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Thanksgiving service held for former Deputy First Minister Lord Wallace

Getty Images A man with grey hair and glasses is wearing a blue coat, blue scarf, white shirt and blue and white spotted tieGetty Images
Lord Wallace died in January at the age of 71

A thanksgiving service has taken place at Dunblane Cathedral for Scotland's first Deputy First Minister, Lord Wallace.

The former Scottish Liberal Democrat leader died in January at the age of 71.

He had undergone a procedure at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh but suffered complications afterwards.

Politicians including former First Minister Lord McConnell and former Presiding Officer Lord Steel joined family and friends of Lord Wallace at the cathedral, where he had been a member of the choir.

Dunblane Cathedral A man with short grey hair and glasses is wearing a black jacket, white shirt and green tie as he stands at a church lecternDunblane Cathedral
Lord McConnell, the former Scottish Labour leader, spoke warmly of his fellow politician and friend

Lord McConnell, who was the leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2001 to 2007, described Lord Wallace as "honest, loyal and reliable" and one of most significant Scottish political figures of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Nicol Stephen, who succeeded Lord Wallace as both leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats and deputy first minister, gave a eulogy in which he said his mentor had developed strong friendships with politicians of all parties.

He said: "Jim embodied the very best of politics - courteous, collegiate, consensual but always with a strong and persuasive voice.

"He combined kindness with humility, authority with deep humanity."

Dunblane Cathedral A man with short grey hair and glasses is wearing a black jacket, white shirt and blue tie as he stands at a church lecternDunblane Cathedral
Lord Wallace's successor as Scottish Lib Dem leader, Nicol Stephen, delivered a eulogy at the service

Stephen credited Lord Wallace with helping to deliver free personal care for the elderly and the abolition of student tuition fees.

"He held things together at a time when the new Scottish Parliament was being tested to its very limits," he said.

"He did an outstanding job."

Who was Lord (Jim) Wallace?

Old photo of Jim Wallace taken in the 1980s. He has dark grey hair and large glasses. HIs mouth is open mid speech.
Jim Wallace became MP for Orkney and Shetland in 1983 and joined the Scottish Parliament in 1999

Jim Wallace was born in Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, and went to Annan Academy before attending Cambridge and Edinburgh universities.

He became MP for Orkney and Shetland in 1983, and joined the Scottish Parliament in 1999 as MSP for Orkney.

As deputy first minister, he covered Scotland's top job on several occasions, including stepping in following the death of First Minister Donald Dewar and the resignation of Henry McLeish.

He stepped down as an MSP in 2007 and was appointed to the House of Lords.

PA Media Jim Wallace in striped tie and grey suit in front of a party sign.PA Media
Lord Wallace was leader of the Scottish Lib Dems from 1992 to 2005

He sat on Sir Kenneth Calman's commission on devolution, which recommended extending Holyrood's powers.

A popular Lib Dem figure, he campaigned with his successor Alex Cole-Hamilton as recently as 2024.

After his legal training he became a barrister in 1979, practising mainly in civil law cases, and was appointed QC in 1997.

Wallace was brought up in the Church of Scotland - in which his accountant father was an elder - and religion and politics were inter-related interests and influences throughout his life.

In 2021, he took on the role of Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.