David Blunkett
Encyclopedia
David Blunkett is a British Labour Party
politician
and the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough
, having represented Sheffield Brightside from 1987
to 2010. Blind
since birth, and coming from a poor family in one of Sheffield
's most deprived districts, he rose to become Education Secretary
, Home Secretary
and Work and Pensions Secretary in Tony Blair's
Cabinet
following Labour's victory in the 1997 general election
.
He departed from government in 2004 following the revelation of an affair Blunkett was having while serving as Home Secretary, and left government again in 2005 following the release of a series of reports about his external business interests during his brief time outside the cabinet, though it was later found in the resulting investigation that he had not acted improperly.
, Sheffield
, South Yorkshire
, with improperly developed optic nerve
s due to a rare genetic disorder
. He grew up in an underprivileged family and in 1959, he endured a family tragedy when his father was gravely injured in an industrial accident in which he fell into a vat of boiling water while at work as a foreman for the East Midlands Gas Board and died a month later. This left the surviving family in poverty, especially since the board refused to pay compensation for two years, because was working past retirement age dying at age 67.
Blind since birth, Blunkett was educated at schools for the blind in Sheffield and Shrewsbury. Following his father's death, he was sent on assessment to the School for the Blind in Worcester
(New College Worcester
), where he failed to gain entry. His failed assessment is said to be partly deliberate, due to his rebellious nature and dislike of public schools
. He later attended the Royal National College for the Blind in Shrewsbury
. He was apparently told at school that one of his few options in life was to become a lathe operator. Nevertheless, he won a place at the University of Sheffield
, where he gained a BA
honours degree in Political Theory and Institutions; one of his lecturers was Bernard Crick
. He entered local politics
on graduation, whilst gaining a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from Huddersfield Holly Bank College of Education. He spent a total of six years going to evening classes and day-release classes to get the qualifications needed to go to university. He worked as a clerk typist between 1967 and 1969 and as a lecturer in industrial relations and politics between 1973 and 1981.
on Sheffield City Council
and in Britain, being elected in 1970 at the age of 22 while a mature student. He served on Sheffield City Council from 1970 to 1988, becoming Leader from 1980 to 1987 and on South Yorkshire County Council from 1973 to 1977. This was a time of decline for Sheffield's steel
industry. The Conservative MP for Sheffield Hallam, Sir Irvine Patnick
, coined the phrase "People's Republic of South Yorkshire
" to describe the left-wing politics
of its local government; Sheffield was designated as a nuclear-free zone. Blunkett became known as the leader of one of the furthest left of the Labour councils,. Blunkett was one of the faces of the protest over rate-capping
in 1985 which saw several Labour councils refuse to set a budget in a protest against Government powers to restrain their spending. He built up support within the Labour Party during his time as the council's leader during the 1980s and was elected to the Labour Party's National Executive Committee
.
he was elected Member of Parliament
(MP) for Sheffield Brightside with a large majority in a safe Labour seat. He became a party spokesman on local government
, joined the shadow cabinet in 1992 as Shadow Health Secretary
and became Shadow Education Secretary in 1994.
in the 1997 general election
, he became Secretary of State for Education and Employment. (Sometimes he is called the first blind cabinet minister, but in fact Henry Fawcett
, husband of suffragette Millicent Fawcett
, was a member of the Privy Council more than a century before.) The role of education secretary was a vital one in a government whose prime minister
had in 1996 described his priority as "education, education, education" and which had made reductions in school class sizes a pledge.
As Secretary of State, Blunkett pursued tough policies, ready to take on the teaching unions and determined to ensure basic standards of literacy and numeracy. He was rewarded with extra funding to cut class sizes, and subsequently since 1997 there has been a massive increase in literacy and numeracy, and there are 42,000 more teachers than in 1997 with doubled spending per pupil in frontline schools. A key pillar of Blunkett's work as Education Secretary was the introduction of Sure Start
, a government programme which provides services for pre-school children and their families. It works to bring together early education, childcare, health and family support.
Blunkett also led the massive expansion in higher education. He provided largescale investment in universities in the UK and one recent study has shown that universities are now educating more than one-quarter more students than they did ten years ago and receiving double the income they did.
Also in this position, Blunkett launched Learning & Skills Councils, created Job Centre Plus and chaired the Equal Opportunities Commission.
In 1999, Blunkett proposed that sex education should not be pursued until children have left primary school at 11, reportedly arguing that childhood, the "age of innocence", should not be compromised by "graphic" sex education. In 2000, while attempting to cool opposition to the proposed abolition of the Local Government Act 1988
's Section 28
, he issued guidelines on the importance of 'family values' in teaching children sex education.
Blunkett introduced the teaching of Citizenship in schools in 1999, arguing that "We want to ensure that there's a basis of traditional knowledge that's available to all children." Citizenship education provides pupils with the knowledge, skills and understanding to become informed citizens, aware of their rights, duties and responsibilities. The Coalition Government have proposed to end Citizenship teaching.
Gordon Brown's
hopes to succeed Blair as the next Labour Party leader and potential Prime Minister.
Blunkett was almost immediately faced with the 11 September terrorist attacks on America. He brought in new anti-terrorism measures, including detention without trial of suspect foreign nationals who couldn't be extradited or deported. It caused a backbench rebellion and provoked strong opposition in the House of Lords, and Blunkett made concessions over incitement to religious hatred (later carried through by his successor) and to introduce a “sunset clause”.
As Home Secretary he was prepared to confront the judiciary and the police, with proposals for civilian community patrols and changes to police officers' pay and working conditions. More than 7,000 police demonstrated outside Parliament in 2002.
