| The Right Honourable Jack Straw MP |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 28 June 2007 |
|
| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
|---|---|
| Preceded by | The Lord Falconer of Thoroton |
|
|
|
| In office 06 May 2006 – 27 June 2007 |
|
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Geoff Hoon |
| Succeeded by | Harriet Harman |
|
|
|
| In office 08 June 2001 – 06 May 2006 |
|
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Robin Cook |
| Succeeded by | Margaret Beckett |
|
|
|
| In office 02 May 1997 – 08 June 2001 |
|
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Michael Howard |
| Succeeded by | David Blunkett |
|
Member of Parliament
for Blackburn |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 03 May 1979 |
|
| Preceded by | Barbara Castle |
| Majority | 8,009 (19. The Right Honourable (abbreviated as The Rt Hon) is an Honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor is a senior and important functionary in the Government of the United Kingdom. See also Lord Chancellor The Secretary of State for Justice is a United Kingdom cabinet position Events 1098 - Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951 is Charles Leslie Falconer Baron Falconer of Thoroton, PC, QC (born 19 November 1951 is a British Barrister and Labour Party The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons The Lord Privy Seal or Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom ranking beneath the Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1358 - Republic of Dubrovnik is founded 1709 - Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to Geoffrey 'Geoff' William Hoon (born 6 December 1953 is a British Politician. Harriet Ruth Harman The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a member of the United Kingdom Government heading the Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to Robert Finlayson Cook (28 February 1946 &ndash 6 August 2005 better known as " Robin Cook " was a Politician in the British Labour Margaret Mary Beckett (née Jackson; born 15 January 1943 is a British Labour Politician, Member of Parliament (MP for Derby The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the United Kingdom Home Office Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to Michael Howard QC (born 7 July 1941 is a British Politician, a Conservative MP since the 1983 General Election for the constituency of David Blunkett (born 6 June 1947 is a British Labour Party Politician and has been Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside Blackburn is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) Barbara Castle Baroness Castle of Blackburn PC (6 October 1910 &ndash 3 May 2002 was a British left-wing politician born Barbara Anne Betts in Chesterfield 2%) |
|
|
|
| Born | 3 August 1946 Buckhurst Hill, Essex, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | University of Leeds |
| Website | www.jackstrawmp.org.uk |
John Whitaker Straw (born 3 August 1946), most commonly known as Jack Straw, is a senior British Labour Party politician. Events 8 - Roman Empire General Tiberius defeats Dalmatians on the river Bathinus. Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Buckhurst Hill is a suburban town in the Epping Forest district of Essex. Essex is a county in the East of England. The County town is Chelmsford, and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Alma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother" It was used in Ancient Rome as a title for the mother Goddess, and in Medieval The University of Leeds is a major teaching and research University in Leeds, West Yorkshire; one of the largest in the United Kingdom with Events 8 - Roman Empire General Tiberius defeats Dalmatians on the river Bathinus. Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the A politician (from Greek " Polis " is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of Politics or a person On 28 June 2007 he was appointed to the offices of Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain and Secretary of State for Justice. Events 1098 - Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor is a senior and important functionary in the Government of the United Kingdom. See also Lord Chancellor The Secretary of State for Justice is a United Kingdom cabinet position [1]
Previously he was Home Secretary from 1997 to 2001, Foreign Secretary from 2001 to 2006 and Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Commons from 2006 to 2007. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the United Kingdom Home Office The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a member of the United Kingdom Government heading the The Lord Privy Seal or Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom ranking beneath the The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons He has been the Member of Parliament for Blackburn since 1979. Blackburn is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Contents |
Early life
He was born in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, England of part-Jewish background and brought up at Loughton, Essex by his mother, Joan Sylvia Gilbey[2][3] on a council estate after his father Walter Arthur Whitaker Straw,[2] an insurance salesman, left the family and condemned them to poverty. Buckhurst Hill is a suburban town in the Epping Forest district of Essex. Essex is a county in the East of England. The County town is Chelmsford, and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Loughton (ˈlaʊtən or lau-ton) is a town and Civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex. Essex is a county in the East of England. The County town is Chelmsford, and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common The council house is a form of public or social housing in the United Kingdom. He was educated at Staples Road School, Loughton, and then boarded at the fee-charging Brentwood School (where he was already expressing political ambitions and took the name "Jack", allegedly after the 14th century peasant leader Jack Straw — although "Jack" is a common diminutive of "John") and read law at the University of Leeds. Brentwood School is a public school in Brentwood Essex, England. Jack Straw (probably the same person as John Rackstraw) was one of the three leaders (together with John Ball and Wat Tyler) of the Peasants' Revolt The University of Leeds is a major teaching and research University in Leeds, West Yorkshire; one of the largest in the United Kingdom with
