Former deputy first minister Jim Wallace dies of complications after surgery
Family shocked by sudden death of former Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, lawyer and Church of Scotland Moderator
Former deputy first minister Jim Wallace has died aged 71 after suffering complications as a result of surgery.
Lord Wallace, who served as Holyrood’s first ever deputy first minister, was undergoing a procedure at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh on Thursday, but died as a result of complications from what was a scheduled major operation.
His wife Rosie Wallace said: “The family are very shocked by Jim’s death. It was all so sudden. He was still incredibly active in a whole host of areas.”
She added: “Jim was still going up and down to London and participating fully in the House of Lords. He was singing in the Dunblane Cathedral choir over the festive period and he was so looking forward to spending even more time with his grandchildren.”
She said it “brings some comfort” that he had been “surrounded by those he loved most when he died”.
And she added she was “thankful” the whole family had been together in Scotland over Christmas when Clare, one of their two daughters, and her family had flown in from New Zealand.
First Minister John Swinney said on X: “I am devastated to hear of the death of Jim Wallace, a good and principled man, who gave so much to the service of Orkney and Shetland, to the Liberal Democrats and to Scotland.
“I valued his friendship and extend my sympathy to Rosie and her family.”
‘One of the architects of modern Scotland’
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP led tributes from party colleagues.
He said: “Jim Wallace was one of the architects of modern Scotland and one of the finest liberals our party has ever produced.
“He believed deeply in devolution as a way to give people better services and more control over their own lives and he lived a life of public service right up until the end.
“For me personally, he was a mainstay of support throughout my adult life. Even as he went into hospital for the final time, he was still sending me words of advice and I will always try to live up to the standards he set.
“Throughout his career, Jim was widely respected across party lines for his integrity, calm judgement and deep belief in liberal values: fairness, the rule of law and respect for communities, no matter how remote.
“Scotland is a better country because of Jim Wallace, and the Liberal Democrats are a better party because of his example.”
Born in Dumfriesshire and educated at Annan Academy before attending Cambridge and Edinburgh universities, he was called to the bar in 1979, practising mainly in civil law cases, and became a QC in 1997.
A former Liberal MP for Orkney and Shetland, he served 18 years at the House of Commons, becoming Scottish Liberal Democrat leader in 1992 during his time there.
He led the Scottish Lib Dems in the first ever Holyrood elections in 1999, winning the Orkney constituency with 67 per cent of the votes cast, and serving as both an MSP and MP till he stood down from Westminster in 2001.
He took the party into coalition with Labour, which won the first Scottish Parliament elections – with that move seeing him become the country’s first deputy first minister.
He served three times as acting first minister, when the then first minister Donald Dewar underwent heart surgery in 2000 and later again that same year after Mr Dewar’s death. He also stepped into the role again in 2001, after the resignation of Mr Dewar’s successor, Henry McLeish.
He also held the roles of Minister for Justice and later Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, playing a central role in the early years of devolution and helping to shape Scotland’s modern political settlement. He also established a world-leading freedom of information regime.
He stepped down from Holyrood at the 2007 elections, the same year which he became a life peer.
He entered the House of Lords as Lord Wallace of Tankerness, where he remained an authoritative contributor on constitutional, legal and Scottish affairs, including serving five years as Advocate General for Scotland.
He also served as the moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from 2021 to 2022.
Alistair Carmichael, Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney & Shetland, said: “Jim Wallace gave his adult life to serving the people of the Northern Isles, Scotland and the United Kingdom. His sudden and tragic death leaves a huge gap in public life. For those of us who knew him as a friend and for his family that gap is one that we shall struggle ever to fill.
“In the world of politics, having people on whom you can truly depend is a rare and precious thing. For me, Jim was someone who was there through good times and bad and I am bereft at his passing. I shall miss his acute political analysis, his warm and occasionally waspish wit and, most of all, his easy company and friendship. He was never someone for whom I had to present a front.
“My thoughts are with his wife Rosie, his daughters Helen and Clare, his mother and his brother Neil who I know are heartbroken at this moment. I hope that they may eventually take some comfort from the knowledge that the man that they loved in their family was loved by so many others too.”
The Rt Rev Rosie Frew, the current moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, also paid tribute to him, saying she was “shocked and saddened to hear of the sudden death of Lord Wallace”.
She recalled: “Only a few weeks ago he was my host for a very special day in the Palace of Westminster in London.
“Kind, accommodating, informative, entertaining, it was both a joy and a privilege to spend time with him and his wife Rosie.
“He served both church and state faithfully and well over many years.
“My thoughts and prayers are with Rosie and their family at this difficult time.”
Former Labour first minister Jack McConnell described him as “the best of men”.
“His contribution to securing a Scottish Parliament, being the best deputy to three first ministers that any of us could have hoped for, and a fantastic Cabinet minister too, will never be matched,” he said.
“Honest, reliable and filled with compassion. What a loss he is but what a difference he made. I will miss him dearly.”
Liam McArthur, Liberal Democrat MSP for Orkney, said: “Jim was a hugely influential figure in Scottish politics and public life over the past four decades. He was a passionate champion of liberalism as well as a fierce and effective advocate on behalf of the island communities in Orkney and Shetland he proudly represented over many years, first at Westminster and then Holyrood.
“He played a key role in delivering and shaping devolution, epitomising a style of politics that saw no contradiction in arguing your case robustly while working collaboratively to deliver for people, communities and our country. It is an approach that earned him respect and affection across the political spectrum and beyond, and one that is needed now more than ever in our politics.
“Jim was my boss, my mentor but most of all he was my friend. I am devastated by his death but feel enormously privileged to have known him so well for so long. My heart goes out to his wife Rosie, daughters Helen and Clare and all the family who will be feeling the pain of his loss. It is a grief that will be shared by many whose lives were touched by this wise, compassionate and thoroughly decent man.”
Lord Wallace is survived by his wife, their two daughters, Helen and Grace, his mother Grace and his brother Neil, as well as by his three grandchildren, Catriona, Ella and Adam.
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