Jack Straw to step down from front-bench politics
10:20am Friday 6th August 2010 in News
By Tom Moseley, Reporter
JACK Straw has revealed he plans to step down from front-bench politics for the first time for 30 years — insisting Labour needs ‘a fresh start’.
The Blackburn MP will not be putting himself forward for a shadow cabinet position. Instead he will spend more time on constituency work, writing his memoirs, speaking his mind from the backbenches and improving his DIY skills.
He will formally leave in early October, calling time on a front-bench career that has included wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the invention of the ASBO, and an unbroken 13-year spell in the last Labour cabinet.
And asked if we would be standing at the next General Election, Mr Straw said: “It’s wait and see and that’s genuinely the case”.
Yesterday he said he had been ‘extraordinarily lucky’ as he reflected on his career that started as an opposition Treasury Spokesman in 1980.
He said: “My decision was entirely voluntary. I decided a few months ago, as it seemed we were going into opposition, that I wouldn’t stand.
"The shadow cabinet is about offering a fresh start for a party in opposition to present itself to the electorate and I thought 30 years was getting on for enough.”
In 1987 he was promoted to the shadow cabinet and the role of education spokesman by Neil Kinnock.
But he was demoted to shadow environment secretary after falling out with former leader John Smith over Mr Straw’s proposals to scrap Clause Four of the party’s constitution.
After Labour won a landslide victory in 1997 the Blackburn MP became Home Secretary, and later Foreign Secretary, overseeing the invasion of Iraq.
Before being moved ‘sideways’ to Leader of the House of Commons over what he admitted were ‘very serious sticking points’ with Tony Blair over Iran. After an eventful spell as Justice Secretary Labour crashed out of power in May.
Mr Straw said his memoirs would not be ‘kiss and tell diaries’, criticising Peter Mandelson’s recent book, adding: “I’m going to take a bit of time, and do them differently. I’m afraid I don’t agree to people breaking confidences.”
Labour MPs will vote on how the shadow cabinet is appointed ahead of September’s party conference in Manchester.
Comments(24)
Where's_the_beef?
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10:25am Fri 6 Aug 10
The political equivalent of Emile Heskey announcing his 'retirement' from international football.
pez63
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11:12am Fri 6 Aug 10
Lifeinthemix
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11:38am Fri 6 Aug 10
Lifeinthemix
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11:39am Fri 6 Aug 10
retired one
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11:39am Fri 6 Aug 10
Private I
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11:44am Fri 6 Aug 10
Anyway he's also a keen Blackburn Rovers fan and that will do for me!
your granny
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11:46am Fri 6 Aug 10
Treasonous demonic creature, can't argue with that. Straw has been at the centre of the death of this town.
SirBillTaylor
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11:57am Fri 6 Aug 10
Altho not directly involved much over recent times, we have seen Jack over 30+ years maintain 6 contituency surgeries every month, regular Saturday morning town centre "listen, say & ask" sessions & Friday evening "community accountability" meetings right across his "patch".
In terms of access & accountability alone, there can be few more dedicated.
Jack's taken some tough decisions, proabably made some wrong ones...but that's the nature of his work.
I bet there's few families in Blackburn who haven't sought & secured his help.
If he does stand down at the next election, that's the Jeremiahs' opportunity...put up!
ponto52
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1:13pm Fri 6 Aug 10
in the house of lords with two jags.
BuckoTheMoose
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1:59pm Fri 6 Aug 10
time.team
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3:51pm Fri 6 Aug 10
By just resigning from your home town in London just isn’t good enough Jack. Please give Blackburn the same honour by allowing someone who lives here to look after things at home. Blackburn will be even further now for you to travel especially now that whatever weight you did carry is being unplugged.
The traditional labour heartland built from the sweat and tears of industry would have supported anyone carrying a red flag and still will because it matters not who carries it. That was how you arrived but alas that red flag died many years ago with the Blair/Brown bluish/reddish party that you support.
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“Jack Straw to step down from front-bench politics”. A bit like opening a Christmas present to find out it was for someone else!
Rocksta
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4:14pm Fri 6 Aug 10
You've done well, look forward to reading your memoirs.
Some of the LET readers cannot see the good you have done.
past it
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4:41pm Fri 6 Aug 10
Lancs - pensioner
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5:37pm Fri 6 Aug 10
We know you and Jack are mates and I don’t disagree with any of your comments i.e. his here he goes there he attends this meeting that meeting, but what will be his legacy what has he actually done he can be proud off, what comes out of all these meetings, In my opinion my town has gone downhill in the last thirty years and yes Jack has been at the forefront of this decline and let it happen, if you can give me a few examples of what he has done and not where he has been I will gladly listen.
Curious pensioner
dreamerbfc
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8:09pm Fri 6 Aug 10
Cynical Pete
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10:08pm Fri 6 Aug 10
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However, some of the criticism on here ranges from the unfair to what I would expect from the tin-foil hat brigade (and yes, lifeinthemix, I am referring to you).
