Irvine Laidlaw, Baron Laidlaw
Encyclopedia
Irvine Alan Stewart Laidlaw, Baron Laidlaw (born 1943 in Keith, Banffshire, Scotland) is a Scottish
businessman, and a member of the House of Lords
. In the Sunday Times Rich List 2011
ranking of the wealthiest people in the UK he was placed 95th with an estimated fortune of £745 million.
mill-owner, Laidlaw was educated at Merchiston Castle School
, Leeds University and New York city
’s Columbia Business School
.
After graduation, Laidlaw turned a small US publishing company bought in 1973 into the Institute for International Research
, the world's largest conference organiser. After calling off a £500m flotation in 2001 when the market plunged, he sold in 2005 for a sum believed to be in the order of £768m.
, Laidlaw was made a life peer
as Baron Laidlaw, of Rothiemay in Banffshire
in June 2004. According to the records of the UK Electoral Commission, on 27 November 2007, Laidlaw gave a donation of £2,990,532.20 to the UK Conservative Party. Laidlaw donated £25,000 to the 2008 London Mayoral election campaign of Boris Johnson
.
as a "Monaco-based tax exile
."
Lord Laidlaw was criticized in April 2007 in the press for failing to become UK tax resident despite being appointed to the House of Lords. The Lords Appointments Commission now enjoys powers to block any non-UK residents becoming Lords in the first place, but it has no powers to force Lord Laidlaw to alter his status as he was granted his peerage prior to this change. The BBC
has said that, in a letter seen by them, Laidlaw "cites a variety of personal reasons" for non-compliance. Following an attack by Dennis Stevenson, Baron Stevenson of Coddenham
, chair of the House of Lords Appointments Commission
, on assurances given to the committee by Laidlaw to be a UK tax resident by April 2004, Laidlaw is presently granted a leave of absence, subject to further investigation.
In 2007, he set up the Laidlaw Youth Trust which from 2007 to 2009 spent over £6million in Scotland on good causes related to disadvantaged children and young people. In 2007, in emerged that the Scottish Executive
had given sufficient donations to pay the salary of the CEO Laidlaw Youth project, Maureen McGinn - who is also the wife of Scotland's most senior civil servant, Sir John Elvidge
.
He closed the Trust in 2009 because he was spending more time in South Africa and said he wanted to focus his charitable giving there. It is not known how much he has gifted in his new adopted country but he was involved in some township housing project.
overlooking the harbour; and their South African home, an early 20th century 23,200 m2 estate in Noordhoek
, near Cape Town. At the time of the purchase, in November 2005, it was the country's most expensive property, bought for R106-million.
GTS, Porsche 904/6, Maserati
250S & Maserati 6CM. Laidlaw also won a medal in the Scottish amateur rally, using a Ford Focus ST. In 2007 Laidlaw added a 1001 hp Bugatti Veyron
to his extensive car collection, which is sometimes seen between Noordhoek and Cape Town, on the world-famous coastal road Chapman's Peak Drive.
Laidlaw has won the Key West
Regatta
twice using his Swan 60 cruiser-racer, Highland Fling
. He began a voyage around the world in Oceanco built motor yacht, the Lady Christine, in 2003.
on behalf of the British tabloid The News of the World, which revealed that Laidlaw hires up to five £3,000 vice girls at a time for all-night orgies involving spanking
, bondage
and lesbian
sex at his Monaco home. After submitting a written confession to the newspaper in which he allegedly confesses a lifetime fighting sex addiction, Laidlaw has reportedly checked himself into a six-week residential sex addict programme in South Africa, and donated £1million to help fellow sufferers.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
businessman, and a member of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. In the Sunday Times Rich List 2011
Sunday Times Rich List 2011
The Sunday Times Rich List 2011 is the 23rd annual survey of the wealthiest people in the United Kingdom, published by The Sunday Times on 8 May 2011...
ranking of the wealthiest people in the UK he was placed 95th with an estimated fortune of £745 million.
Biography
The son of a BanffshireBanffshire
The County of Banff is a registration county for property, and Banffshire is a Lieutenancy area of Scotland.The County of Banff, also known as Banffshire, was a local government county of Scotland with its own county council between 1890 and 1975. The county town was Banff although the largest...
mill-owner, Laidlaw was educated at Merchiston Castle School
Merchiston Castle School
Merchiston Castle School is an independent school for boys in the village of Colinton in Edinburgh, Scotland. It has about 480 pupils and is open to boys between the ages of 8 and 18 as either boarders or day pupils; day pupils make up 35% of the school....
