Jack Straw: British politician (born 1946)
John Whitaker 'Jack' Straw (born 3 August 1946 in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, England) is a British politician.
He held several Cabinet posts in the Labour government under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He is the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Blackburn.
Jack Straw | |
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| Shadow Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | |
| In office 11 May 2010 – 7 October 2010 | |
| Leader | Harriet Harman |
| Preceded by | William Hague (Senior Member of the Shadow Cabinet) |
| Succeeded by | Harriet Harman |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Justice Shadow Lord Chancellor | |
| In office 11 May 2010 – 7 October 2010 | |
| Leader | Harriet Harman Ed Miliband |
| Preceded by | Dominic Grieve |
| Succeeded by | Sadiq Khan |
| Secretary of State for Justice Lord Chancellor | |
| In office 28 June 2007 – 11 May 2010 | |
| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
| Preceded by | The Lord Falconer of Thoroton |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth Clarke |
| Leader of the House of Commons Lord Privy Seal | |
| In office 5 May 2006 – 28 June 2007 | |
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Geoff Hoon |
| Succeeded by | Harriet Harman |
| Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs | |
| In office 8 June 2001 – 5 May 2006 | |
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Robin Cook |
| Succeeded by | Margaret Beckett |
| Home Secretary | |
| In office 2 May 1997 – 8 June 2001 | |
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Michael Howard |
| Succeeded by | David Blunkett |
| Shadow Home Secretary | |
| In office 20 October 1994 – 2 May 1997 | |
| Leader | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Tony Blair |
| Succeeded by | Michael Howard |
| Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment | |
| In office 24 July 1992 – 20 October 1994 | |
| Leader | John Smith |
| Preceded by | Bryan Gould |
| Succeeded by | Frank Dobson |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Science | |
| In office 13 July 1987 – 18 July 1992 | |
| Leader | Neil Kinnock |
| Preceded by | Giles Radice |
| Succeeded by | Ann Taylor (Education) |
| Member of Parliament for Blackburn | |
| In office 3 May 1979 – 30 March 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Barbara Castle |
| Succeeded by | Kate Hollern |
| Majority | 9,856 (21.7%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Whitaker Straw 3 August 1946 Buckhurst Hill, Essex, United Kingdom |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse(s) | Anthea Weston (1968–1977) Alice Perkins (1978–present) |
| Children | Daughter (deceased), son, daughter |
| Alma mater | University of Leeds Inns of Court |
Jack Straw became a Labour Party MP at the 1979 General Election for the constituency of Blackburn. He was promoted to the shadow cabinet in 1987 and became the Home Secretary when Labour returned to power in 1997. His other cabinet posts included: Foreign Secretary (2001-2006), Leader of the House of Commons (2006-2007) and Justice Secretary (2007-2010). He did not choose to become a member of Ed Miliband's shadow cabinet.
Personal life
Straw's first marriage, in 1968, to teacher Anthea Weston ended in divorce in 1977. They had a daughter, Rachel, born on 24 February 1976. She died after five days because of a heart defect.
Straw is of Jewish descent (his maternal great-grandmother was from an Eastern-European Jewish family). He himself is Christian.
On 10 November 1978 he married Alice Perkins, a senior civil servant. They have two adult children, William and Charlotte.
He supports his local football club Blackburn Rovers. He was made an Honorary Vice President of Blackburn Rovers in 1998 by Jack Walker.
Straw has tinnitus.
References
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