Alan Arthur Johnson (born 17 May 1950, London) is a British Labour Party politician and the Secretary of State for Education and Skills. He has been the Member of Parliament for Hull West and Hessle since 1997. In 2004 he became the first trade union leaderto become a Cabinet minister since Frank Cousins in 1964.
The Rt Hon Alan Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Secretary of State for Education and Skills | |
| Constituency | Hull West and Hessle |
| Majority | 9,450 (34.0%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 May 1950 London |
| Political party | Labour |
| Website | www.AlanJohnson.org |
Early life
Born in London and orphaned at an early age, Johnson was effectively brought up by his older sister when the two were assigned a council flat by their child welfare officer.[1] He attended Sloane Grammar School in Chelsea, but left school at the age of 15 without any qualifications. He then stacked shelves at Tesco for a while before becoming a postman at 18. Johnson then joined the Union of Communication Workers and became a branch official in the Communist Party of Great Britain [2]. A full-time union official since 1987, he became general secretary of the newly-formed Communication Workers Union in 1993 following a series of union mergers.
Before entering Parliament Johnson was a member of Labour's National Executive Committee. During this time he was the only major union leader to support the abolition of Clause IV. Just three weeks before the 1997 general election Johnson was selected to stand for Parliament in the safe Labour seat of Hull West and Hessle when the previous incumbent, Stuart Randall, stood down suddenly. Randall was subsequently elevated to the House of Lords.
Ministerial career
He was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to Dawn Primarolo in 1997 and achieved his first ministerial post at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in 1999. He was moved in 2000 to the Department for Education and Skills as Minister for Higher Education (although he himself left school at age 15).
Johnson entered the Cabinet in September 2004 as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions after the resignation of Andrew Smith. After the 2005 election he was appointed to the post of Secretary of State for Productivity, Energy and Industry, a department which had replaced the DTI but soon reverted to the old name, Department for Trade and Industry. On 5 May 2006, one day after the English local elections, his brief was changed to that of Secretary of State for Education and Skills, replacing Ruth Kelly.
Johnson publicly stated in May 2006 that he expects to stand for the post of Deputy Prime Minister when the incumbent John Prescott steps down. Some suggest he might stand against Gordon Brown for the leadership of the Labour Party when Tony Blair resigns, and various reports in the summer of 2006 have suggested that he might become the favoured candidate of the Blairite faction.
Personal life
- Married 1st, 1968, Judith Cox (divorced) (1 son, 2 daughters).
- Married 2nd, August 3, 1991, Laura Jane Patient (1 son).
Notes
- ^ The charming Mr Johnson, The Economist, September 14, 2006
- ^ Profile - Alan Johnson New Statesman Retrieved 20th August 2006.
External links
- Alan Johnson MP official site
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Alan Johnson MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Alan Johnson MP
- New Statesman - NS Profile: Alan Johnson 29 November 2004
- BBC: Alan Johnson MP 22 October 2002