Straw was elected chair of the Leeds University Labour Club in 1966. When Straw disrupted a student trip to Chile, he was branded a "troublemaker acting with malice aforethought" by the Foreign Office. Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO, is the British government department responsible for promoting [4] Straw was then elected president of Leeds University Union with the support of the Broad Left, a coalition including Liberal, Socialist and the Communist Societies. Leeds University Union (LUU is the representative body for the students at the University of Leeds, England. (The Leeds University Union Council recently reinstated Jack Straw's life membership of the union, as a previous motion had removed his life membership and led to the removal of his name from the Presidents’ Board due to personal disagreement with his political decisions. [5] At the National Union of Students conference at the end of 1967 he and David Adelstein, the Radicals leader from the London School of Economics, were defeated in their quest for officership in the NUS. The London School of Economics and Political Science, more commonly referred to as The London School of Economics or LSE, is a specialist college of the That was repeated in April 1968 when Straw stood for NUS President and was defeated by Trevor Fisk. [6] In 1969 he succeeded in being elected President of the increasingly more radical National Union of Students, having led the campaign to remove the "no politics" clause from the NUS constitution. The National Union of Students ( NUS) is the main confederation of Students' unions that exist inside the United Kingdom.
He qualified as a barrister and practised criminal law. A barrister is a Lawyer found in many Common law Jurisdictions that employ a split profession (as opposed to a Fused profession) in relation The term criminal law, sometimes called penal law, refers to any of various bodies of rules in different Jurisdictions whose common characteristic is the potential From 1971 to 1974 Jack Straw was a member of the Inner London Education Authority and Deputy Leader from 1973 to 1974. The Inner London Education Authority (ILEA was the education authority for the 12 inner London boroughs from 1965 until its abolition in 1990 He served as political adviser to Barbara Castle at the Department of Social Security from 1974 to 1976 and then to Peter Shore at the Department for the Environment to 1977. Barbara Castle Baroness Castle of Blackburn PC (6 October 1910 &ndash 3 May 2002 was a British left-wing politician born Barbara Anne Betts in Chesterfield The Department of Social Security (DSS is the name of similar defunct governmental agencies in the United Kingdom and Australia In the United Kingdom the DSS Peter David Shore Baron Shore of Stepney PC ( 20 May, 1924 &ndash 24 September, 2001) was a British Labour He then worked as a researcher for the Granada TV current affairs series, World in Action. Granada Television is the United Kingdom ITV contractor for North West England. Current affairs is a Genre of Broadcast journalism where the emphasis is on detailed analysis and discussion of News stories that have recently occurred
During his time as political adviser, Straw was asked by Castle to examine the social security file of Norman Scott, who had claimed that the Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe was behind an attempt to murder him. The Liberal Party was one of the two major British political parties from the early 19th century until the rise of the Labour Party in the 1920s and a third party John Jeremy Thorpe (born April 29, 1929) is a British Politician, who was leader of the Liberal Party from 1967 to 1976 Castle had been asked by Harold Wilson to investigate Scott's file to see if it contained any evidence that he was involved in a security conspiracy against Thorpe. James Harold Wilson Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, PC (11 March 1916 &ndash 24 May 1995 was one of the most prominent British politicians Straw informed Castle that when he went to examine Scott's file, he found it was missing. The journalist Barrie Penrose has alleged that Straw subsequently leaked details from the file to the media. Barrie Penrose (born Croydon 1942 is a British investigative journalist interviewer and trainer Straw remains silent on that matter. He has denied allegations by Joe Haines, Wilson's press secretary, that Wilson asked for Scott's file to be viewed for party political purposes, in the hopes of gaining information that could be used to damage Thorpe if he attempted to form a coalition government with Edward Heath. This article is about the journalist For the speedway rider see Joe Haines (speedway rider Joseph Thomas William Haines (born 29 January Sir Edward Richard George Heath, KG, MBE (9 July 1916 &ndash 17 July 2005 often known as Ted Heath, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom By the time he was asked to view the file, Heath had ceased to be leader of the Conservative Party. At the time of the scandal, the general view, promoted in particular by Private Eye, was that Wilson was using his influence to help and protect Thorpe and certainly not to smear him. Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical Magazine, edited by Ian Hislop. Thorpe was cleared of any involvement in the attempt on Scott's life.