, Leeds University and New York city
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
’s Columbia Business School
Columbia Business School
Columbia Business School is the business school of Columbia University in Manhattan, New York City. It was established in 1916 to provide business training and professional preparation for undergraduate and graduate Columbia University students...
.
After graduation, Laidlaw turned a small US publishing company bought in 1973 into the Institute for International Research
Institute for International Research
Institute for International Research, Inc. provides business information solutions in North America. It offers its solutions to senior business executives through conferences, events, and Web seminars on various fields, including customer service, finance and investment, health care, management,...
, the world's largest conference organiser. After calling off a £500m flotation in 2001 when the market plunged, he sold in 2005 for a sum believed to be in the order of £768m.
Conservative Party Donations
One of the largest financial backers of the UK's Conservative PartyConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, Laidlaw was made a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baron Laidlaw, of Rothiemay in Banffshire
Banffshire
The County of Banff is a registration county for property, and Banffshire is a Lieutenancy area of Scotland.The County of Banff, also known as Banffshire, was a local government county of Scotland with its own county council between 1890 and 1975. The county town was Banff although the largest...
in June 2004. According to the records of the UK Electoral Commission, on 27 November 2007, Laidlaw gave a donation of £2,990,532.20 to the UK Conservative Party. Laidlaw donated £25,000 to the 2008 London Mayoral election campaign of Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
.
Tax Exile?
Lord Laidlaw is described by The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
as a "Monaco-based tax exile
Tax exile
A tax exile is one who chooses to leave a country with a high tax burden and instead to reside in a foreign nation or jurisdiction which takes a lower portion of earnings. Going into tax exile is a means of tax mitigation or avoidance.-Legal status:...
."
Lord Laidlaw was criticized in April 2007 in the press for failing to become UK tax resident despite being appointed to the House of Lords. The Lords Appointments Commission now enjoys powers to block any non-UK residents becoming Lords in the first place, but it has no powers to force Lord Laidlaw to alter his status as he was granted his peerage prior to this change. The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
has said that, in a letter seen by them, Laidlaw "cites a variety of personal reasons" for non-compliance. Following an attack by Dennis Stevenson, Baron Stevenson of Coddenham
Dennis Stevenson, Baron Stevenson of Coddenham
Henry Dennistoun "Dennis" Stevenson, CBE, DL was created a life peer as Baron Stevenson of Coddenham, of Coddenham in the County of Suffolk in 1999, and was awarded a CBE in 1981...
, chair of the House of Lords Appointments Commission
House of Lords Appointments Commission
The House of Lords Appointments Commission is a non-partisan, non-statutory, independent body in the United Kingdom. It has three roles:*to recommend people for appointment as non-party-political life peers;...
, on assurances given to the committee by Laidlaw to be a UK tax resident by April 2004, Laidlaw is presently granted a leave of absence, subject to further investigation.
Charity donations
In 2004, Laidlaw said that he would over the next 20–30 years donate most of his fortune to helping disadvantaged Scots. His main vehicle was the Laidlaw Youth Project, which supported a range of charitable work for disadvantaged youngsters in Scotland from 2004 to 2007 when it became the Laidlaw Youth Trust. He has also donated:- £2million to The Prince's TrustThe Prince's TrustThe Prince's Trust is a charity in the United Kingdom founded in 1976 by Charles, Prince of Wales to help young people. They run a range of training programmes, provide mentoring support and offer financial grants to build the confidence and motivation of disadvantaged young people...
- After Moray CouncilMorayMoray is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.- History :...
earmarked Rothiemay Primary School for closure, Laidlaw donated funds to a parents campaign which successfully kept 21 schools open - £40,000 to Keith Grammar School, to fund a scheme to help senior pupils prepare for the world of work
- £1,000,000 was given by Baron Laidlaw to Merchiston Castle SchoolMerchiston Castle SchoolMerchiston Castle School is an independent school for boys in the village of Colinton in Edinburgh, Scotland. It has about 480 pupils and is open to boys between the ages of 8 and 18 as either boarders or day pupils; day pupils make up 35% of the school....
his former school; despite having despised attending it, he eventually relented to persuasion by the headmaster and donated this sum. The new sixth-form house at the school, which his donation went some way to financing will therefore be named Laidlaw House.
