Jack Straw was born on 2 August 1946 in Buckhurst Hill, Essex. He was educated at a number of secondary schools before moving onto Leeds University. In 1966, Straw was elected as the chairman of the Leeds University Labour Society at the Annual General Meeting. In 1969, Straw became the leader of the National Union of Students.
Early Career
At the Inns of Court School of Law, Straw qualified as a barrister and went on to practise criminal law. In the 1974 general election, Straw stood for the seat of Tonbridge and Malling, but was unsuccessful. For the next two years, Straw worked as political adviser to Barbara Castle.
Election to Parliament
After Barbara Castle decided not to stand for re-election, Straw was chosen to stand in her place as the Labour candidate for the constituency for Blackburn. He was elected in1979 and has held the position ever since.
Straw was first given a Shadow Cabinet position in 1987 as the Labour Party’s education spokesman. Between 1992 and 1994, Straw acted as Shadow Education Secretary under John Smith. Smith died suddenly in 1994, and when Tony Blair succeeded him as leader of the Labour Party, Straw replaced him as Home Secretary.
Time in the Cabinet
After the Labour Party came into power after the 1997 general election, Straw became the Home Secretary. In the position, Straw increased the powers of the police against terrorism. He was even praised by former Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. During his time in the position, Straw was also involved in changing the electoral system for the European Parliament elections.
After Robin Cook resigned as Foreign Secretary over the invasion of Iraq, Straw was chosen to succeed him. As Foreign Secretary, Straw faced crises such as the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, and the 2004 Coup d’état attempt in Equatorial Guinea.
The 2005 general election saw Straw’s majority fall by 20% in his constituency. This has been partly blamed on a backlash from his Muslim constituents over his handling of the Iraq War. In Tony Blair’s Cabinet reshuffle in May 2006, Straw became Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal.
When Gordon Brown took over as Prime Minister in 2007, following Tony Blair’s resignation, Straw was immediately made Secretary of State for Justice as well as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain.
It was reported in early 2009 that Straw had expressed that he was ready to become Prime Minister, although it was not his sole aim. In some polls, he has been shown to be the public’s favourite to succeed Gordon Brown.
Sources:
BBC News
The Daily Telegraph
Labour Party website
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