About Lord McFall of Alcluith
John Francis McFall, Lord McFall of Alcluith, was elected as Lord Speaker of the House of Lords in 2021.
Before entering the Lords in 2010, Lord McFall was a Labour MP between 1987 and 2010, first for Dumbarton and later for West Dunbartonshire. During his time as an MP, he served as a Minister in the Northern Ireland Office and as a Government Whip.
He also chaired the Treasury Select Committee between 2001 and 2010, driving its work to scrutinise the key players during the global banking and financial crisis and making major recommendations to ensure reform of the sector. He has been named by Which? as a Consumer Champion for his efforts to improve financial services for consumers and maintains a keen interest in consumer rights and good governance.
Before becoming Lord Speaker, he served as Senior Deputy Speaker in the House of Lords between 2016 and 2021. During his tenure he oversaw plans to establish new hybrid and remote ways of working during the COVID-19 pandemic and led reforms to the select committees of the House resulting from the first major review in 25 years. He played a leading role in setting up the Conduct Committee which, for the first time, included independent lay members in the oversight of members' conduct.
As Lord Speaker, Lord McFall of Alcluith oversees proceedings in the chamber, chairs the House of Lords Commission and promotes the work of the House in the UK and abroad.
Born in Glasgow in 1944, the son of a school janitor and a shopkeeper, he was raised in Dumbarton and has lived there all his life. He received a BSc in Chemistry from Paisley College of Technology, a BA in Education and Philosophy from the Open University and an MBA from the University of Strathclyde. Before his political career, he was a maths and chemistry teacher and deputy headteacher for 13 years in the West of Scotland. He is married with four children.
Image: House of Lords 2022 / Photography Roger Harris