Member of Parliament
Straw was selected to run for Parliament in Blackburn, Lancashire, Barbara Castle's seat, in 1977 after Castle decided not to run again. Blackburn ( is a large town in Lancashire, England. It lies to the north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea He won the seat in 1979 and has held it since, also becoming honorary president of the football team Blackburn Rovers. Football is the word given to a number of similar Team sports all of which involve (to varying degrees kicking a Ball with the foot in an attempt to score a Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. In the 1980s, he was an opposition spokesman on economic affairs and later on the environment before promotion to the Shadow Cabinet in 1987. The Shadow Cabinet (also called the Shadow Front Bench) is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the
Shadow Cabinet
Straw's first Shadow Cabinet post was as Education spokesman from 1987. The Secretary of State for Education and Skills was the chief minister of the Department for Education and Skills in the United Kingdom government In this role, he called on Local Education Authorities to give private Muslim and Orthodox Jewish schools the right to opt out of the state system and still receive public funds. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion Orthodox Judaism is the formulation of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized He also stated that the schools should be free to enter the state system. His comments came at a time of great controversy regarding the funding of Muslim schools. Straw argued that the controversy arose out of ignorance and stereotyping about women's role in Islam, pointing out that Muslim women acquired property rights centuries before European women. Straw played a significant role in articulating the Labour party's interest in and sensitivity to the issue.
Straw briefly served as Shadow Environment Secretary under John Smith from 1992 to 1994, speaking on matters concerning local government. The Secretary of State for the Environment was a UK cabinet position responsible for the Department of the Environment. John Smith QC (13 September 1938&ndash12 May 1994 was a Scottish Politician who served as leader of the Labour Party from July 1992 until his When Tony Blair became leader after Smith's death, he chose Straw to succeed him as Shadow Home Secretary. Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the United Kingdom Home Office Like Blair, Straw believed Labour's electoral chances had been damaged in the past by the party appearing to be "soft on crime" and he developed a reputation as being even more authoritarian than the Conservative Home Secretary Michael Howard. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Michael Howard QC (born 7 July 1941 is a British Politician, a Conservative MP since the 1983 General Election for the constituency of Straw garnered particular attention for comments condemning "aggressive beggars, winos and squeegee merchants" and calling for a curfew on children.
Home Secretary
Appointed as Home Secretary after the 1997 general election, he brought forward the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, increased police powers against terrorism and proposed a reduction in the right to trial by jury. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the United Kingdom Home Office Results The election was fought under new boundaries with a net increase of eight seats compared to the 1992 election Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 ( RIP or RIPA) is a United Kingdom Law regulating the powers of public bodies to carry out surveillance These policies won praise from Margaret Thatcher who once declared 'I trust Jack Straw. Margaret Hilda Thatcher Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925 He is a very fair man. ' They were deemed excessively authoritarian by his former students' union, which in 2000 banned him from the building — a policy which lapsed in 2003. However, he also incorporated the European Convention on Human Rights into British law, abolished the death penalty and pressed for action on institutionalised racism in the police revealed by the Stephen Lawrence case. The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (also called the "European Convention on Human Rights" and "ECHR" was adopted under the List of racism-related topics|Racism by country Racism, by its simplest definition is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that Stephen Lawrence ( 13 September 1974 – 22 April 1993) was a Black British teenager from South-East London who was
In March 2000, Jack Straw was responsible for allowing General Augusto Pinochet to return to Chile. Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (November Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the There were requests from several countries for Pinochet to be extradited and face trial for crimes against humanity. Pinochet was placed under house arrest in Britain while appealing the legal authority of the Spanish and British courts to try him, but Straw eventually ordered his release on medical grounds before a trial could begin, and Pinochet returned to Chile. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
Also in 2000, Straw turned down an asylum request from a man fleeing Saddam Hussein's regime, stating "we have faith in the integrity of the Iraqi judicial process and that you should have no concerns if you haven’t done anything wrong. Iraq under Saddam Hussein had high levels of Torture and Mass murder. Her Majesty's Government, or when the monarch is male His Majesty's Government, is the title used by the Government of the United Kingdom, based at For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. "
He was the last Home Secretary to have all the traditional powers of that office, as following the 2001 general election, the government began transferring all non-law and order responsibilities to other departments.
Foreign Secretary
He was instead appointed Foreign Secretary to succeed Robin Cook. Robert Finlayson Cook (28 February 1946 &ndash 6 August 2005 better known as " Robin Cook " was a Politician in the British Labour Within months Straw was confronted by the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the He was initially seen as taking a back seat to Tony Blair in the UK Government's prosecution of the "war against terrorism". Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to The War on Terrorism (also known as the War on Terror) is the common term for the military political and legal, and ideological conflict and specifically for U
In the 2004 Equatorial Guinea coup d'état attempt, Jack Straw was personally informed with months in advance of the plans for the takeover attempt and failed to accomplish the duty under international law of alerting that African country government. The 2004 Equatorial Guinea coup d'état attempt was an alleged Coup attempt against the government of Equatorial Guinea in order to remove its President Teodoro The involvement of British oil companies in the funding of the coup d'état, and the changing of British citizens evacuation plans for Equatorial Guinea before the attempt posed serious challenges for the alleged ignorance of the happenings. The Republic of Equatorial Guinea ( República de Guinea Ecuatorial,) is a country in Central Africa. Later on, British officials and Jack Straw were forced to apologize to The Observer after categorically denying they had prior knowledge of the coup plot.
In the run up to the 2005 general election Straw faced a potential backlash from his Muslim constituents over the Iraq War – the Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK (MPAC) attempted to capitalise on anti-war sentiment with 'operation Muslim vote' in Blackburn. Results Overview For events leading up to the date of the election see article Pre-election day events of the United Kingdom general This article is about the British organization For the US organization see Muslim Public Affairs Council The Muslim In addition, Craig Murray, who had been pushed out of his job as ambassador to Uzbekistan, stood against his former boss (Straw was head of the FCO) on a platform opposing the use of information gathered under torture in the "War on Terror". Craig Murray (born October 1958 is a British Political activist, former Ambassador to Uzbekistan and current Rector of the University Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( Uzbek: O‘zbekiston Respublikasi or Ўзбекистон Республикаси is a doubly Straw's vote fell by 20% compared to the previous general election in 2001 (21,808 to 17,562). Nonetheless, he was re-elected. Speaking moments after his re-election during the BBC's election night coverage, Straw called MPAC an 'egregious group' and expressed disappointment at its campaign tactics, which he saw as overly aggressive. Straw enjoys a reputation for involved local campaigning in his constituency despite his cabinet post, often spending many hours in the run up to elections literally standing on a soapbox in a high street area taking questions from the crowd and responding to criticism with a microphone. A soapbox is a raised Platform on which one stands to make an impromptu speech, often about a political subject
On October 13, 2005 Straw took questions from a public panel of (mostly anti-war) individuals in a BBC Newsnight television special on the subject of Iraq, addressing widespread public concerns about the exit strategy for British troops, the Iraqi insurgency and, inevitably, the moral legitimacy of the war. Events 54 - Nero ascends to the Roman throne 409 - Vandals and Alans crossed the Pyrenees Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. For the CNN programme see NewsNight with Aaron Brown Newsnight is a British daily News analysis An exit strategy is a means of escaping one's current situation typically an unfavourable situation On several occasions Straw reiterated his position that the decision to invade was in his opinion the right thing to do, but said he did not 'know' for certain that this was the case. He said he understood why public opinion on several matters might differ from his own — a Newsnight/ICM poll showed over 70% of respondents believed the war in Iraq to have increased the likelihood of terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom, but Straw said he could not agree based on the information presented to him.
