Jack Straw

This article is about the British politician. For other uses, see Jack Straw (disambiguation).

• John Smith
• Margaret Beckett (acting)

Anthea Weston

​

​

(m. 1968;div. 1977)​

Alice Perkins

​

​

(m. 1978)​

The Right Honourable Jack Straw
Official portrait, 2015
Secretary of State for Justice Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
In office 28 June 2007 –11 May 2010
Preceded by	Eric Heffer
Succeeded by	Nick Raynsford
Children	3; including Will
Education	Brentwood School
Alma mater	University of Leeds Inns of Court School of Law
Signature

John Whitaker Straw (born 3 August 1946) is a British politician who served in the Cabinet from 1997 to 2010 under the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He held two of the traditional Great Offices of State, as Home Secretary from 1997 to 2001, and Foreign Secretary from 2001 to 2006 under Blair. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Blackburn from 1979 to 2015.

Straw was born in Essex and privately educated both at Oaklands School, where his mother worked as a teacher, and later at Brentwood School. He studied Law at the University of Leeds before having a career as a barrister. He served as an adviser to cabinet minister Barbara Castle and was selected to succeed her as MP for the Blackburn constituency when she stood down at the 1979 general election.

From 2007 to 2010, he served as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain and the Secretary of State for Justice throughout the Brown ministry. Straw is one of only three individuals to have served in Cabinet continuously during the Labour governments from 1997 to 2010, the others being Brown and Alistair Darling. After the Labour Party lost power in the 2010 general election, he briefly served as Shadow Deputy Prime Minister and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, with the intention of standing down from the frontbench after the subsequent 2010 Labour Party Shadow Cabinet election.

Early life

Straw was born in Buckhurst Hill in Essex, the son of (Walter) Arthur Whitaker Straw—an insurance clerk and salesman and former industrial chemist born at Worsbrough near Barnsley, and raised in Woodford Green—and Joan Sylvia Gilbey, a teacher at the independent Oaklands School, whose father was a Loughton bus mechanic and shop steward, and who was distantly related to the gin-making family. ^{[2] [3] [4]} After his father (with whom, by the time of his death, Straw and his siblings were reconciled) left the family, Straw was raised by his mother on a council estate in Loughton. ^[5] Known to his family as John, he started calling himself Jack while in school, in reference to Jack Straw, one of the leaders of the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. ^[6] Straw is of 1/8th Jewish descent (his maternal grandfather's mother came from an Eastern European Jewish family). He himself is a Christian. ^{[3] [7]}

Straw was educated at the school at which his mother taught, Oaklands, and when she left there, at Staples Road Primary School, Loughton, then Brentwood School and the University of Leeds. He graduated with a second class degree in Law. ^[8] He was alleged by the Foreign Office to have disrupted a student trip to Chile to build a youth centre. They branded him a "troublemaker acting with malice aforethought". ^[9]

Straw was then elected president of the Leeds University Union, during which time he reluctantly supported a sit-in lasting four days in June 1968. At the 1967 National Union of Students (NUS) Conference, he unsuccessfully ran for office in the NUS. In April 1968 he stood unsuccessfully for election as NUS President, but was defeated by Trevor Fisk. ^[10] However, he was elected as NUS President in 1969, holding this post until 1971. ^{[8] [11]} In 1971, he was elected as a Labour councillor in the London Borough of Islington, a position he held until 1978. ^[6]

Straw qualified as a barrister at Inns of Court School of Law, practising criminal law for two years from 1972 to 1974. He is a member of The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple and remains active in lecturing to fellow members and students. Between 1971 and 1974, Jack Straw was a member of the Inner London Education Authority, and Deputy Leader from 1973 to 1974. He served as a political adviser to Barbara Castle at the Department of Social Security from 1974 to 1976, and as an adviser to Peter Shore at the Department for the Environment from 1976 to 1977. From 1977 to 1979, Straw worked as a researcher for the Granada TV series World in Action .

Early parliamentary career (1979–1997)

Straw stood unsuccessfully as the Labour parliamentary candidate for the safe Conservative Tonbridge and Malling constituency in the February 1974 election. In 1977, he was selected to stand for Labour in its safe Blackburn seat at the subsequent general election, after Barbara Castle decided not to seek re-election there. He won the seat at the 1979 general election.

Straw's first Shadow Cabinet post was as Shadow Education Secretary from 1987 to 1992 and he briefly served as Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment under John Smith from 1992 to 1994. ^[1] When Tony Blair became leader following Smith's death, he chose Straw to succeed him as Shadow Home Secretary. 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. Straw garnered particular attention for comments condemning "aggressive beggars, winos and squeegee merchants" and calling for a curfew on children. ^[12]

Home Secretary (1997–2001)

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 to remove the right to trial by jury in certain cases. ^[13] These policies won praise from Margaret Thatcher who once declared "I would trust Jack Straw's judgement. 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, finalising the de jure abolition of the death penalty with the passage of the Human Rights Act 1998. ^[14]

Hillsborough and Macpherson Inquiries

In June 1997, Straw appointed Lord Justice Stuart-Smith to conduct a review of the need for a new public inquiry into the Hillsborough disaster. He indicated to the judge at the outset that in the view of his officials "there was not sufficient evidence to justify a new inquiry". In contrast he had told parliament "I am determined to go as far as I can to ensure that no matter of significance is overlooked and that we do not reach a final conclusion without a full and independent examination of the evidence." He had given the families of the victims full assurance that he intended a thorough examination of the matter. ^[15] He apologised in both 2012 and 2016 for the failures of his review. ^{[16] [17]}

