- In full:
- Sir Malcolm Leslie Rifkind
- Born:
- June 21, 1946, Edinburgh, Scotland (age 80)
- Political Affiliation:
- Conservative Party
Malcolm Rifkind
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Who is Malcolm Rifkind?
Malcolm Rifkind, born on June 21, 1946, is a British Conservative Party politician who served in the cabinets of Margaret Thatcher and John Major from 1986–97. He was born into a Jewish family of Lithuanian descent and later earned degrees in law and political science from the University of Edinburgh.
Rifkind entered the House of Commons in 1974 as a Conservative MP for Edinburgh Pentlands. In 1986, he entered Thatcher’s cabinet as secretary of state for Scotland. Later, he became transport secretary in 1990 and defense secretary in 1992 under Major. As foreign secretary in 1995, he maintained a pro-European stance. Knighted in 1997, he returned to Parliament in 2005 as MP for Kensington and Chelsea. Rifkind was later suspended from the Conservative Party in 2015 following allegations of involvement in an influence-peddling scandal.
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What political party did Malcolm Rifkind belong to?
Malcolm Rifkind was a politician for the British Conservative Party. He served in the cabinets of Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major from 1986 to 1997 and encouraged a pro-European stance in the party's policies. Rifkind was a Conservative MP for Edinburgh Pentlands, entering the House of Commons in February 1974. In 2015, he was suspended from the Conservative Party following allegations of involvement in an influence-peddling scandal.
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What government positions did Malcolm Rifkind hold?
Malcolm Rifkind, a British Conservative Party politician, held several prominent government positions during his career. He served in the cabinets of Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major from 1986 to 1997.
His roles included:
* Secretary of State for Scotland (1986)
* Transport Secretary (1990)
* Defense Secretary (1992)
* Foreign Secretary (1995-1997)Rifkind, who encouraged a pro-European stance in his party’s policies, was knighted in 1997.
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What role did Malcolm Rifkind play in the British government during the 1990s?
During the 1990s, Malcolm Rifkind held prominent positions in the British government under Prime Minister John Major. After the 1992 general election, he was appointed defense secretary, where he managed the deployment of British troops in former Yugoslavia and oversaw reductions in the defense budget. In July 1995, Rifkind became foreign secretary, succeeding Douglas Hurd. As foreign secretary, he maintained a pro-European stance while also promising a "stalwart defense of British interests" to appease Conservative Euroskeptics. Rifkind remained in this role until 1997 when he lost his seat in Parliament.
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How did Malcolm Rifkind influence foreign policy as Foreign Secretary?
As Foreign Secretary, Malcolm Rifkind maintained a pro-European policy, balancing it with a "stalwart defence of British interests" to appease Conservative Euroskeptics. He upheld Britain's neutral stance in the Middle East. Prior to this role, as minister of state at the Foreign Office (1983–86), Rifkind played a significant role in persuading a reluctant Margaret Thatcher to accept plans to create a single market in Europe. In his earlier career, Rifkind served in various middle-ranking ministerial posts after the 1979 general election. He entered Thatcher’s cabinet in 1986 as secretary of state for Scotland.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Malcolm Rifkind (born June 21, 1946, Edinburgh, Scotland) is a British Conservative Party politician who served in the cabinets (1986–97) of Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major and who encouraged a pro-European stance in his party’s policies.
Rifkind was born into a Jewish family of Lithuanian descent and went on to receive a law degree and a postgraduate degree in political science from the University of Edinburgh. From 1967 to 1969 he taught at a university in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). After his return to Britain he practiced law and entered politics. Though he lost in his first attempt to win a seat in the House of Commons, he was elected a city councillor in Edinburgh in 1970. Rifkind entered the House of Commons in February 1974 as Conservative MP for Edinburgh Pentlands. One year later Thatcher, the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party—then in opposition—appointed Rifkind as one of the party’s spokesmen on Scottish affairs. The following year, however, he resigned in protest against Thatcher’s hostility to a proposal (later dropped) on the creation of a Scottish assembly. (The Scottish Parliament was eventually created and began sitting in 1999.)
On winning the 1979 general election, Prime Minister Thatcher forgave Rifkind his earlier defiance and appointed him to a succession of middle-ranking ministerial posts. As minister of state at the Foreign Office (1983–86), he played a significant role in persuading a reluctant Thatcher to accept plans to create a single market in Europe, which involved removing all barriers to movements of goods, services, and people throughout the European Economic Community (later succeeded by the European Union) and coordinating a number of fiscal and commercial laws.
Rifkind entered Thatcher’s cabinet in 1986 as secretary of state for Scotland. (By this time he had lost his earlier enthusiasm for Scottish devolution.) In 1990 he became transport secretary, and after the 1992 general election Major appointed him defense secretary. In this post Rifkind faced two difficult tasks: to oversee the deployment of British troops in former Yugoslavia without provoking diplomatic trouble within the Atlantic alliance and to manage a succession of reductions in the United Kingdom’s defense budget without provoking hostility from the chiefs of the armed forces. Neither policy was popular with all sections of his party or of the wider British public. By applying himself to detail and refusing to descend into partisan hectoring, Rifkind won praise for his efforts on both fronts.
On Douglas Hurd’s retirement as foreign secretary in July 1995, Rifkind was the obvious successor. Rifkind immediately made it clear that he would maintain Hurd’s broadly pro-European policies, although, to pacify Conservative Euroskeptics, Rifkind also promised “a stalwart defence of British interests.” He also made it clear that he would maintain Britain’s evenhanded stance toward the Middle East.
Rifkind headed the Foreign Office until 1997, when he lost his seat in Parliament in elections that swept the Labour Party to power. In that same year Rifkind was knighted. He was returned to Parliament as MP for Kensington and Chelsea in 2005. In the general election of 2010, Rifkind easily won the redrawn Kensington constituency.
In February 2015, with the May general election in the offing, Rifkind was suspended from the Conservative Party after allegations surfaced of his involvement in an influence-peddling scandal that resulted from a sting investigation conducted by The Daily Telegraph and Channel Four. He chose not to stand for reelection. His memoir, Power and Pragmatism, was published in 2016.
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