In February 2006, Straw attracted publicity after he condemned the publication of cartoons picturing Mohammed in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. ˈjylænsˌ pʰʌsd̥n̩ ( English: The Morning Newspaper "The Jutland Post") commonly shortened to Jyllands-Posten or JP [7]
In April 2006, reports of secret White House plans to target Iranian nuclear installations with bunker busting nuclear bombs was described by Jack Straw as "completely nuts".
In August 2006, it was claimed by William Rees-Mogg in The Times that there was evidence that Straw was removed from this post upon the request of the Bush administration, possibly due to his expressed opposition to bombing Iran. William Rees-Mogg Baron Rees-Mogg (b July 14 1928, Bristol England) is a journalist and writer in the United Kingdom. The Times is a daily national Newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. The Presidency of George W Bush began on his inauguration on January 20, 2001 as the 43rd and current President of the United States of America For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. [8]
It has also been alleged that another factor in his dismissal was the large number of Muslims amongst Straw's Blackburn constituents, supposedly considered a cause for concern by the US. [9] Some Iranian dissidents mocked Straw as "Ayatollah Straw" after his frequent visits to Tehran in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. A dissident, broadly defined is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine policy or institution Tehran (or Teheran) ( Persian: تهران Tehrān) is the capital and largest City of Iran, and the administrative center of [10]
Leader of the House of Commons
After the Labour Party suffered major defeats in local elections on 4 May 2006, losing 317 seats in balloting for 176 councils, Tony Blair acted the following day with a major reshuffle of his ministers during which he moved Straw from Foreign Secretary to Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal. Events 1256 - The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Following poor results for the Labour Party in the local elections in England on 4 May 2006, British Prime Minister The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons The Lord Privy Seal or Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom ranking beneath the Straw had apparently requested a break from high ministerial office after serving in two of the four great departments of state for nearly ten years. Straw's close relationship with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was said to have 'infuriated' Number 10, with particular reference to her visit to Straw's Blackburn constituency which caused significant organisational difficulties. Condoleezza Rice (born November 14 1954 is the 66th United States It is believed that Straw's public opposition to potential military actions in Iran during his tenure as Foreign Secretary was one of the main reasons behind his demotion. To lessen the apparent demotion, Blair gave Straw responsibility for House of Lords reform and party funding, issues which had been part of the portfolio of the Department for Constitutional Affairs. The Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA was a United Kingdom government department. In addition, Straw was given the chairmanship of the Constitutional Affairs cabinet committee. A cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of Government, typically representing the executive branch. [11]
On 25 March 2007, Straw announced he was to run Gordon Brown's campaign for the Labour leadership. Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951 is This was the first official confirmation the Chancellor would stand. [12]
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Straw was appointed Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain and Secretary of State for Justice on the first full day of Gordon Brown's ministry, 28 June 2007. The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor is a senior and important functionary in the Government of the United Kingdom. See also Lord Chancellor The Secretary of State for Justice is a United Kingdom cabinet position Events 1098 - Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. He will be the first ever Lord Chancellor to serve in the role whilst a member of the House of Commons. The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords His appointment means that he will continue to be a major figure in the Labour Government. Only Straw, Alistair Darling and Gordon Brown have served in the cabinet continuously since Labour's administration began in May 1997. Alistair Maclean Darling (born 28 November 1953 is a British Politician and Chancellor of the Exchequer since 28 June 2007 WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951 is
