Douglas Alexander

The Right Honourable Douglas Alexander
Alexander in 2015
Secretary of State for International Development
In office 28 June 2007 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Hilary Benn
Succeeded by	Andrew Mitchell
Secretary of State for Scotland
In office 6 May 2006 – 28 June 2007
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Alistair Darling
Succeeded by	Des Browne
Secretary of State for Transport
In office 6 May 2006 – 28 June 2007
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Alistair Darling
Succeeded by	Ruth Kelly
Junior ministerial offices 2005–2006 Europe 2004–2005 Trade 2003–2004 Cabinet Office, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 2002–2003 Cabinet Office 2001–2002 e-Commerce and Competitiveness
Shadow cabinet portfolios 2011–2015 Foreign Affairs 2010–2011 Work and Pensions 2010–2010 International Development
Member of Parliament for Paisley and Renfrewshire South Paisley South (1997–2005)
In office 6 November 1997 – 30 March 2015
Preceded by	Gordon McMaster
Succeeded by	Mhairi Black
Personal details
Born	Douglas Garven Alexander (1967-10-26) 26 October 1967 (age 56) Glasgow, Scotland
Political party	Labour Co-op
Relations	Wendy Alexander (sister)

Douglas Garven Alexander (born 26 October 1967) is a British Labour Party politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Paisley and Renfrewshire South, previously Paisley South, from 1997 until his defeat in 2015. During this time, he served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Scottish Secretary, Transport Secretary and International Development Secretary in the Cabinet under Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He subsequently served in Ed Miliband's Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Shadow Foreign Secretary.

Alexander was first elected to Parliament in the Paisley South by-election in 1997. In 2001, he was appointed by Tony Blair as Minister of State for e-Commerce and Competitiveness in the Department of Trade and Industry. He was Minister of State for the Cabinet Office from 2002 to 2003. In 2003, he was promoted to Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. In 2004, he was appointed Minister of State for Trade, serving jointly in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and in the Department of Trade and Industry.

At the 2005 general election, the Paisley South constituency was abolished and Alexander was elected to represent its successor seat of Paisley and Renfrewshire South. Following the election, Alexander was appointed Minister of State for Europe. During this period, Alexander attended Cabinet and was made a member of the Privy council. In 2006, Alexander was appointed to serve jointly as both Secretary of State for Scotland and Secretary of State for Transport. In 2007, when Gordon Brown became Prime Minister, he appointed Alexander as Secretary of State for International Development.

After Labour lost the 2010 general election Alexander co-chaired David Miliband's leadership campaign. When Ed Miliband became the party's leader, Alexander was elected to the Shadow cabinet and was made the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. He held this position until a 2011 reshuffle, when he was appointed Shadow Foreign Secretary. In October 2013, he was appointed by Miliband as the party's Chair of General Election Strategy. In 2015, his was among the 40 seats lost by Labour in Scotland.

In December 2022, Alexander sought out a return to parliament by applying to be Labour's parliamentary candidate for East Lothian in the next general election, the party's #1 target seat in Scotland, which is currently held by the Alba Party's Kenny MacAskill, who was elected for the SNP.^[1] He won the selection to stand for Labour in the constituency in February 2023.