A controversial area for Blunkett was civil liberties
, which he famously described as "airy fairy". As Education Secretary, he had repeatedly expressed the intention that, were he to become Home Secretary, he would make the then-incumbent Jack Straw
, who had been criticised for being hard-line, seem overly liberal
.
Blunkett radically overhauled 'Victorian' sex offences legislation in 2002, which modernised the sex offences laws dramatiaclly in relation to same-sex and related issues by sweeping away the archaic laws governing homosexuality, while tightening protections against rapists, paedophiles and other sex offenders. The act closed a loophole that had allowed those accused of child rape to escape punishment by arguing the act was consensual and a new offence of adult sexual activity with a child, which covers any sex act that takes place between an adult and a child under 16, was introduced. It was supported by all major political parties in the UK.
In 2006, it was alleged that whilst he was Home Secretary he ordered the Head of the Prison Service to machine-gun prisoners to prevent a riot. Blunkett denies the allegations.
, the American-born publisher of The Spectator, a conservative magazine. The three-year relationship ended acrimoniously in August 2004, with Fortier choosing to return to her husband, Stephen Quinn. Fortier has since reverted to her married name.
Blair regarded it proper for Blunkett to remain Home Secretary while trying to ascertain paternity
of her son as it appeared of no relevance to his ministerial position. However, at the end of November 2004, it was alleged that Blunkett abused his position to assist his ex-lover's Filipina nanny
, Leoncia "Luz" Casalme, by speeding up her residence visa
application and later using his influence to ensure that she successfully obtained an Austrian tourist visa. An investigation into these allegations was launched, led by Sir Alan Budd
. Shortly before Sir Alan was due to report his findings, an email emerged headed "no special favours, .. but a bit quicker". Though there was no evidence Blunkett was responsible for the email or its title, he resigned as Home Secretary on 15 December 2004, saying that questions about his honesty were damaging the government. Budd's report says:
A fax from Blunkett's Assistant Private Secretary, Rebecca Razavi, to the IND had not been found during the inquiry but Sir Alan found no evidence of an attempt to conceal or destroy evidence. Following the report's publication, he told reporters: "I have been unable to link Mr Blunkett to the sending of faxes to the IND. There must have been such a link but I have been unable to discover what its nature was."
Blunkett resigned as Home Secretary after being told in advance of Budd's findings. He said: "I want to make it clear that I fully accept the findings of Sir Alan's report, where his findings differ from my recollections this is simply due to failure on my part to recall details."
On the day that Sir Alan delivered his report, a Parliamentary standards committee led by Sir Philip Mawer
also upheld a complaint against Blunkett for giving Quinn a taxpayer-funded railway ticket (reserved for MPs' spouses) to the value of £
179. Blunkett had already admitted that he had broken the rules, saying that he had made an honest mistake, and repaid the sum in question.
Blunkett was not helped by a series of stinging criticisms of his Cabinet
colleagues, made by Blunkett to his biographer Stephen Pollard
, which became public days before he resigned. His increasingly public paternity battle (see Private life) was also believed by many to be harming his position. However, many believed that he would be able to salvage his political career.
Blunkett was returned to the cabinet as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, where he faced a growing pensions crisis
, although it is known Tony Blair
wanted to make him the new minister for Anti-social behaviour within the cabinet at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister but this was snubbed by John Prescott
. Characteristically he was already at work on the morning of Saturday 7 May, a matter of hours after his appointment. He was to be seen the previous day (the day after the election) anxiously awaiting a telephone call from the PM during the centenary celebrations at the University of Sheffield
, to which he was invited as a speaker. There he was heard to apologise for the woes of student fees he had imposed on the university. He himself had only wanted to apply them to Oxbridge
, but had been overruled.
he took up a directorship in a company called DNA Bioscience
and bought £15 000 of shares in the company. On 31 October 2005 Blunkett was asked to explain why he had not consulted the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments
regarding the directorship. Having placed the shares into an independent trust, "Mr Blunkett said he had asked his three grown-up sons from his first marriage to authorise trustees to "dispose of" the shares. They agreed to the request."
Blunkett's political opponents claimed that a conflict of interest was created by him having been director of and holding shares in a company proposing to bid for government contracts to provide paternity tests to the Child Support Agency
– part of the Department for Work and Pensions
, of which he was Secretary of State.
Blunkett declared that he would not be resigning, saying to a newspaper, "I have done nothing wrong." A statement by Downing Street said that the Prime Minister did not believe that Blunkett's mistake should prevent him from carrying out his job. Blunkett had taken two other paid jobs, one with the international Jewish training and education charity World ORT
, and the other with Indepen Consulting, again without seeking advice from the Advisory Committee.
On 2 November, Lord Nolan, a former Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life and architect of the code of conduct, was reported as having said in an interview with the Yorkshire Post
, "I think he's more or less admitted that he should have followed the rules. But I think it's the fault of the Government that he has been allowed to see if he can get away with it." Lord Nolan was reported to have continued: "Blair should insist on Ministers all round obeying the rules. I think that if anyone breaks the rules they should be disciplined, otherwise there's no point having the rules." Lord Nolan agreed that this meant that Blunkett should have been dismissed or demoted by the Prime Minister.
On the same day, a scheduled appearance before a House of Commons Select Committee was cancelled at the last minute and Blunkett was summoned to a meeting at Number 10
. Later that morning, a spokesman for Prime Minister Tony Blair confirmed Blunkett had resigned at the meeting, stating that his position had become untenable.