In 2007, he set up the Laidlaw Youth Trust which from 2007 to 2009 spent over £6million in Scotland on good causes related to disadvantaged children and young people. In 2007, in emerged that the Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
had given sufficient donations to pay the salary of the CEO Laidlaw Youth project, Maureen McGinn - who is also the wife of Scotland's most senior civil servant, Sir John Elvidge
John Elvidge
Sir John William Elvidge KCB is the former Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government. He was appointed in July 2003, replacing Sir Muir Russell. He retired from the post in June 2010.-Early life:...
.
He closed the Trust in 2009 because he was spending more time in South Africa and said he wanted to focus his charitable giving there. It is not known how much he has gifted in his new adopted country but he was involved in some township housing project.
Personal life
Laidlaw and his wife Christine divide their time between an apartment in MonacoMonaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
overlooking the harbour; and their South African home, an early 20th century 23,200 m2 estate in Noordhoek
Noordhoek, Cape Town
Noordhoek is a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, located below Chapman's Peak on the west coast of the Cape Peninsula, approximately thirty-five kilometres to the south of the city itself. The name "Noordhoek" was taken from Dutch and literally means "north corner"...
, near Cape Town. At the time of the purchase, in November 2005, it was the country's most expensive property, bought for R106-million.
Hobbies
Laidlaw regularly competes in historic car racing around the world with his Porsche 904Porsche 904
The Porsche 904 is an automobile which was produced by Porsche in Germany in 1964 and 1965. It was officially called Porsche Carrera GTS due to the same naming rights problem that required renaming the Porsche 901 to Porsche 911.- History :...
GTS, Porsche 904/6, Maserati
Maserati
Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...
250S & Maserati 6CM. Laidlaw also won a medal in the Scottish amateur rally, using a Ford Focus ST. In 2007 Laidlaw added a 1001 hp Bugatti Veyron
Bugatti Veyron
The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is a mid-engined grand touring car. The Super Sport version is the fastest road-legal production car in the world, with a top speed of . The original version has a top speed of...
to his extensive car collection, which is sometimes seen between Noordhoek and Cape Town, on the world-famous coastal road Chapman's Peak Drive.
Laidlaw has won the Key West
Key West
Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....
Regatta
Regatta
A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...
twice using his Swan 60 cruiser-racer, Highland Fling
Highland Fling
This dance is now performed at dance competitions and events around the world. It is no longer danced on a shield, but it is still the goal of the dancer to stay in the same spot throughout the dance. The Highland Fling is danced at almost all competition levels, from Primary to Premier. It is also...
. He began a voyage around the world in Oceanco built motor yacht, the Lady Christine, in 2003.
Sex life allegations
In April 2008, Laidlaw was the target of a sting operation staged by investigative journalist Mazher MahmoodMazher Mahmood
Mazher Mahmood is an undercover reporter with The Sunday Times newspaper. He previously spent 20 years working for the defunct British tabloid newspaper News of the World. He has been dubbed as "Britain’s most notorious undercover reporter."...
on behalf of the British tabloid The News of the World, which revealed that Laidlaw hires up to five £3,000 vice girls at a time for all-night orgies involving spanking
Spanking
Spanking refers to the act of striking the buttocks of another person to cause temporary pain without producing physical injury. It generally involves one person striking the buttocks of another person with an open hand. When an open hand is used, spanking is referred to in some countries as...
, bondage
Bondage (BDSM)
Bondage is the use of restraints for the sexual pleasure of the parties involved. It may be used in its own right, as in the case of rope bondage and breast bondage, or as part of sexual activity or BDSM activity.- Private bondage :...
and lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
sex at his Monaco home. After submitting a written confession to the newspaper in which he allegedly confesses a lifetime fighting sex addiction, Laidlaw has reportedly checked himself into a six-week residential sex addict programme in South Africa, and donated £1million to help fellow sufferers.
External links
- Superyacht Lady Christine at Superyacht Times
- Lord Laidlaw at TheyWorkForYouTheyWorkForYouTheyWorkForYou is a website run by mySociety, a project of registered charity UK Citizens Online Democracy, and is a tool for political campaigners and those interested in the Parliamentary activities of UK MPs, Lords, and Northern Ireland MLAs....