Former Scottish Conservative politician Allan Stewart has died at the age of 74.
The party’s deputy leader Jackson Carlaw said Mr Stewart would be “missed enormously” as he paid tribute to a respected politician who had “considerable influence” on UK Government policy under both Margaret Thatcher and John Major.
Mr Stewart was MP for East Renfrewshire and its successor constituency Eastwood in the 1980s and 1990s, and twice served as under-secretary of state for Scotland at the Scottish Office.
In 1995 he lost his ministerial post after he appeared in court and was fined for confronting anti-motorway protesters with a pick axe on the M77, which was then being built in his constituency.
Mr Stewart stood down in Eastwood – then the safest Tory seat in Scotland – at the 1997 general election following speculation over his private life.
He studied at St Andrews University and Harvard, and had a career as a political economy lecturer before becoming an MP in 1979.
Mr Carlaw said: “It was a pleasure to work with Allan during his 18 years as MP for East Renfrewshire and in the years after, in which he remained a staunch supporter and campaigner.
“As the last man to have won Eastwood for the Conservatives, I had Allan very much in mind when I was able to secure Eastwood again for the Scottish Conservatives in May.
“It was thanks to Allan that Eastwood remained outside of Glasgow during local government reorganisation, instead becoming part of the new East Renfrewshire Council.
“At the 1992 general election, Allan achieved the largest swing to the Conservatives by an incumbent MP anywhere in the UK, something of which he was immensely proud, before retiring undefeated in 1997.
“I certainly benefited from his advice on many occasions over the years and will miss him enormously.
“At his side throughout was Susie and we send our thoughts and all best wishes to her and to their children Jack and Rosa.”
Scottish Secretary David Mundell said: “I was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Allan Stewart.
“As someone who came to politics from academia, he brought real rigour to policy-making during his two spells as a minister at the Scottish Office, as it was at the time.
“He will also be remembered as a hard-working constituency MP, whose election successes were a measure of how effective and well-liked he was.
“My thoughts are with his family at this sad time.”