Indeed, Blunkett was later found to have not broken the ministerial code. On 25 November 2005, after he had resigned, Sir Gus O'Donnell
wrote to Blunkett confirming that there was no conflict of interest, no failure to declare either Blunkett's shareholding or brief business connection with the company. O'Donnell wrote:
"The issue of shareholdings and trusts and the handling of private interests more generally is of course covered quite extensively in Section 5 of the Ministerial Code. There is no ban on a Minister, or his or her immediate family members, holding such interests but where they do the Minister must ensure that no conflict arises, or appears to arise, between his or her public duties and such private interests.
"In terms of the handling of your interests, and those of your family, you followed correct procedure in notifying your Permanent Secretary of your interests. Neither the DWP nor the CSA were in any contractual relationship with DNA Bioscience, and the CSA's contract for biometric testing was not due to be renewed for some years."
John Hutton
was appointed as David Blunkett's successor that day. Blunkett's children's trustees decided not to sell the shares in DNA Bioscience after all. In December 2005 it was reported that the company faces insolvency, resulting in Blunkett's shares being worth very little.
Despite his resignation from the cabinet in November, Blunkett initially kept his ministerial accommodation in Belgravia
, London, until he found new accommodation 4 months later. He also rents a cottage on the estate of Chatsworth House
.
He is a Vice President of Alzheimer's Society
, the Chair of a new consortium and partnership approach between Action for Blind People
, RNIB and SeeAbility and Patron of the recently launched Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion (ENEI). He is also a former Honorary Chair of the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA-UK) Advisory Board and the current Chairman of the not-for-profit International Cyber Security Protection Alliance (ICSPA).
One of his main interests is volunteering and community service. He recently published a pamphlet calling for a National Volunteer Programme, which received a wide range of support, particularly among third sector organisations.
He was a key voice in the 'No to AV' campaign in 2010-11 and has spoken out agains the Government's proposed boundary changes.
He is also a columnist for the Daily Mail
.
, Blunkett asserted that he was the father of Quinn's two-year-old son. Quinn denied this. In late 2004, Blunkett began a legal challenge to gain access to the child. In late December 2004, as was widely reported in the media, DNA tests confirmed that Quinn's two-year-old son was Blunkett's child. On 5 March 2005 it was confirmed that Blunkett was not the father of Quinn's newborn son.
In 2005 there was more speculation about Blunkett's private life, this time regarding a young woman and for not disclosing free membership to an exclusive London nightclub, Annabel's
. The matter with the young woman was cleared up following a full apology from the newspaper which printed the original story in which the paper accepted that the story was entirely false. and his membership at the nightclub has been forfeited.
On 27 January 2009, Blunkett announced that he was engaged to be married to Dr Margaret Williams, a doctor in the city of Sheffield. On 3 October 2009 they were married at Victoria Hall Methodist Church, Sheffield. On 6 June 2009, he was walking in Derbyshire
and was injured by a "charging cow", suffering from a broken rib and "painful bruising".
He once owned a budgerigar called "Bimbo". This was also his secret unlock code for the information on his I.D card
He is also a life long Sheffield Wednesday supporter
s – Ruby, Teddy, Offa, Lucy and most recently Sadie have become familiar characters in the House of Commons
, usually sleeping at his feet on the floor of the chamber, inspiring occasional witty comments from Blunkett and his fellow MPs on both sides of the house. In one memorable incident, Lucy (a black Labrador
) vomited during a speech by Conservative member David Willetts
. On occasions when Blunkett was guided by (ex-Prime Minister) Tony Blair
the wry comment has been made: "who is guiding whom?" Another time, his (new) guide dog led him to the Conservative Party benches.
and Lloyd Evans, The Spectator
magazine's theatre critics, which ran at The King's Head Theatre
in mid-2005. The satirist Alistair Beaton
wrote the television film A Very Social Secretary, for Channel 4, which was screened in October 2005. Finally, Blunkett – The Musical toured the UK during early 2005. This work featured music by the American composer Mary Jo Paranzino;
He is the topic of the song Blindness by Manchester group The Fall. He appears regularly both on news and magazine programmes, including presenting editions of Radio 4’s 'In Touch', and he was the subject of one episode of The House I Grew up In
.
, where his specialist subject was Harry Potter
.
David Blunkett was featured on the channel five documentary series 'Banged up' in 2008. The show followed 10 teenagers sent to a fake jail for 10 days to see if it could change their criminal ways. He was involved in various ways, one of which was being on the panel when the teenagers were up for parole.
David Blunkett appeared as a celebrity chef, competing against Gordon Ramsay
, on season 4 episode 4 of the British television series The F Word.
David Blunkett was interviewed as part of Armando Iannucci
's examination of "Milton
's Paradise Lost
", which screened in May 2009. In it Blunkett speculates on how Milton's service in Oliver Cromwell
's government might have affected his beliefs and jokingly quotes the media as saying "He [Blunkett] is no Milton."
Resignation as Home Secretary
Further political trouble
Pay out for leaving the Cabinet and return
Paternity battle
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Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough
Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
, having represented Sheffield Brightside from 1987
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
to 2010. Blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
since birth, and coming from a poor family in one of Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
's most deprived districts, he rose to become Education Secretary
Secretary of State for Education and Skills
The Secretary of State for Education is the chief minister of the Department for Education in the United Kingdom government. The position was re-established on 12 May 2010, held by Michael Gove....
, Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
and Work and Pensions Secretary in Tony Blair's
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
Cabinet
Blair Ministry
Tony Blair was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for three successive parliamentary terms from 1997-2007. His Cabinet was reshuffled for each new parliament as well as changed during the three periods.-Formation:...
following Labour's victory in the 1997 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
.
He departed from government in 2004 following the revelation of an affair Blunkett was having while serving as Home Secretary, and left government again in 2005 following the release of a series of reports about his external business interests during his brief time outside the cabinet, though it was later found in the resulting investigation that he had not acted improperly.
Early life
Blunkett was born on 6 June 1947 at Jessop HospitalJessop Hospital
The Jessop Hospital for Women was opened in 1878 with funds from Thomas Jessop, a wealthy steelworks-owner. The architect was John Dodsley Webster. It was built to replace the old Sheffield Hospital for Women, which had only nine beds. The building cost £26,000 - a lot of money at the time - all...
, Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, with improperly developed optic nerve
Optic nerve
The optic nerve, also called cranial nerve 2, transmits visual information from the retina to the brain. Derived from the embryonic retinal ganglion cell, a diverticulum located in the diencephalon, the optic nerve doesn't regenerate after transection.-Anatomy:The optic nerve is the second of...
s due to a rare genetic disorder
Genetic disorder
A genetic disorder is an illness caused by abnormalities in genes or chromosomes, especially a condition that is present from before birth. Most genetic disorders are quite rare and affect one person in every several thousands or millions....
. He grew up in an underprivileged family and in 1959, he endured a family tragedy when his father was gravely injured in an industrial accident in which he fell into a vat of boiling water while at work as a foreman for the East Midlands Gas Board and died a month later. This left the surviving family in poverty, especially since the board refused to pay compensation for two years, because was working past retirement age dying at age 67.
Blind since birth, Blunkett was educated at schools for the blind in Sheffield and Shrewsbury. Following his father's death, he was sent on assessment to the School for the Blind in Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
(New College Worcester
New College Worcester
New College Worcester is a residential secondary school for students, aged 11–19, who are blind or partially sighted. It caters for around 80 students including those who have other special needs or disabilities along with their visual impairment. It is located in the city of Worcester, England...
), where he failed to gain entry. His failed assessment is said to be partly deliberate, due to his rebellious nature and dislike of public schools
Independent school (UK)
An independent school is a school that is not financed through the taxation system by local or national government and is instead funded by private sources, predominantly in the form of tuition charges, gifts and long-term charitable endowments, and so is not subject to the conditions imposed by...
. He later attended the Royal National College for the Blind in Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
. He was apparently told at school that one of his few options in life was to become a lathe operator. Nevertheless, he won a place at the University of Sheffield
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...
, where he gained a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
honours degree in Political Theory and Institutions; one of his lecturers was Bernard Crick
Bernard Crick
Sir Bernard Rowland Crick was a British political theorist and democratic socialist whose views were often summarised as "politics is ethics done in public"...
. He entered local politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
on graduation, whilst gaining a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from Huddersfield Holly Bank College of Education. He spent a total of six years going to evening classes and day-release classes to get the qualifications needed to go to university. He worked as a clerk typist between 1967 and 1969 and as a lecturer in industrial relations and politics between 1973 and 1981.
Local council
Blunkett became the youngest-ever councillorCouncillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
on Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council is the city council for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors...
and in Britain, being elected in 1970 at the age of 22 while a mature student. He served on Sheffield City Council from 1970 to 1988, becoming Leader from 1980 to 1987 and on South Yorkshire County Council from 1973 to 1977. This was a time of decline for Sheffield's steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
industry. The Conservative MP for Sheffield Hallam, Sir Irvine Patnick
Irvine Patnick
Sir Cyril Irvine Patnick, known as Irvine Patnick OBE is a British businessman and former Conservative Party politician....
, coined the phrase "People's Republic of South Yorkshire
People's Republic of South Yorkshire
The People's Republic of South Yorkshire or The Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire, is a satirical reference to Sheffield. It refers to the left-wing Labour administration of Sheffield City Council during the 1980s, under the leadership of David Blunkett.The expression is said to have been...
" to describe the left-wing politics
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
of its local government; Sheffield was designated as a nuclear-free zone. Blunkett became known as the leader of one of the furthest left of the Labour councils,. Blunkett was one of the faces of the protest over rate-capping
Rate-capping rebellion
The rate-capping rebellion was a campaign within English local councils in 1985 which aimed to force the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher to withdraw powers to restrict the spending of councils. The affected councils were almost all run by left-wing Labour Party leaderships...
in 1985 which saw several Labour councils refuse to set a budget in a protest against Government powers to restrain their spending. He built up support within the Labour Party during his time as the council's leader during the 1980s and was elected to the Labour Party's National Executive Committee
National Executive Committee
The National Executive Committee or NEC is the chief administrative body of the UK Labour Party. Its composition has changed over the years, and includes representatives of affiliated trade unions, the Parliamentary Labour Party and European Parliamentary Labour Party, Constituency Labour Parties,...
.
Member of Parliament
At the 1987 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
he was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Sheffield Brightside with a large majority in a safe Labour seat. He became a party spokesman on local government
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
, joined the shadow cabinet in 1992 as Shadow Health Secretary
Shadow Secretary of State for Health
The Shadow Secretary of State for Health is an office within British politics held by a member of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. The duty of the office holder is to scrutinise the actions of the government's Secretary of State for Health and develop alternative policies. The office holder is a...
and became Shadow Education Secretary in 1994.
Education and employment secretary
After Labour's landslide victoryLandslide victory
In politics, a landslide victory is the victory of a candidate or political party by an overwhelming margin in an election...
in the 1997 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, he became Secretary of State for Education and Employment. (Sometimes he is called the first blind cabinet minister, but in fact Henry Fawcett
Henry Fawcett
Henry Fawcett PC was a blind British academic, statesman and economist.-Background and education:Fawcett was born in Salisbury, and educated at King's College School and the University of Cambridge: entering Peterhouse in 1852, he migrated to Trinity Hall the following year, and became a fellow...
, husband of suffragette Millicent Fawcett
Millicent Fawcett
Dame Millicent Garrett Fawcett, GBE was an English suffragist and an early feminist....
, was a member of the Privy Council more than a century before.) The role of education secretary was a vital one in a government whose prime minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
had in 1996 described his priority as "education, education, education" and which had made reductions in school class sizes a pledge.
As Secretary of State, Blunkett pursued tough policies, ready to take on the teaching unions and determined to ensure basic standards of literacy and numeracy. He was rewarded with extra funding to cut class sizes, and subsequently since 1997 there has been a massive increase in literacy and numeracy, and there are 42,000 more teachers than in 1997 with doubled spending per pupil in frontline schools. A key pillar of Blunkett's work as Education Secretary was the introduction of Sure Start
Sure Start
Sure Start is a UK Government initiative applying in England, originating with HM Treasury, with the aim of "giving children the best possible start in life" through improvement of childcare, early education, health and family support, with an emphasis on outreach and community development...
, a government programme which provides services for pre-school children and their families. It works to bring together early education, childcare, health and family support.
Blunkett also led the massive expansion in higher education. He provided largescale investment in universities in the UK and one recent study has shown that universities are now educating more than one-quarter more students than they did ten years ago and receiving double the income they did.
Also in this position, Blunkett launched Learning & Skills Councils, created Job Centre Plus and chaired the Equal Opportunities Commission.
In 1999, Blunkett proposed that sex education should not be pursued until children have left primary school at 11, reportedly arguing that childhood, the "age of innocence", should not be compromised by "graphic" sex education. In 2000, while attempting to cool opposition to the proposed abolition of the Local Government Act 1988
Local Government Act 1988
The United Kingdom Local Government Act of 1988 was famous for introducing the controversial Section 28 into law. In terms of the section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988, Local Authorities were prohibited from promoting in specified category of schools, "the teaching of the acceptability of...
's Section 28
Section 28
Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 caused the controversial addition of Section 2A to the Local Government Act 1986 , enacted on 24 May 1988 and repealed on 21 June 2000 in Scotland, and on 18 November 2003 in the rest of Great Britain by section 122 of the Local Government Act 2003...
, he issued guidelines on the importance of 'family values' in teaching children sex education.
Blunkett introduced the teaching of Citizenship in schools in 1999, arguing that "We want to ensure that there's a basis of traditional knowledge that's available to all children." Citizenship education provides pupils with the knowledge, skills and understanding to become informed citizens, aware of their rights, duties and responsibilities. The Coalition Government have proposed to end Citizenship teaching.
Home secretary
At the start of the Labour government's second term in 2001, Blunkett was promoted to Home Secretary, fulfilling an ambition of his. Observers saw him as a rival to Chancellor of the ExchequerChancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
Gordon Brown's
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
hopes to succeed Blair as the next Labour Party leader and potential Prime Minister.
Blunkett was almost immediately faced with the 11 September terrorist attacks on America. He brought in new anti-terrorism measures, including detention without trial of suspect foreign nationals who couldn't be extradited or deported. It caused a backbench rebellion and provoked strong opposition in the House of Lords, and Blunkett made concessions over incitement to religious hatred (later carried through by his successor) and to introduce a “sunset clause”.
As Home Secretary he was prepared to confront the judiciary and the police, with proposals for civilian community patrols and changes to police officers' pay and working conditions. More than 7,000 police demonstrated outside Parliament in 2002.
A controversial area for Blunkett was civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
, which he famously described as "airy fairy". As Education Secretary, he had repeatedly expressed the intention that, were he to become Home Secretary, he would make the then-incumbent Jack Straw
Jack Straw
Jack Straw , British politician.Jack Straw may also refer to:* Jack Straw , English* "Jack Straw" , 1971 song by the Grateful Dead* Jack Straw by W...
, who had been criticised for being hard-line, seem overly liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
.
Blunkett radically overhauled 'Victorian' sex offences legislation in 2002, which modernised the sex offences laws dramatiaclly in relation to same-sex and related issues by sweeping away the archaic laws governing homosexuality, while tightening protections against rapists, paedophiles and other sex offenders. The act closed a loophole that had allowed those accused of child rape to escape punishment by arguing the act was consensual and a new offence of adult sexual activity with a child, which covers any sex act that takes place between an adult and a child under 16, was introduced. It was supported by all major political parties in the UK.
In 2006, it was alleged that whilst he was Home Secretary he ordered the Head of the Prison Service to machine-gun prisoners to prevent a riot. Blunkett denies the allegations.
First resignation
During his time as Home Secretary, Blunkett had a relationship with Kimberly FortierKimberly Quinn
Kimberly Quinn , is an American journalist, commentator and magazine publisher and writer. Latterly the publisher of British conservative news magazine The Spectator....
, the American-born publisher of The Spectator, a conservative magazine. The three-year relationship ended acrimoniously in August 2004, with Fortier choosing to return to her husband, Stephen Quinn. Fortier has since reverted to her married name.
Blair regarded it proper for Blunkett to remain Home Secretary while trying to ascertain paternity
Paternity (law)
In law, paternity is the legal acknowledgment of the parental relationship between a man and a child usually based on several factors.At common law, a child born to the wife during a marriage is the husband's child under the "presumption of legitimacy", and the husband is assigned complete rights,...
of her son as it appeared of no relevance to his ministerial position. However, at the end of November 2004, it was alleged that Blunkett abused his position to assist his ex-lover's Filipina nanny
Nanny
A nanny, childminder or child care provider, is an individual who provides care for one or more children in a family as a service...
