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David Mundell

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For the mixed martial artist, see David Mundell (fighter).

The Right Honourable
David Mundell
WS MP
Official portrait, 2024
Secretary of State for Scotland
In office
11 May 2015 – 24 July 2019
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Theresa May
Preceded byAlistair Carmichael
Succeeded byAlister Jack
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
In office
14 May 2010 – 11 May 2015
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Preceded byAnn McKechin
Succeeded byThe Lord Dunlop
Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
In office
7 December 2005 – 11 May 2010
LeaderDavid Cameron
Preceded byEleanor Laing
Succeeded byJim Murphy
Member of Parliament
for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 May 2005
Preceded byConstituency established
Majority4,242 (9.6%)
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for South of Scotland
(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)
In office
6 May 1999 – 5 May 2005
Preceded byConstituency established
Succeeded byDerek Brownlee
Personal details
Born
David Gordon Mundell

(1962-05-27) 27 May 1962 (age 62)
Dumfries, Scotland
Political party
Spouse
Lynda Carmichael
​
​
(m. 1987; div. 2012)​
Children3, including Oliver
Alma mater
Websitedavidmundell.com

David Gordon Mundell, WS (born 27 May 1962) is a Scottish Conservative Party politician and solicitor who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale since 2005. He previously served as Secretary of State for Scotland from 2015 to 2019.[1] Mundell was the first openly gay Conservative cabinet minister, coming out in 2016.[2][3]

From 1999 to 2005, Mundell served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the South of Scotland region. Once elected to the House of Commons, he served as Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland from 2005 to 2010 and Under-Secretary of State for Scotland from 2010 to 2015.[4] He served in the Cabinet as Scotland Secretary from 2015 until 2019; the first Conservative to hold the position since Michael Forsyth in 1997.

Early life and career

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David Mundell was born on 27 May 1962 in Dumfries. He grew up in Newton Wamphray and Lockerbie, attending Lockerbie Academy. Mundell then studied Law at the University of Edinburgh, graduating with an MA and also gaining a Diploma in Legal Practice (Dip LP).[5]

Having become a Young Conservative aged 14, he switched to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) while at university in 1981. In 2002, he stated: "the first Thatcher Government did get a bit bogged down and it wasn't really the radical government that subsequently emerged,... And the fact that you had a completely new opportunity to wipe the slate clean, with no baggage, was a very attractive thing".[6]

Mundell practised as a solicitor before joining BT as Group Legal Advisor for Scotland in 1991. He became BT Scotland's Head of National Affairs, remaining with BT until being elected as an MSP.

Political career

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Mundell served as an SDP Councillor on Annandale and Eskdale District Council from 1984 to 1986, representing Dryfe ward, and then for Mid Annandale ward on Dumfries and Galloway Regional Council until 1987, whilst still a postgraduate student.[7][8]

Mundell was first elected to the Scottish Parliament in 1999 as a Conservative as a list MSP for the South of Scotland.[9] He was re-elected in 2003.[10]

Parliamentary career

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At the 2005 general election, Mundell was elected to Parliament as MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale with 36.2% of the vote and a majority of 1,738.[11] Following his election to Westminster, Mundell resigned from the Scottish Parliament in June 2005. As the sole Conservative Scottish parliamentary representative, David Cameron (as Leader of HM Opposition) appointed him Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland in December 2005.

In January 2009 Mundell was among the 18 MPs (either Scottish or representing Scottish constituencies) who supported the Commons Motion stating football "should not be any different from other competing sports and our young talent should be allowed to show their skills on the world stage", thereby endorsing the idea of Team GB entering a British football team in the London 2012 Olympics. Football's governing bodies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland oppose a Great Britain team, fearing it would stop them competing as individual nations in future tournaments.[12]

Mundell was re-elected as MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale at the 2010 general election with an increased vote share of 38% and an increased majority of 4,194.[13] Following the election, he was given the non-cabinet role of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland. On 9 June 2010, Mundell was appointed a Privy Counsellor.[14][15]

At the 2015 general election, Mundell was again re-elected, with an increased vote share of 39.8% and a decreased majority of 798.[16][17][18]

In July 2015, Mundell opened a food bank in the Dumfries and Galloway, which it is adjacent to his own constituency and was at the time represented by the Scottish National Party's Richard Arkless. After the opening, Mundell was escorted from an angry anti-austerity demonstration by police.[19] Mundell, who had previously denied that welfare reform changes were behind the increased demand for food banks, was accused of hypocrisy by opponents who said the opening was "nothing to celebrate".

