Sir Malcolm Leslie Rifkind

1946 -

Politician. Born in Edinburgh and educated George Watson's College and the University of Edinburgh. Beginning as a lawyer, Malcolm Rifkind was elected as Conservative Member of Parliament for Edinburgh (Pentlands) from 1974, losing his seat 23 years later with the landslide which brought Labour to power in 1997. He served as Secretary of State for Scotland (1986-90), Transport Minister (1990-92), Defence Minister (1992-95) and Foreign Minister (1995-97). Rifkind was knighted in 1997. He was elected as a Member of Parliament for Kensington and Chelsea in 2005, his old seat of Edinburgh Pentlands having disappeared due to boundary changes, and was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Work & Pensions and Welfare Reform.

A long-time resident of Duddingston village in Edinburgh, he now lives at Inveresk when not in London.

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©2013 The Editors of The Gazetteer for Scotland
Supported by: The Robertson Trust,  The Royal Scottish Geographical Society,
  School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh.