THE man behind the refurbishment of Kelvingrove Scottish businessman and philanthropist Lord Macfarlane, is resigning from the House of Lords next month.

He was appointed as a peer by the Conservative Party in 1991, but since turning 90 this year, has decided to reduce his involvement.

It was the House of Lords Reform Act of 2014 which allowed members of the Lords to retire or resign which was previously constitutionally impossible.

Lord Macfarlane of Bearsden still retains his title but will have no voting or speaking rights in the chamber.

He is perhaps best known in the business world for his previous role as chairman of Guinness, taking over the troubled drinks company when its then chairman Ernest Saunders was investigated for rigging the Guinness share price. Saunders was later jailed, but was released early due to claims he was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. He has since made a recovery.

Lord Macfarlane, then Sir Norman Macfarlane, claimed he was "the most hated man in Scotland" when he took over Guinness. It had completed a controversial buy-out of leading Scotch whisky company Distillers, and to thwart Scottish opposition to the takeover, Saunders had promised to locate the headquarters of the new company in Edinburgh. Sir Norman said that it was not in the best interests of the company to move to Edinburgh, and reversed Saunders's plans, which gained him considerable opprobrium.

However he then won the Scottish business world round by investing hugely in the company's brands and operations in Scotland.

In Glasgow, he is also known for his involvement in the refurbishment of Kelvingrove Art Gallery when he chaired the committee which raised millions of pounds from both the private and public sector to carry out the work. He was later awarded the Freedom of the City.

Although he opposed Scottish independence, he is backing the campaign to remain in the European Union. He says that the drinks conglomerate Diageo, formed by the merger of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan, of which he is honorary president, has carried out a detailed analysis which concludes that its business would gain more from Britain remaining in Europe.

Diego's chief executive Ivan Menezes has previously said that the single European market opens access for the company across the EU, and that the EU's clout in international trade helps open new markets, reduce tariffs, and resolve trade disputes.

"This drives significant value for us and the wider Scotch whisky industry, sustaining jobs and growth at home," he stated.

Lord Macfarlane has also praised the Conservative Party leader in Scotland, Ruth Davidson, whom he forecasted would play a far larger role in the party nationally.

"I am very interested in the fact that this young woman has come along and pushed the Tory vote up in Scotland to being second. It seems absolutely extraordinary," he said.

"The people in the south are absolutely amazed, and they are quite sure she's going to be a very big influence in the south, but I have explained to them it will not be by residing in the south. It will be by example."