| The Right Honourable The Lord Robertson of Port Ellen KT GCMG FRSA FRSE PC |
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|---|---|
| The Lord Robertson of Port Ellen at the Pentagon, June 2001. | |
| 10th Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization | |
| In office 11 October 1999 – 5 January 2004 |
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| Preceded by | Javier Solana |
| Succeeded by | Alessandro Minuto-Rizzo (Acting) |
| Secretary of State for Defence | |
| In office 3 May 1997 – 11 October 1999 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Michael Portillo |
| Succeeded by | Geoff Hoon |
| Member of Parliament for Hamilton South Hamilton (1978–1997) |
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| In office 31 May 1978 – 24 August 1999 |
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| Preceded by | Alexander Wilson |
| Succeeded by | William Tynan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 April 1946 Port Ellen, United Kingdom |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | University of Dundee |
George Islay MacNeill Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen, KT, GCMG, FRSA, FRSE, PC (born 12 April 1946) is a British Labour Party politician who was the tenth Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, between October 1999 and early January 2004; he succeeded Javier Solana in that position. He served as Defence Secretary for the United Kingdom from 1997 to 1999, before taking up his NATO position and becoming a life peer as Baron Robertson of Port Ellen, of Islay in Argyll and Bute.
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Born in Port Ellen, Isle of Islay, Scotland, the son of a policeman, he was educated at Dunoon Grammar School and studied Economics at the Queen's College, Dundee. When he was 15 years of age, he was involved with protests against US nuclear submarines docking in the UK.[1]
During Robertson's time at Queen's College it broke away from the University of St Andrews to become the University of Dundee, of which Robertson was one of the first graduates (MA, 1968).[2] During his time at University he played a full part in student life. Notably he wrote a column for the student newspaper Annasach, launched in 1967, and took an active role in student protests.[2][3][4] Robertson used his newspaper column to back the new University and encouraged his fellow students to take a University of Dundee degree (students who had started before 1967 could opt to take a degree from either the University of Dundee or the University of St Andrews).[4] In 1968 Robertson was one of a number of Dundee students to invade the pitch during a rugby match at St. Andrews involving a team from the Orange Free State to protest against apartheid.[5] The same year he organsised a 24-hour work-in by students in the university library in opposition to proposed cuts by the government in student grants.[5]
Lord Robertson married Sandra Wallace on 1 June 1970. They are the parents of three children: Malcolm, Martin and Rachael.
Robertson survived a serious crash in January 1977 of his car with a Navy Land Rover, which was carrying 100 lb of gelignite and a box of detonators, and hit his car head-on in the Drumochter Pass, leaving him with two wrecked knees and a broken jaw. Robertson was wearing a seat belt at the time and attributes his survival to this factor.
He was six times elected to the United Kingdom House of Commons, was Chairman of the Labour Party in Scotland, and was appointed to the Privy Council.[6] After Labour won the 1997 General Election, Robertson was appointed Secretary of State for Defence, a position he held until he resigned from the Cabinet in order to become Secretary General of NATO in 1999.
In 1995, Robertson said that "Devolution will kill Nationalism stone dead" while he was Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland.[7] This quote was designed to assuage fears that devolution would provide a greater platform for the Scottish National Party (SNP). Robertson's quote has been frequently recalled, usually in a mocking fashion, after the SNP won Scottish Parliament elections in 2007[7][8] and 2011.[9][10]
Robertson's three children are former pupils of the school in Dunblane where gunman Thomas Hamilton went on the rampage in 1996, murdering 16 children and their teacher. After the massacre, Mr Robertson, a long-time resident of the town, acted as a spokesman for the victims' families. He was also a key figure in the subsequent campaign that led to the ban on handguns in England, Wales and Scotland.[11]
In 2003, the Sunday Herald newspaper ran an article entitled "Should the Dunblane dossier be kept secret?", a reference to documents relating to the Cullen Inquiry into the massacre which are to remain classified for 100 years. In a discussion board on the newspaper's website, anonymous contributors claimed that Robertson had signed a recommendation for a gun licence for Thomas Hamilton in his capacity as Hamilton's MP. In fact, Robertson had never been the gunman's MP, and the claims were totally unfounded. Robertson sued the Sunday Herald and the paper settled by paying him a five-figure sum plus costs. A subsequent action by Robertson, related to the terms of the newspaper's apology, was unsuccessful. The first case became an important test case as to whether publishers can be held responsible for comments posted on their websites.[12][13]
Robertson has received numerous honours (including a total of 12 Honorary doctorates from various universities). Currently he holds directorships of several notable companies in the UK, including the Weir Group,[14] and Cable and Wireless.
In addition, Lord Robertson is a Senior Counselor at The Cohen Group, a consulting firm in Washington D.C. that provides advice and assistance in marketing and regulatory affairs.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Alexander Wilson |
Member of Parliament for Hamilton 1978–1997 |
Constituency abolished |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Hamilton South 1997–1999 |
Succeeded by William Tynan |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Michael Portillo |
Secretary of State for Defence 1997–1999 |
Succeeded by Geoff Hoon |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by Javier Solana |
Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 1999–2003 |
Succeeded by Alessandro Minuto-Rizzo Acting |
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