Tommy McAvoy

"Thomas McAvoy" redirects here. For the American judge, seeThomas James McAvoy.

The Right Honourable The Lord McAvoy KBEPC
Official portrait, 2019
Opposition Chief Whip of the House of Lords
In office 25 January 2018 – 31 May 2021
Leader	Jeremy Corbyn Keir Starmer
Preceded by	The Lord Bassam of Brighton
Succeeded by	The Lord Kennedy of Southwark
Opposition Deputy Chief Whip in House of Lords
In office 27 May 2015 – 24 January 2018 Serving withDenis Tunnicliffe
Leader	Jeremy Corbyn
Preceded by	The Baroness Smith of Basildon
Deputy Chief Whipof the House of Commons Treasurer of the Household
In office 5 October 2008 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Nick Brown
Succeeded by	John Randall
Comptroller of the Household
In office 2 May 1997 – 5 October 2008
Prime Minister	Tony Blair Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Timothy Wood
Succeeded by	John Spellar
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office 22 June 2010 – 8 March 2024 Life peerage
Member of Parliament forRutherglen and Hamilton West Glasgow Rutherglen(1987–2005)
In office 11 June 1987 – 12 April 2010
Preceded by	Gregor Mackenzie
Succeeded by	Tom Greatrex
Personal details
Born	(1943-12-14)14 December 1943 Rutherglen,Scotland
Died	8 March 2024(2024-03-08)(aged 80)
Nationality	British
Political party	Labour and Co-operative
Spouse	Eleanor McAvoy
Children	4

Thomas McLaughlin McAvoy, Baron McAvoy,KBE,PC(14 December 1943 – 8 March 2024) was a BritishLabour and Co-operativepolitician serving as alife peerin theHouse of Lordsfrom 2010 until his death in 2024.He served asMember of Parliament(MP) forGlasgow Rutherglenfrom 1987 to 2005, andRutherglen and Hamilton Westfrom 2005 to 2010.

McAvoy held several positions in the Government Whips' Office under theBlairandBrowngovernments, serving asComptroller of the Householdfrom 1997 to 2008 andTreasurer of the Householdfrom 2008 to 2010. He entered the Lords after choosing not to seek re-election to the Commons, where he served as an opposition spokesperson for Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as asenior whip.McAvoy held the position ofLords opposition chief whipfrom 2018 to 2021 after serving asDeputy Chief Whipfrom 2015 to 2018.

Early life and career

McAvoy was born inRutherglen,Lanarkshire,on 14 December 1943. He worked in apawnbrokers,as a storeman at theHooverfactory inCambuslang,and was a shop steward for theAmalgamated Engineering Union;following the succession of trade union mergers, he was a member ofUnite the Union(AmicusSection).

In 1982, McAvoy was elected toStrathclyde Regional Council,and served until 1987.

Parliamentary career

McAvoy was elected to Parliament in 1987 as theScottish Labour and Co-operativeMember forGlasgow Rutherglen.Along withRobert Brownof theScottish Liberal Democrats,he successfully campaigned for his hometown (an independentroyal burghfrom the 1100s to the 1970s) to be removed fromthe district of Glasgowand allocated toSouth Lanarkshireahead of local authority re-organisation in1994,via a local referendum.From 2005 to 2010, he sat as the member forRutherglen and Hamilton West.

McAvoy was an oppositionwhipfrom 1990 to 1993 and again from 1996 to 1997.

When the Labour Party came into government in 1997, McAvoy was appointedComptroller of HM Household,the third highest position in the Government Whips' office. He retained the same job until 2008, becoming one of the longest serving Comptrollers in history.He was appointed to thePrivy Councilin 2003. In October 2008, he was promoted toTreasurer of the Householdand Deputy Chief Whip.

McAvoy achieved the rare feat among whips of remaining popular with Labour MPs. Anearly day motionin July 2006 noted "the difficult task he has of securing government business whilst accommodating the parliamentary, political and personal requirements of 352 Labour colleagues" and congratulated him for "the respect he has earned from all sides of the House for his ability to perform these duties"; it was signed by 135 MPs.

On 20 February 2010, McAvoy announced that he would stand down at thenext general election.The seat was retained by Labour with the election ofTom Greatrex.On 22 June 2010, McAvoy was created alife peerasBaron McAvoy,of Rutherglen in Lanarkshire,and wasintroducedin theHouse of Lordsthat day.

McAvoy remains to this day the longest serving Government Whip in the history of parliament with 13 years and 10 days service in the Government Whips Office. According toThe Guardian:"...[his] personal crusades have been for peace in Northern Ireland and against abortion" (Andrew Roth,The Guardian).

After his introduction to the Lords, he served as a senior whip. In 2012, he took on the role of Opposition Spokesman for Scotland and Northern Ireland. In May 2015, after the election ofAngela SmithasLeader of the Oppositionin the Lords, he took over as Opposition Deputy Chief Whip inHouse of Lords,serving withDenis Tunnicliffe.

On 24 January 2018, he was elected Labour Chief Whip in the House of Lords and therefore Opposition Chief Whip, taking over fromSteve Bassam.

McAvoy was appointedKnight Commander of the Order of the British Empire(KBE) in the2022 New Year Honoursfor political and public service.

Personal life

McAvoy and his wife Eleanor were married in 1968 inSt Columbkille's Church,Rutherglen, and had four sons.He was a school friend ofBobby Murdoch,later a successful footballer withCelticandScotland.

His brother Eddie is a retired local politician who also worked at Hoover and subsequently served as the leader ofSouth Lanarkshire Councilfrom 1999 to 2017.

Tommy McAvoy died on 8 March 2024, at the age of 80.

External links

• Official Website
• Hansard1803–2005:contributions in Parliament by Tommy McAvoy
• Guardian Unlimited Politics – Ask Aristotle:Tommy McAvoy MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com– Tommy McAvoy MP
• BBC News Profile