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Remember, no one familiar with the concept of fairness could ever accuse him of shirking his responsibilities as a constituency MP: how many others bring their soap boxes to the centre of their constituencies on a regular basis and debate with all comers; to say nothing of the profile he brought - and continues to bring - to the town by virtue of his position in both the cabinet and shadow cabinet over the last thirty years.
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In my view he has been a credit to his adopted town which has only benefitted from its association with him.
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And as a final thought, who would his critics like to replace him with as MP for the town: Kitty Ussher?
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Enough said.
SirBillTaylor
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9:42am Sat 7 Aug 10
I have no need to "brown nose" the guy,anything I've had to say to guy has been said face to face,man to man...a right he regularly offers all his constituents!
smellthecoffee
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10:10am Sat 7 Aug 10
Private I wrote:"Keen Blackburn Rovers fan"?? Have you not noticed that most MP's are seen around their local football team?? It's called votes in the bank. "Represented his constituents well" - I think you will find that most of his constituents from 1978 onwards have moved out thanks to the way he has transformed the town. Old grainy black and white pictures of the past are the only supporting evidence of the heritage of a proud working class town. "Invited dignitaries to the area" - so he and his corrupt buddy Lord Taylor can line their pockets in Aerospace deals. What a joker!!
Unlike some of the idiots who comment negatively on here every time a story about Jack appears in the LT, the vast number of Blackburn residents recognise that he has represented this area well over the last 30 years and has always spoken up for the town when it comes to attracting inward investment hence the new hospital. He has also helped put the town on the map by inviting international dignitaries and has also made himself available by holding open surgeries and at his regular shout about in the town centre. Anyway he's also a keen Blackburn Rovers fan and that will do for me!
makaveli96
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10:25am Sat 7 Aug 10
Whos the champions now!
Nostradamous
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11:27am Sat 7 Aug 10
Why should it surprise anyone that you praise this man,it is all for the sake of party politics and self improvement,that is why nationally this country is now in the state it is in,all due to party politics the country/town comes secound to you guys the party is what life is all about,wether you like it or not but this great town of Blackburn MADE J Straw not the other way round it also made B Castle and not the other way round,the next Labour man chosen to represent this great town will also be made by this town,so stop all this grovelling,and asking everyone to have a go.
From mr Anomynous..LOL
time.team
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2:09pm Sat 7 Aug 10
And as a final thought, who would his critics like to replace him with as MP for the town: Kitty Ussher?
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Enough said.
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Goodness me, what a question to ask?
How about John Prescott? He being a very supposedly loyal labour man of old would have done just as good a job. A blundering oaf but you at least get what you see. An eccentric politician! But he like Kitty and Jack and so many others have been found out to be just like any one of us probably aspire to. Just wanting to improve their lot. But the fact that they do so under the pretence of being something that they are not is what annoys people the most. To use the true unpaid voting loyalty of others towards their own wellbeing is the lowest kind of deceit of all.
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Enough said!
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To Bill Taylor above: Please kindly do tell all of the anonymous bloggers that you refer to. How exactly has Jack Straw made Blackburn the better. How has his decisions resulted in the assumed prosperity of the town?
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Jack Straw because of the demise of new labour is now planning his career. DIY and a long un-awaited book to keep him busy with the occasional function for the press thrown in. He has always lived in London but does have a ‘pad’ in Blackburn. Running costs, travelling expenses and personal protection provided by the rate payer I can only assume?
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Is that what we are now paying him to do or perhaps it’s just a retirement ‘thank you’ gift from his constituency?
dreamerbfc
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4:59pm Sun 8 Aug 10
In terms of access & accountability alone, there can be few more dedicated.
Jack's taken some tough decisions, proabably made some wrong ones...but that's the nature of his work.
I bet there's few families in Blackburn who haven't sought & secured his help.
If he does stand down at the next election, that's the Jeremiahs' opportunity... )
Sir Bill - I think you will find that what Jack did is called "doing your job". A job that is well paid and has a great pension plus generous expenses - all paid for by us the tax payer. Jack has made thousands out of the tax payer over the past 30 years.
"Probably made some bad decisions...." Only probably ???? The main point is that he and Tony ( probably another of your mates) took us into an illegal war in Iraq based on "tittle tattle" as Two Jags put it recently. And resulted in the death of Dr David Kelly.By the way whatever happened to those WMD ? No "probable " about it. It was an appalling error of judgement -all based upon lies told to Parliament and the British public.
And yet , and yet - no public apologies from Jack and his mates - just a rush to make as much money as possible from publishing books and diaries etc ( Mandelson, Campbell et all ). Your New Labour cronies really have no shame do they ? Robin Cook and John Smith will be turning in their graves ...... Let the ( New Labour )gravy train roll ......
outofdarren
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5:27pm Sun 8 Aug 10
happycyclist says...
10:25am Fri 6 Aug 10