2006 veil controversy
In October 2006 Straw attracted controversy by suggesting to a local newspaper, The Lancashire Evening Telegraph, that Muslim women who wear veils that cover their faces (the niqab) can inhibit inter-community relations, though he denied the issue was raised for political gain, stating that he had raised it in private circles in the past and it had never progressed beyond discussions. The United Kingdom debate over veils began in October 2006 when the MP and government minister Jack Straw wrote in his local newspaper The A niqāb ( Arabic: نِقاب) is a Veil which covers the face worn by some Muslim women as a part of sartorial hijāb. Although he did not support a law banning a woman's right to choose to wear the veil, he would like them to abandon it all together. Asked whether he would prefer veils to be abolished completely, Straw said: "Yes. It needs to be made clear I am not talking about being prescriptive but with all the caveats, yes, I would rather. "[13] He said that he had asked women visiting his constituency surgeries to consider uncovering their noses and mouths in order to allow better communication. A political surgery (in British politics or clinic is a term used to describe a series of one-to-one meetings a Member of Parliament (MP may have with He claimed that no women had ever chosen to wear a full-veil after this request. [14][15][16] However, given that he is known to suffer from tinnitus (which compromises the ability to hear), it is possible that he requested the veil to be removed so that he could lip-read the woman. TheyWorkForYou.com - Jack Straw MP
Straw's comments kicked off a wide-ranging and sometimes harshly worded debate within British politics and the media; Straw was supported by some establishment figures and castigated by others, including Muslim groups. The politics of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland takes place in the framework of a Constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is Head There is debate within the Muslim community whether the Qur'an and hadith (traditions of Muhammad) require the use of the full face veil, see sartorial hijab. Ummah (أمة is an Arabic word meaning Community or Nation. It is commonly used to mean either the collective nation of states, or (in the The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran Hadith ( ar الحديث, pl aḥadīth; lit. "narrative" are oral Traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics This list of types of sartorial Hijab indexes styles of clothing found in predominantly Muslim societies commonly associated with the word hijab.
Personal life
In June 2006 Private Eye magazine revealed that Straw's wife, Alice Perkins, joined the board of the country's largest airports operator BAA in March 2006, shortly before it was taken over by the Spanish firm Ferrovial. Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical Magazine, edited by Ian Hislop. Alice Perkins graduated from St Anne's College Oxford and joined the Civil Service Fast Track Stream in 1971 BAA Limited is the owner and operator of seven British Airports and the operator of several other airports worldwide making the company one of the largest transport
Straw suffers from tinnitus. Tinnitus (tɪˈnaɪtəs or /ˈtɪnɪtəs/ from the Latin word for " Ringing " is the perception of sound within the human ear in the absence of corresponding [17]
Partial bibliography
Author or co-author
- Implementation of the Human Rights Act 1998: Minutes of Evidence, Wednesday 14 March 2001 (2001) ISBN 0-10-442701-9
- Making Prisons Work: Prison Reform Trust Annual Lecture (1998) ISBN 0-946209-44-8
- Future of Policing and Criminal Justice (Institute of Police & Criminological Studies Occasional Paper S. ) (1996) ISBN 1-86137-087-3
- Policy and Ideology (1993) ISBN 0-9521163-0-8
Reports
- Reform of the Race Relations Act 1976: Proposals for Change Submitted by the Commission for Racial Equality to the Rt Hon Jack Straw MP, Secretary of State for the Home Department, on 30 April 1998 (1998) ISBN 1-85442-210-3
Footnotes
- ^ "Jack Straw is new Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor", Ministry of Justice announcement.
- ^ a b Who's Who 2008, A & C Black, 2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007
- ^ General Register Office Birth Index 1946 Q3 Epping 5a 178
- ^ Straw comments reflect Cabinet unease.
- ^ Leeds University Union Union Council - November Referendum Meeting (PDF).