, Leoncia "Luz" Casalme, by speeding up her residence visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
application and later using his influence to ensure that she successfully obtained an Austrian tourist visa. An investigation into these allegations was launched, led by Sir Alan Budd
Alan Budd
Sir Alan Peter Budd is a prominent British economist, who was a founding member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee in 1997....
. Shortly before Sir Alan was due to report his findings, an email emerged headed "no special favours, .. but a bit quicker". Though there was no evidence Blunkett was responsible for the email or its title, he resigned as Home Secretary on 15 December 2004, saying that questions about his honesty were damaging the government. Budd's report says:
A fax from Blunkett's Assistant Private Secretary, Rebecca Razavi, to the IND had not been found during the inquiry but Sir Alan found no evidence of an attempt to conceal or destroy evidence. Following the report's publication, he told reporters: "I have been unable to link Mr Blunkett to the sending of faxes to the IND. There must have been such a link but I have been unable to discover what its nature was."
Blunkett resigned as Home Secretary after being told in advance of Budd's findings. He said: "I want to make it clear that I fully accept the findings of Sir Alan's report, where his findings differ from my recollections this is simply due to failure on my part to recall details."
On the day that Sir Alan delivered his report, a Parliamentary standards committee led by Sir Philip Mawer
Philip Mawer
Sir Philip Mawer was the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards from 2002 until 2008 when he became an independent advisor on Ministerial standards to Gordon Brown. He was previously Secretary General of the General Synod of the Church of England....
also upheld a complaint against Blunkett for giving Quinn a taxpayer-funded railway ticket (reserved for MPs' spouses) to the value of £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
179. Blunkett had already admitted that he had broken the rules, saying that he had made an honest mistake, and repaid the sum in question.
Blunkett was not helped by a series of stinging criticisms of his Cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
colleagues, made by Blunkett to his biographer Stephen Pollard
Stephen Pollard
Stephen Pollard is a British author and journalist, currently editor of The Jewish Chronicle. He is a former Chairman of the European Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and a former president of the Centre for the New Europe, a free-market think tank based in Brussels...
, which became public days before he resigned. His increasingly public paternity battle (see Private life) was also believed by many to be harming his position. However, many believed that he would be able to salvage his political career.
Return to the cabinet
Following the 2005 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
Blunkett was returned to the cabinet as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, where he faced a growing pensions crisis
Pensions crisis
The pensions crisis is a predicted difficulty in paying for corporate, state and federal pensions in the U.S. and Europe, due to a difference between pension obligations and the resources set aside to fund them. Shifting demographics are causing a lower ratio of workers per retiree, while retirees...
, although it is known Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
wanted to make him the new minister for Anti-social behaviour within the cabinet at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister but this was snubbed by John Prescott
John Prescott
John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott is a British politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. Born in Prestatyn, Wales, he represented Hull East as the Labour Member of Parliament from 1970 to 2010...
. Characteristically he was already at work on the morning of Saturday 7 May, a matter of hours after his appointment. He was to be seen the previous day (the day after the election) anxiously awaiting a telephone call from the PM during the centenary celebrations at the University of Sheffield
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...
, to which he was invited as a speaker. There he was heard to apologise for the woes of student fees he had imposed on the university. He himself had only wanted to apply them to Oxbridge
Oxbridge
Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in England, and the term is now used to refer to them collectively, often with implications of perceived superior social status...
, but had been overruled.
Second resignation
Two weeks before the 2005 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
he took up a directorship in a company called DNA Bioscience
DNA Bioscience
DNA Bioscience is a DNA testing company offering a DNA paternity testing service in the UK.The company gained much press in 2005 when UK politician David Blunkett bought shares in the company, shortly after which he became Secretary of State for Work and Pensions...
and bought £15 000 of shares in the company. On 31 October 2005 Blunkett was asked to explain why he had not consulted the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments
Advisory Committee on Business Appointments
The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments is an non-departmental public body in the UK, which was set up in 1975 to provide advice on applications from the most senior Crown servants who wish to take up outside appointments after they leave Crown service. Since 1995 it has also provided...
regarding the directorship. Having placed the shares into an independent trust, "Mr Blunkett said he had asked his three grown-up sons from his first marriage to authorise trustees to "dispose of" the shares. They agreed to the request."
Blunkett's political opponents claimed that a conflict of interest was created by him having been director of and holding shares in a company proposing to bid for government contracts to provide paternity tests to the Child Support Agency
Child Support Agency
The Child Support Agency is a delivery arm of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission in Great Britain and the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland...
– part of the Department for Work and Pensions
Department for Work and Pensions
The Department for Work and Pensions is the largest government department in the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001 from the merger of the employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security and headed by the Secretary of State for Work and...
, of which he was Secretary of State.
Blunkett declared that he would not be resigning, saying to a newspaper, "I have done nothing wrong." A statement by Downing Street said that the Prime Minister did not believe that Blunkett's mistake should prevent him from carrying out his job. Blunkett had taken two other paid jobs, one with the international Jewish training and education charity World ORT
World ORT
World ORT is a non-profit non-governmental organization whose mission is the advancement of Jewish and other people through training and education, with past and present activities in over 100 countries....
, and the other with Indepen Consulting, again without seeking advice from the Advisory Committee.
On 2 November, Lord Nolan, a former Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life and architect of the code of conduct, was reported as having said in an interview with the Yorkshire Post
Yorkshire Post
The Yorkshire Post is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by Yorkshire Post Newspapers, a company owned by Johnston Press...
, "I think he's more or less admitted that he should have followed the rules. But I think it's the fault of the Government that he has been allowed to see if he can get away with it." Lord Nolan was reported to have continued: "Blair should insist on Ministers all round obeying the rules. I think that if anyone breaks the rules they should be disciplined, otherwise there's no point having the rules." Lord Nolan agreed that this meant that Blunkett should have been dismissed or demoted by the Prime Minister.
