Lord Kingsland, the Shadow Lord Chancellor, died suddenly at his home yesterday. He was 67. He had been active in the House last week, speaking on the Parliamentary Standards Bill and the Coroners and Justice Bill. He was scheduled to be on the front bench today for the latter Bill and again tomorrow for the former.
As Christopher Prout, he was a leading lawyer – he became a QC in 1988 – and also served in the European Parliament (1979-94), becoming the party’s Chief Whip and then Leader. He was elevated to the peerage as Lord Kingsland in 1994. His legal skills were in great demand and he also served as a Deputy High Court Judge.
He was renowned in the House for his forensic skills and for his capacity to analyse an issue and to speak to it without notes. He was well liked on all sides and will be sadly missed. Tributes were paid at the start of business.
As you mention in your post he had been active in the house so recently and not obviously to the viewer looking unwell that I was surprised to hear of his death.
It’s not easy to think of an obvious choice to take over his role for the party either.
Croft: News of his death came as a shock to us all – he had been at a dinner on Saturday evening attended by some other peers and I gather was his usual self. I agree with your concluding observation: it will be very difficult to fill his shoes.
Is the comment on the deaths of peers restricted in the house purely for time as while some peers might merit only polite comment sometimes with peers who have served in office and in the house for decades it does seem too brief and denies many a chance to speak.
Slightly stepping back many shadow ministers in the Lords cover more than one departmental brief – while I can see this is manageable in opposition doesn’t this spread become more disadvantageous as the possibility of government approaches?