- ^ Student Power by Sir Patrick Wall, MC, MP. Major Sir Patrick Henry Bligh Wall KBE (1981 MC, VRD ( 14 October 1916 &ndash 15 May , Conservative Monday Club, London, 1969, p. The Conservative Monday Club (widely known as the Monday Club) is a British pressure-group "on the right-wing of the Conservative Party " 8.
- ^ U.S.: Muhammad Cartoon 'Offensive'. CBS news. CBS News is the news division of American Television and Radio network CBS. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries
- ^ How the US fired Jack Straw. timesonline. co. uk (2006-08-07). Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Retrieved on 2006-08-14. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1183 - Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan take the young Emperor Antoku and the three sacred treasures
- ^ With extreme prejudice. Guardian Online. The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group.
- ^ Teheran two-times Straw by backing both sides. Iran Focus. Iran Focus is a news website which identifies itself as a "non-profit news service provider that focuses on events in Iran Iraq and the Middle East Retrieved on 2007-06-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries
- ^ "Clarke sacked in major cabinet reshuffle", The Guardian, 2006-05-05. The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John Retrieved on 2006-05-05. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John
- ^ "Straw to run Brown leadership bid", BBC News, 2007-03-25. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6. Retrieved on 2007-03-25. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1199 - Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France which leads to his death on April 6.
- ^ In quotes: Jack Straw on the veil - BBC News. October 6, 2006
- ^ Straw in plea to Muslim women: Take off your veils. Events 105 BC - Battle of Arausio: The Cimbri inflict the heaviest defeat on the Roman army of Gnaeus Mallius Maximus Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Blackburn, Darwen And Hyndburn Citizen. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries
- ^ Muslim veil row. GMTV. GMTV ( Good Morning Television) is the national ITV Breakfast television contractor broadcasting in the United Kingdom. Retrieved on 2007-06-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries
- ^ Straw's veil comments spark anger. BBC News.
- ^ Hoping for the sound of silence.
External links
- Jack Straw official website
- Online exhibition of the May 1968 student protest in Leeds
- 10 Downing Street - Jack John Whitaker Straw
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Jack Straw MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Jack Straw MP
- Open Directory Project - Jack Straw directory category
- BBC Newsnight: Jack Straw
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Barbara Castle |
Member of Parliament for Blackburn 1979–present |
Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Trevor A. The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories Barbara Castle Baroness Castle of Blackburn PC (6 October 1910 &ndash 3 May 2002 was a British left-wing politician born Barbara Anne Betts in Chesterfield A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Blackburn is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Fisk |
President of the National Union of Students 1969–1971 |
Succeeded by Digby Jacks |
| Preceded by Bryan Gould |
Shadow Secretary of State for Environment 1992–1994 |
Succeeded by Frank Dobson |
| Preceded by Tony Blair |
Shadow Home Secretary 1994–1997 |
Succeeded by Brian Mawhinney |
| Preceded by Michael Howard |
Home Secretary 1997–2001 |
Succeeded by David Blunkett |
| Preceded by Robin Cook |
Foreign Secretary 2001–2006 |
Succeeded by Margaret Beckett |
| Preceded by Geoff Hoon |
Leader of the House of Commons 2006–2007 |
Succeeded by Harriet Harman |
| Lord Privy Seal 2006–2007 |
||
| Preceded by The Lord Falconer of Thoroton |
Lord Chancellor Justice Secretary 2007–present |
Incumbent |
| Order of precedence in England and Wales | ||
| Preceded by The Most Rev and Rt Hon Rowan Williams Archbishop of Canterbury |
Gentlemen Lord Chancellor |
Succeeded by The Most Rev and Rt Hon John Sentamu Archbishop of York |
| Order of precedence in Scotland | ||
| Preceded by Prince Michael of Kent |
Gentlemen Lord Chancellor |
Succeeded by The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP Prime Minister |
| Order of precedence in Northern Ireland | ||
| Preceded by The Rt Rev Dr John Finlay Moderator of the Presbyterian Church |
Gentlemen Lord Chancellor |
Succeeded by The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP Prime Minister |
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic