Town mourns Lord Wallace

TRIBUTES have been widely paid to Lord Jim Wallace, a former Annan man who was the first ever Deputy First Minister of Scotland. Condolences continue to pour in after his sudden death at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on Thursday, aged 71. Lord Wallace of Tankerness was born and raised in Annan and was still a regular visitor to the town as he had family here. He studied law at Cambridge University in the 1970s but then became involved in politics and was elected as a Liberal Democrat MP in 1983 for Orkney and Shetland, holding the seat for 18 years. When the Scottish Parliament was established in 1999, he was elected as MSP for Orkney and became deputy first minister of Scotland from 1999 to 2005. During that time he served as the country's acting first minister while Donald Dewar underwent heart surgery in April 2000, stepped up after Dewar’s death in October 2000 and again following the resignation of Henry McLeish in 2001. Current First Minister John Swinney described him as 'a man who gave so much to our country' and expressed his shock at the news. Mr Swinney added: "Lord Jim Wallace's contribution to our country is demonstrated by the success and strength of the Scottish Parliament. Jim helped shape the very first Parliament and remained an important contributor to Holyrood as a champion of devolution." Dumfriesshire MP David Mundell knew him well and said: "I am shocked and deeply saddened by Jim's passing. A proud son of Annan, diligent and thoroughly decent, but one of the most astute and effective politicians of his generation. "I am proud to have worked closely with him at the Scotland Office when he held the pivotal role of UK Government Legal Adviser in the build up to the 2014 referendum, and served with him in the Scottish Parliament when he brought real clout to the role of Deputy First Minister. "My heart goes out to his family at this time." Mr Wallace was also a former Scottish Lib Dems leader and took up his seat in the House of Lords in 2007, as well as serving as the Advocate General for Scotland in the coalition UK Government 2010-15. Alongside his many political achievements, he held a deep Christian faith inherited from his late father John, who was an elder for 64 years at Annan Old Parish Church. The young Lord Wallace was a member of the Boys' Brigade and then the Scripture Union, and thus he was particularly proud to be appointed as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 2021-2. This year's moderator, Rt Rev Rosie Frew, said: "I was shocked and saddened to hear of the sudden death of Lord Wallace. "Kind, accommodating, informative, entertaining, it was both a joy and a privilege to spend time with him and his wife. "He served both church and state faithfully and well over many years." He leaves a wife Rosie, two daughters, and a wider family and many friends. Photo: Church of Scotland