Douglas Alexander MP was appointed Secretary of State for International Development on 28 June 2007.

Douglas was previously Secretary of State for Transport and Secretary of State for Scotland from May 2006 to June 2007. He has held a number of ministerial positions since his first appointment in 2001.

These portfolios have included Minister of State for Europe during the UK Presidency and Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs.

Douglas Alexander was born in Glasgow in 1967 and educated in Scotland and Canada. He attended both Edinburgh University – where he was chair of the Labour Club – and the University of Pennsylvania.

He worked as a lawyer before entering Parliament in 1997 and has increased his majority in the 2001 and 2005 elections. He is married with two children.