Lord Forsyth is a life-long politician, getting elected to Westminster City Council in 1978 shortly after graduating from the University of St Andrews.
A few years later he became MP for the Stirling constituency, a seat he held until 1997 when his majority got swept away by the Labour landslide.
His constituency was home to the town of Dunblane, site of the massacre, which saw 16 children and their teacher shot and killed at the gym in the local primary school.
Lord Forsyth had known the murderer Thomas Hamilton, who had been a regular visitor to his constituency surgeries.
In an interview with Lord McFall in 2023, he described the event as "the worst thing that has ever happened to me".
"I still get flashbacks of that scene in the gym, it was just horrendous."
During his time in the House of Commons he served as a minister in the Home Office and the Department of Employment as well as secretary of state for Scotland between 1995 and 1997.
After losing his seat he was made a Conservative peer in the Lords, where he has chaired a number of committees including the Financial Services Regulation Committee.
He has also sat on the boards of the Royal Society and the National Portrait Gallery and is president of the Steam Boat Association.
His candidacy was supported by former Labour Home Secretary Lord Blunkett and retired senior judge Baroness Butler-Sloss.
Making his election pitch, Lord Forsyth promised "leadership for a more effective, respected and influential House" arguing that "as the Commons continues to struggle to scrutinise legislation effectively, greater pressure will fall on this House".