On the same day, a scheduled appearance before a House of Commons Select Committee was cancelled at the last minute and Blunkett was summoned to a meeting at Number 10
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....
. Later that morning, a spokesman for Prime Minister Tony Blair confirmed Blunkett had resigned at the meeting, stating that his position had become untenable.
Indeed, Blunkett was later found to have not broken the ministerial code. On 25 November 2005, after he had resigned, Sir Gus O'Donnell
Gus O'Donnell
Sir Augustine Thomas "Gus" O'Donnell GCB is a British civil servant, who is the current Cabinet Secretary, the highest rank in the British Civil Service. He is consequently, under current practice, Head of the Civil Service, which means he has authority over all civil servants except those who are...
wrote to Blunkett confirming that there was no conflict of interest, no failure to declare either Blunkett's shareholding or brief business connection with the company. O'Donnell wrote:
"The issue of shareholdings and trusts and the handling of private interests more generally is of course covered quite extensively in Section 5 of the Ministerial Code. There is no ban on a Minister, or his or her immediate family members, holding such interests but where they do the Minister must ensure that no conflict arises, or appears to arise, between his or her public duties and such private interests.
"In terms of the handling of your interests, and those of your family, you followed correct procedure in notifying your Permanent Secretary of your interests. Neither the DWP nor the CSA were in any contractual relationship with DNA Bioscience, and the CSA's contract for biometric testing was not due to be renewed for some years."
John Hutton
John Hutton (Labour MP)
John Matthew Patrick Hutton, Baron Hutton of Furness is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Barrow and Furness in Cumbria from 1992 to 2010, and has served in a number of Cabinet offices, including Defence Secretary and Business Secretary...
was appointed as David Blunkett's successor that day. Blunkett's children's trustees decided not to sell the shares in DNA Bioscience after all. In December 2005 it was reported that the company faces insolvency, resulting in Blunkett's shares being worth very little.
Despite his resignation from the cabinet in November, Blunkett initially kept his ministerial accommodation in Belgravia
Belgravia
Belgravia is a district of central London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Noted for its immensely expensive residential properties, it is one of the wealthiest districts in the world...
, London, until he found new accommodation 4 months later. He also rents a cottage on the estate of Chatsworth House
Chatsworth House
Chatsworth House is a stately home in North Derbyshire, England, northeast of Bakewell and west of Chesterfield . It is the seat of the Duke of Devonshire, and has been home to his family, the Cavendish family, since Bess of Hardwick settled at Chatsworth in 1549.Standing on the east bank of the...
.
Backbenches
Blunkett continues to represent the constitency of Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough.He is a Vice President of Alzheimer's Society
Alzheimer's Society
Alzheimer’s Society is a United Kingdom care and research charity for people with dementia and their carers.It is a membership organisation, which works to improve the quality of life of people affected by dementia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, the Chair of a new consortium and partnership approach between Action for Blind People
Action for Blind People
Action for Blind People is a national sight loss charity in the United Kingdom that provides help and support to blind and partially sighted people of all ages.-History:...
, RNIB and SeeAbility and Patron of the recently launched Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion (ENEI). He is also a former Honorary Chair of the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA-UK) Advisory Board and the current Chairman of the not-for-profit International Cyber Security Protection Alliance (ICSPA).
One of his main interests is volunteering and community service. He recently published a pamphlet calling for a National Volunteer Programme, which received a wide range of support, particularly among third sector organisations.
He was a key voice in the 'No to AV' campaign in 2010-11 and has spoken out agains the Government's proposed boundary changes.
He is also a columnist for the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
.
Personal life
Blunkett divorced his wife, by whom he had three sons, in 1990. In 2004, when news broke of his affair with Kimberly QuinnKimberly Quinn
Kimberly Quinn , is an American journalist, commentator and magazine publisher and writer. Latterly the publisher of British conservative news magazine The Spectator....
, Blunkett asserted that he was the father of Quinn's two-year-old son. Quinn denied this. In late 2004, Blunkett began a legal challenge to gain access to the child. In late December 2004, as was widely reported in the media, DNA tests confirmed that Quinn's two-year-old son was Blunkett's child. On 5 March 2005 it was confirmed that Blunkett was not the father of Quinn's newborn son.
In 2005 there was more speculation about Blunkett's private life, this time regarding a young woman and for not disclosing free membership to an exclusive London nightclub, Annabel's
Annabel's
Annabel's is a London nightclub, located at 44 Berkeley Square, London. It was founded by entrepreneur Mark Birley and named after Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart, then his wife.-Background:...
. The matter with the young woman was cleared up following a full apology from the newspaper which printed the original story in which the paper accepted that the story was entirely false. and his membership at the nightclub has been forfeited.
On 27 January 2009, Blunkett announced that he was engaged to be married to Dr Margaret Williams, a doctor in the city of Sheffield. On 3 October 2009 they were married at Victoria Hall Methodist Church, Sheffield. On 6 June 2009, he was walking in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
and was injured by a "charging cow", suffering from a broken rib and "painful bruising".
He once owned a budgerigar called "Bimbo". This was also his secret unlock code for the information on his I.D card
He is also a life long Sheffield Wednesday supporter
Guide dogs
Blunkett's guide dogGuide dog
Guide dogs are assistance dogs trained to lead blind and visually impaired people around obstacles.Although the dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are partially color blind and are not capable of interpreting street signs...
s – Ruby, Teddy, Offa, Lucy and most recently Sadie have become familiar characters in the House of Commons
British 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 . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, usually sleeping at his feet on the floor of the chamber, inspiring occasional witty comments from Blunkett and his fellow MPs on both sides of the house. In one memorable incident, Lucy (a black Labrador
Labrador Retriever
The Labrador Retriever is one of several kinds of retriever, a type of gun dog. A breed characteristic is webbed paws for swimming, useful for the breed's original purpose of retrieving fishing nets. The Labrador is the most popular breed of dog by registered ownership in Canada, the United...
) vomited during a speech by Conservative member David Willetts
David Willetts
David Linsay Willetts is a British Conservative Party politician and the Minister of State for Universities and Science. He is the Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Havant in Hampshire.-Education:...
. On occasions when Blunkett was guided by (ex-Prime Minister) Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
the wry comment has been made: "who is guiding whom?" Another time, his (new) guide dog led him to the Conservative Party benches.
The Blunkett tapes
In October 2006, David Blunkett's audio diaries were published in his book The Blunkett tapes: My life in the bear pit. The tapes detail his time as a cabinet minister until the present date, and provide insights into the workings of the Labour cabinet. They were recorded every week, and contain his view of what was happening in Cabinet at the time, alongside contemporary reflections and more recent thoughts on the events.Speaking career
Outside politics David Blunkett enjoys a career as a popular conference and after dinner speaker. His booking agency JLA state that his speech topics include "The Political Landscape, Overcoming Adversity, Social Responsibility and Diversity." He has also been appointed as a visiting lecturer at London School of Business and Finance (LSBF). His first lecture, delivered at LSBF’s Marble Arch campus, focused on the key aspects of leadership, and the qualities needed to be an effective leader in both business and politics.Popular culture references
David Blunkett has been portrayed in various dramatic or musical forms. Blunkett was featured in Who's The Daddy?, a play by Toby YoungToby Young
Toby Young, MA, FRSA is a British journalist and the author of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, the tale of his stint in New York as a contributing editor at Vanity Fair magazine...
and Lloyd Evans, The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
magazine's theatre critics, which ran at The King's Head Theatre
The King's Head Theatre
The King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970 by Dan Crawford, is an Off-West End venue in London. It was the first pub theatre in the UK. Adam Spreadbury-Maher became Artistic Director in March 2010 .-Background:...
in mid-2005. The satirist Alistair Beaton
Alistair Beaton
Alistair Beaton is a Scottish left wing political satirist, journalist, radio presenter, novelist and television writer. At one point in his career he was also a speechwriter for Gordon Brown....
wrote the television film A Very Social Secretary, for Channel 4, which was screened in October 2005. Finally, Blunkett – The Musical toured the UK during early 2005. This work featured music by the American composer Mary Jo Paranzino;
He is the topic of the song Blindness by Manchester group The Fall. He appears regularly both on news and magazine programmes, including presenting editions of Radio 4’s 'In Touch', and he was the subject of one episode of The House I Grew up In
The House I Grew Up In
The House I Grew Up In is a BBC radio series. The first episode of the first series was broadcast on 6 August 2007 on BBC Radio 4. With the presenter Wendy Robbins, each week an influential Briton explains some of their thoughts and memories as he or she goes back to the locality and the house in...
.
Television
David Blunkett took part in a celebrity version of MastermindMastermind (TV series)
Mastermind is a British quiz show, well known for its challenging questions, intimidating setting and air of seriousness.Devised by Bill Wright, the basic format of Mastermind has never changed — four and in later contests five contestants face two rounds, one on a specialised subject of the...
, where his specialist subject was Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
.
David Blunkett was featured on the channel five documentary series 'Banged up' in 2008. The show followed 10 teenagers sent to a fake jail for 10 days to see if it could change their criminal ways. He was involved in various ways, one of which was being on the panel when the teenagers were up for parole.
David Blunkett appeared as a celebrity chef, competing against Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon James Ramsay, OBE is a Scottish chef, television personality and restaurateur. He has been awarded 13 Michelin stars....
, on season 4 episode 4 of the British television series The F Word.
David Blunkett was interviewed as part of Armando Iannucci
Armando Iannucci
Armando Giovanni Iannucci is a Scottish comedian, satirist, writer, director, performer and radio producer. Born in Glasgow, he studied at Oxford University and left graduate work on a PhD about John Milton to pursue a career in comedy....
's examination of "Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
's Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It was originally published in 1667 in ten books, with a total of over ten thousand individual lines of verse...
", which screened in May 2009. In it Blunkett speculates on how Milton's service in Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's government might have affected his beliefs and jokingly quotes the media as saying "He [Blunkett] is no Milton."
External links
- David Blunkett MP official constituency blog
- David Blunkett collected news and commentary at The ScotsmanThe ScotsmanThe Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
- What is Labour for?, John Lancaster, London Review of BooksLondon Review of BooksThe London Review of Books is a fortnightly British magazine of literary and intellectual essays.-History:The LRB was founded in 1979, during the year-long lock-out at The Times, by publisher A...
, 31 March 2005, review of the biography David Blunkett by Stephen PollardStephen PollardStephen Pollard is a British author and journalist, currently editor of The Jewish Chronicle. He is a former Chairman of the European Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and a former president of the Centre for the New Europe, a free-market think tank based in Brussels...
Resignation as Home Secretary
- BBC News In Depth – Blunkett Resignation
- Text of David Blunkett's resignation statement
- Budd Report (fast-tracking of visa)
- Mawer Report (inappropriate use of taxpayer-funded rail ticket)
- British Home Secretary quits amid scandal
Further political trouble
Pay out for leaving the Cabinet and return
Paternity battle
- "Blunkett 'did not father child'" – BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
- Evening Standard – Blunkett Prepares for Court Battle 22 November 2004
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