Distinguished friends

We are a nation of migrants and need a focal point for the celebration of that fact. A Museum of Migration would also provide the information we need to identify the strength and beauty of our diversity and the knowledge to practise acceptance of it.

Des Browne

Rt Hon Lord Browne of Ladyton was admitted as a solicitor in 1976 and called to the Scottish Bar in 1993. In 1997, he was elected MP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun and represented that constituency until 2010. As a back-bencher, he served on the Northern Ireland Affairs and Public Administration Select Committees. In 1998, he became the PPS to Donald Dewar, Secretary of State for Scotland. In 2000, he became PPS to Adam Ingram, Minister of State for Northern Ireland. Subsequently, he served on the first Joint Committee on Human Rights. In 2001, he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; in 2003 he was promoted to Minister of State for Work at the Department for Work & Pensions and in 2004 made Minister for Immigration & Citizenship in the Home Office.

Re-elected in 2005, he joined the Cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury and was appointed to the Privy Council. In 2006, he was appointed Secretary of State for Defence and from 2007 to 2008 he combined this role with the role of Secretary of State for Scotland. In October 2008, he returned to the back-benches and was appointed PM Gordon Brown’s Special Envoy to Sri Lanka. He also served on the first Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy. Since October 2009, he has been Convenor of the Top Level Group of Parliamentarians for Multi-Lateral Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation. Since its inception, he has been the Convenor of the European Leadership Network. In July 2010 he was introduced to the House of Lords.