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Jack Straw

Personal data
Date of birth3 August 1946(age 69)
Place of birthBuckhurst Hill, Essex, England
Political partyLabour
SpouseAnthea Weston (m. 1968 � 1977)
Alice Perkins (m. 1978 � present)
ChildrenDaughter, son
Alma materUniversity of Leeds
Inns of Court School of Law
ReligionAnglicanism
Shadow Deputy Prime Minister
In office11 May 2010 - 7 October 2010
LeaderHarriet Harman
Succeeded byHarriet Harman
Shadow Secretary of State for Justice
Shadow Lord Chancellor
In office11 May 2010 - 7 October 2010
LeaderHarriet Harman
Ed Miliband
Succeeded bySadiq Khan
Preceded byDominic Grieve
Secretary of State for Justice
Lord Chancellor
In office28 June 2007 - 11 May 2010
Prime ministerGordon Brown
Succeeded byKenneth Clarke
Preceded byThe Lord Falconer of Thoroton
Leader of the House of Commons
Lord Privy Seal
In office5 May 2006 - 27 June 2007
Prime ministerTony Blair
Succeeded byHarriet Harman
Preceded byGeoff Hoon
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
In office8 June 2001 - 5 May 2006
Prime ministerTony Blair
Succeeded byMargaret Beckett
Preceded byRobin Cook
Home Secretary
In office2 May 1997 - 8 June 2001
Prime ministerTony Blair
Succeeded byDavid Blunkett
Preceded byMichael Howard
Shadow Home Secretary
In office20 October 1994 - 2 May 1997
LeaderTony Blair
Succeeded byMichael Howard
Preceded byTony Blair
Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment
In office24 July 1992 - 20 October 1994
LeaderJohn Smith
Succeeded byFrank Dobson
Preceded byBryan Gould
Member of Parliament
for Blackburn
Assumed office3 May 1979
Majority9,856 (21.7%)
Preceded byBarbara Castle

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John Whitaker Straw (born 3 August 1946) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Blackburn since 1979. He served as 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 under Tony Blair. From 2007 to 2010 he was the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain and the Secretary of State for Justice, appointed as part of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's first Cabinet. Straw is one of only three people to have served in Cabinet continuously from 1997 to 2010 (the others being Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling).

When the Labour Party lost power in May 2010, he briefly became the Shadow Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, Shadow Secretary of State for Justice and the Shadow Deputy Prime Minister, but stood down from the frontbench after the Labour Party elected a new Shadow Cabinet.


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