancram married [[Jane Kerr, Marchioness of Lothian|Lady Jane Fitzalan-Howard]], the fourth daughter of [[Bernard Fitzalan-Howard, 16th Duke of Norfolk|the 16th Duke of Norfolk]], who on 7 April 2017 succeeded as the 16th [[Lady Herries of Terregles]]. They were both prominent [[Roman Catholic]]s. She is a Patron of the Right to Life Trust<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.righttolifetrust.org.uk/patrons-trustees |title=Patrons and Trustees &#124; RTLCT |access-date=22 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425051506/http://www.righttolifetrust.org.uk/patrons-trustees |archive-date=25 April 2012 }}</ref> and also a patroness of the [[Royal Caledonian Ball]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Patronesses|url=http://www.royalcaledonianball.com/ball_details/patronesses|publisher=Royal Caledonian Ball|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014035226/http://www.royalcaledonianball.com/ball_details/patronesses|archive-date=14 October 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The couple had three daughters and two grandchildren:

*Sarah Margaret Kerr (born and died 13 June 1976)
*Lady Clare Therese Kerr (25 January 1979) married in August 2010 [[The Right Honourable]] [[Nick Hurd]], son of [[Douglas Hurd|Lord Hurd of Westwell]]. Lady Clare is the heiress presumptive to her mother’s Scottish peerage.  They have two children:
**Leila Rose Hurd (17 May 2012)
**Caspar Jamie Hurd (30 September 2014)
*Lady Mary Kerr (28 May 1981), who directed the award winning documentary ''Radioman'' (2012).<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bradshaw|first=Peter|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/oct/11/radioman-review|title=Radioman – review|date=2012-10-11|work=The Guardian|access-date=2020-04-03|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077 |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/11/robin-williams-poses-with-homeless-lookalike|title=Robin Williams Poses With Radioman, His Once Homeless Lookalike|last=Abbey|first=Jennifer|website=ABC News|language=en|date=November 9, 2012|access-date=April 3, 2020}}</ref> She married Zackary Adler on 28 May 2016.

Ancram's younger sister, Lady Cecil Cameron [[Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire|OBE]], married [[Donald Angus Cameron of Lochiel]], the Chief of [[Clan Cameron]]. Another sister, the former Lady Clare Kerr, is now Dowager Countess of Euston and mother of the [[12th Duke of Grafton]].

Ancram was a keen [[country music]] fan and often played [[acoustic guitar]] at Conservative Party conferences.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1400263.stm|title=Ancram, the emollient earl|work=BBC News|date=21 June 2001|access-date=27 November 2010}}</ref> He was a [[knight]] of [[Order of Saint John (chartered 1888)|Order of St John]] and [[Order of Saint Lazarus (statuted 1910)|Order of St Lazarus]]; he was also made a [[Freedom of the City|Freeman]] of [[Gibraltar]] in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/new/sites/default/files/Press%20archives/Press%20Releases/2010/131-2010.pdf |title=Press Release : Freedom of the City |website=Gibraltar.gov.gi |access-date=2016-03-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.panorama.gi/localnews/headlines.php?action=view_article&article=7013&offset= |title=Freedom of the City for two friends |website=Panorama.gi |access-date=2016-03-28}}</ref>

He was appointed a [[Deputy lieutenant]] for [[Roxburgh, Ettrick and Lauderdale]] in 1990.{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}} He became a [[Queen's Counsel]] (QC) in 1996.<ref>{{cite news|date=27 November 1999|title=Profile: Michael Ancram – The next leader of the Tories?|newspaper=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/profile-michael-ancram--the-next-leader-of-the-tories-1128882.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/profile-michael-ancram--the-next-leader-of-the-tories-1128882.html |archive-date=12 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=27 November 2010}}</ref>

A member of the [[House of Lords]] from 2010, he was the only [[marquess]] sitting in the chamber at the time of his death. Ancram was hereditary [[Scottish clan chief|Chief]] of the Scottish [[Clan Kerr]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Kerr|url=http://clanjames.com/kerr.htm|access-date=2016-03-28|website=Clanjames.com}}</ref>

===Death===
Ancram died from a short illness on 1 October 2024, at the age of 79.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Craig |title=Tory stalwart Michael Ancram dies aged 79 after short illness |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24623275.tory-stalwart-michael-ancram-dies-aged-79-short-illness/ |access-date=1 October 2024 |publisher=The Herald |date=1 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Michael Ancram, Tory grandee who as Northern Ireland minister met republican politicians face-to-face |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2024/10/01/michael-ancram-conservative-northern-ireland-ira-peace/ |access-date=1 October 2024 |publisher=The Telegraph |date=1 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Langdon |first=Julia |date=2024-10-02 |title=Michael Ancram obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/oct/02/michael-ancram-obituary |access-date=2024-10-07 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> He was succeeded by his brother, Ralph Kerr, as the 14th Marquess of Lothian.

==Name and titles==
Although his family name was Kerr, Michael Ancram was known from birth by the [[Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom|courtesy title]] [[Earl of Ancram]] as elder son and [[heir apparent]] of the [[12th Marquess of Lothian]]. He is said to have dropped the use of this title in favour of plain ''Mr Michael Ancram'' after becoming a lawyer, supposedly because he believed it might confuse the jury if any judge were to have addressed him as "My Lord".<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1312325/Ancram-offers-healing-hands-to-Tories.html | title=Ancram offers healing hands to Tories | date=27 June 2001 | author=Rachel Sylvester and George Jones | work=Daily Telegraph | access-date=1 November 2006}}</ref>

Ancram was known to many of his friends as ''Crumb'', a nickname attributed to a party in the sixties at which on arrival Ancram introduced himself as "Lord Ancram" and was duly announced as "Mr Norman Crumb".<ref name="Official Website" />

Ancram became [[Marquess of Lothian]] upon his father's death in October 2004, but did not take up use of this title in public life whilst still sitting as an MP (although properly he should have ceased being styled by the courtesy title of ''Earl of Ancram''). The [[House of Lords Act 1999]] meant that, on acceding to the peerage, he was not disqualified from sitting in the House of Commons as [[hereditary peer]]s no longer have an automatic right to sit in the House of Lords. Apart from [[Irish peers]], he was, after the [[John Sinclair, 3rd Viscount Thurso|Viscount Thurso]], and [[Douglas Hogg, 3rd Viscount Hailsham|Viscount Hailsham]], the third person to have sat in the House of Commons while simultaneously being a hereditary peer.

Ancram was created a [[life peer]] on 22 November 2010 as '''Baron Kerr of Monteviot''', ''of [[Monteviot]] in [[Roxburghshire]]'',<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=59614 |date=25 November 2010 |page=22705}}</ref> and was [[Introduction (House of Lords)|introduced]] in the [[House of Lords]] the same day;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/minutes/101123/ldordpap.htm#minproc |title=House of Lords Business |website=Publications.parliament.uk |access-date=2016-03-28}}</ref> by custom, he was referred to by his senior title as ''The Marquess of Lothian'' during all parliamentary business and in other official records such as ''[[Hansard]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/michael-ancram/25776 |title=Marquess of Lothian |work=UK Parliament website |access-date=27 November 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203034544/http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/michael-ancram/25776 |archive-date=3 December 2010 }}</ref>

As the Kerr family titles cannot pass through the female line, his younger brother Lord Ralph Kerr succeeded to his titles following his death. His elder daughter is her mother's heir presumptive to be [[Lady Herries of Terregles]]. Ancram was also one of the five co-heirs to the [[Baron Butler|barony of Butler]], [[abeyant]] since 1905. Though the most junior heir by [[primogeniture]], he held the strongest claim, as the other heirs had a lesser share to that [[title]]. On his death, his share was subdivided between his two daughters (leaving six co-heirs, each of the last baron's three sisters now being represented by two co-heirs with 1/6 shares).

==Arms==
{{Infobox emblem wide
|image = Coat of arms of the Marquess of Lothian.png
|crest = A Sun as in the Arms
|coronet = A [[Coronet|coronet of a Marquess]]
|escutcheon = Quarterly: 1st and 4th, A Sun in Splendour Proper (Lothian, as an escutcheon of augmentation);  2nd and 3rd, Gules on a Chevron Argent three Mullets of the Field (Lordship of Jedburgh)
|supporters = Dexter:  an Angel Proper vested Azure surcoated Vert winged and crined Or;  Sinister:  a Unicorn Argent armed maned and unguled Or gorged with a Collar Gules charged with three Mullets Argent
|motto = ''Sero Sed Serio'' (Late but in earnest)
}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Hansard-contribs | earl-of-ancram | Michael Ancram }}
* [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-77,00.html Ask Aristotle: Michael Ancram MP], Politics.guardian.co.uk. Accessed 23 November 2022.
* [http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpn=Michael_Ancram&mpc=Devizes The Public Whip – Michael Ancram MP: Voting record], publicwhip.org.uk. Accessed 23 November 2022.
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/2069723.stm Michael Ancram profile], BBC.co.uk. 17 October 2002.
* [http://www.globalstrategyforum.org/ Profile], globalstrategyforum.org. Accessed 23 November 2022.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130605142615/http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/l/15155/Michael%20Andrew%20Foster%20Jude%20Kerr+LOTHIAN.aspx Profile] ''Debrett's People of Today''. Accessed 23 November 2022.
* [http://www.burkespeerage.com/ Profile], burkespeerage.com. Accessed 23 November 2022.
* {{C-SPAN|38356}}

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{{s-aft|after=[[Claire Perry]]}}
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{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[William Hague]]<br />[[Michael Howard]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Shadow Cabinet of William Hague|Shadow Constitutional Affairs Spokesperson]]|years=1997–1998}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Liam Fox]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Francis Maude]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs]]|years=2001–2005}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Liam Fox]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Nicholas Soames]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Shadow Secretary of State for Defence]]|years=2005}}
|-
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Cecil Parkinson]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chair of the Conservative Party]]|years=1998–2001}}
{{s-aft|after=[[David Davis (British politician)|David Davis]]}}
|-
{{s-vac|last=[[Peter Lilley]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party (UK)|Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party]]|years=2001–2005}}
{{s-vac}}
|-
{{s-reg|sct}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Peter Kerr, 12th Marquess of Lothian|Peter Kerr]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Marquess of Lothian]]|years=2004–2024}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Ralph Kerr, 14th Marquess of Lothian|Ralph Kerr]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Conservative Party (UK)}}
{{2001 Conservative Party leadership election}}
{{Shadow Foreign Secretaries}}
{{Shadow Defence Secretaries}}
{{Abortion in the United Kingdom}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ancram, Michael}}
[[Category:1945 births]]
[[Category:2024 deaths]]
[[Category:Nobility from the Scottish Borders]]
[[Category:Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh School of Law]]
[[Category:Scottish Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Chairmen of the Conservative Party (UK)]]
[[Category:Clan Kerr|Michael]]
[[Category:Conservative Party (UK) life peers|Kerr of Monteviot]]
[[Category:Knights of Malta]]
[[Category:Members of the Faculty of Advocates]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Edinburgh constituencies]]
[[Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies]]
[[Category:Scottish Conservative MPs]]
[[Category:Hereditary peers elected to the House of Commons]]
[[Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:People educated at Ampleforth College]]
[[Category:Politicians from London]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Saint Lazarus (statuted 1910)]]
[[Category:Scottish clan chiefs]]
[[Category:Scottish King's Counsel]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1974]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1979–1983]]
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[[Category:UK MPs 2005–2010]]
[[Category:UK MPs who inherited peerages|Lothian, Michael Ancram, 11th Marquess]]
[[Category:Marquesses of Lothian|13]]
[[Category:Northern Ireland Office junior ministers]]
[[Category:Scottish people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Deputy lieutenants in Scotland]]
[[Category:Bullingdon Club members]]
[[Category:Life peers created by Elizabeth II]]
[[Category:Children of peers and peeresses created life peers|Kerr]]
[[Category:20th-century King's Counsel]]
[[Category:20th-century Scottish lawyers]]
[[Category:Place of death missing]]