In the Brexit referendum, Mundell supported Britain remaining within the EU.[20] Following it, he became a part-time member of the cabinet committee working on strategies for Brexit.[21]

At the snap 2017 general election, Mundell was again re-elected, with an increased vote share of 49.4% and an increased majority of 9,441.[22] He was again re-elected at the 2019 general election, with a decreased vote share of 46% and a decreased majority of 3,781.[23][24]

On 23 August 2021, Boris Johnson appointed Mundell as the UK's trade envoy to New Zealand.[25] On 6 July 2022, he resigned from his position as Trade Envoy following the Chris Pincher scandal, amid the July 2022 United Kingdom government crisis.[26]

Mundell was again re-elected at the 2024 general election, with a decreased vote share of 33.9% and a increased majority of 4,242.[27]

Personal life

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On 13 January 2016, Mundell publicly came out as gay on his personal website, becoming the first openly gay Conservative cabinet minister.[2][3] His nickname is 'Fluffy'.[28]

Mundell was previously married to Lynda Jane Carmichael from 1987, and the couple divorced in 2012. He has three children, one of whom, Oliver Mundell, is the Conservative MSP for Dumfriesshire, having won his seat in the Scottish Parliament in May 2016.[29]

References

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  1. ^ "Election 2015: David Mundell named new secretary of state for Scotland". BBC News. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015.
  2. ^ a b David Mundell (13 January 2016). "New Year, New Start". Davidmundell.com. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Scottish secretary David Mundell comes out as gay". BBC News. 13 January 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  4. ^ "www.parliament.uk". Archived from the original on 11 October 2011.
  5. ^ "Diploma in Legal Practice – Professional Legal Studies – Postgraduate Studies". www.scottishlaw.org.uk.
  6. ^ "David Torrance: Mutual respect is crucial as Tories bid to govern Scotland". scotsman.com.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ J. M. Bochel; D. T. Denver. "The Scottish District Elections 1984" (PDF). electionscentre.co.uk. p. 82.
  8. ^ J. M. Bochel; D. T. Denver. "Scottish Regional Elections 1986" (PDF). electionscentre.co.uk. p. 33.
  9. ^ "Scottish Parliament opening | The Queen's speech". BBC News. 1 July 1999. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  10. ^ "Analysis of Results". www.parliament.scot. 10 July 2011. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  11. ^ "Conservatives hail lone success". BBC News. 6 May 2005.
  12. ^ "GB football tops Olympic agenda". BBC. 9 January 2009. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
  13. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  14. ^ "Privy Council appointments, 9 June 2010". Privy Council. Archived from the original on 2 December 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  15. ^ "Privy Counsellors". Privy Council Office. Archived from the original on 21 December 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  16. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  17. ^ Haswell, Alex (8 May 2015). "UK Parliamentary Elections Results 2015 for the Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and". dumgal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  18. ^ Haswell, Alex (8 May 2015). "UK Parliamentary Elections Results 2015 for the Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and". dumgal.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  19. ^ "David Mundell opens Dumfries foodbank amid protests". 24 July 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  20. ^ "EU vote: Where the cabinet and other MPs stand". BBC News. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  21. ^ Settle, Michael (15 October 2016). "May accused of treating Scotland with contempt as Mundell given part-time role on key Brexit committee". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  22. ^ "Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale – 2017 Election Results – General Elections Online". electionresults.parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  23. ^ "UK Parliamentary General Election – December 2019" (PDF). Dumfries and Galloway Council. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  24. ^ "Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale parliamentary constituency – Election 2019". Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  25. ^ "PM announces new Trade Envoys to boost British business around the world". GOV.UK (Press release). 23 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  26. ^ "Which Scottish MPs are backing Boris Johnson – and who is walking away". ITV News. 6 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  27. ^ "Results of Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale". BBC News. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  28. ^ "Profile: David Mundell, Secretary of State for Scotland – BBC News". BBC Online. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  29. ^ Johnson, Simon; Dominiczak, Peter; Wilkinson, Michael (13 January 2016). "Cabinet minister David Mundell comes out as gay". The Telegraph. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
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Scottish Parliament
New constituency Member of the Scottish Parliament
for South of Scotland
1999–2005 		Succeeded by
Parliament of the United Kingdom
New constituency Member of Parliament
for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale
2005 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland
2005–2010 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
2010–2015 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Secretary of State for Scotland
2015–2019 		Succeeded by
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