On 31 July 1997, Straw ordered a public inquiry, to be conducted by Sir William Macpherson and officially titled "The Inquiry into the Matters Arising from the Death of Stephen Lawrence". ^[18] Its report, produced in February 1999, estimated that it had taken "more than 100,000 pages of reports, statements, and other written or printed documents" ^[19] and concluded that the original Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) investigation had been incompetent and that officers had committed fundamental errors, including: failing to give first aid when they reached the scene; failing to follow obvious leads during their investigation; and failing to arrest suspects. The report found that there had been a failure of leadership by senior MPS officers and that recommendations of the 1981 Scarman Report, compiled following race-related riots in Brixton and Toxteth, had been ignored and concluded that the force was "institutionally racist". ^[20] It also recommended that the double jeopardy rule should be abrogated in murder cases to allow a retrial upon new and compelling evidence; this became law in 2005. Straw commented in 2012 that ordering the inquiry was "the single most important decision I made as Home Secretary". ^[21]

Electoral reform and legislation

As Home Secretary, Straw was also involved in changing the electoral system for the European Parliament elections from plurality to proportional representation. In doing so, he advocated the use of the D'Hondt formula on the grounds that it produces the most proportional outcomes. The d'Hondt formula, however, is less proportional than the Sainte-Laguë formula which was proposed by the Liberal Democrats. Straw later apologised to the House of Commons for his misleading comments, ^[22] but the d'Hondt formula stayed in place.

In 1998, Straw declined to pardon the Pendle Witches, hanged in 1612 for committing murder by witchcraft. Defending the decision, his representative stated that it could not be proved that they were innocent of the crime with which they were charged. ^[23]

In March 2000, Jack Straw was responsible for allowing former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet to return to Chile. 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. ^[24]

The Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal continued at this time, and according to the Telegraph, Straw had highlighted the problem four years prior to the Jay report being published, saying there was a "specific problem" in some areas of the country where Pakistani men "target vulnerable young white girls". White girls were, he said, viewed as "easy meat". ^[25]

Also in 2000, Straw turned down an asylum request from a man fleeing Saddam Hussein's government, 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." ^[26]

He worried, along with William Hague, about the possibility of English nationalism: "As we move into this new century, people's sense of Englishness will become more articulated and that's partly because of the mirror that devolution provides us with and because we're becoming more European at the same time." ^[27]

Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary (2001–2006)

Straw appears at a press conference with United States Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice

Straw was appointed Foreign Secretary in 2001 to succeed Robin Cook. Within months, Straw was confronted by the September 11 attacks in the United States. He was initially seen as taking a back seat to Tony Blair in Her Majesty's Government's prosecution of the "war against terrorism". In late September 2001, he became the first senior British government minister to visit Iran since the 1979 Revolution. ^[28]

War on Terror

Following the 9/11 attacks, Straw immediately condemned the attacks and supported the Bush administration’s interventionist policy in the War on Terror, arguing these actions were necessary to dismantle terrorist networks and prevent future attacks. Straw called for NATO’s invocation of Article 5, which marked the first time the collective defence clause was activated. ^{[29] [30]}

Following 9/11, Straw was involved in the passage of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001, which expanded surveillance, counter-terrorism measures and detention of non-British nationals powers at home. ^{[31] [32]} However, he later faced scrutiny as reports emerged revealing British intelligence’s involvement in rendition operations and awareness of detainee mistreatment by US authorities. Despite his claims of ignorance about the extent of these actions, these revelations prompted significant controversy and criticism. ^[33]

In 2003, the governments of the US and UK agreed a new extradition treaty between them, intended to speed up extradition of terrorist suspects. The provisions of the treaty were enacted in the Extradition Act 2003. The treaty later attracted controversy with opponents alleging it to be one-sided: a British request to the US needed to provide a prima facie case against a suspect while a US request to Britain needed only to provide reasonable suspicion for an arrest. ^[34] There have been a series of causes célèbres involving the treaty, including the NatWest Three who later pleaded guilty to fraud against the US parent company of their employers, and Gary McKinnon who admitted hacking US defence computers. An inquiry into extradition arrangements by retired Judge Sir Scott Baker reported in September 2011 that the treaty was not unbalanced and "there is no practical difference between the information submitted to and from the United States". ^[35]

International affairs

In 2002, Straw became concerned over the ethnic conflict during the Gujarat riots in western India, on which he said violence and human rights abuses were carried out without preventing by local authorities, to which he took a personal position in the Britain’s response by supporting the establishment of an inquiry to investigate the events. ^[36] His criticised the cause of the riots, which included blaming the then-Chief Minister and later Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not preventing such tensions in a BBC documentary, which was later criticised as “biased” against Modi in 2023. ^{[37] [38]}

In 2004, Straw came under criticism for granting asylum to Akhmed Zakayev, a spokesperson for Chechen separatists, whom the Kremlin implicated in the Beslan school siege. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Britain of undermining the anti-terrorist coalition by allowing Zakayev to live in London and use asylum as a shield. The feud over Zakayev’s extradition intensified, especially after his asylum was granted the previous November, with Russia struggling to present a compelling case. Despite Russian pressure, the British government maintained that extradition required substantial evidence and Straw called Russia’s declaration to strike terrorist bases globally an “understandable” reaction. ^[39]

In a letter to The Independent in 2004, Straw claimed that Trotskyists "can usually now be found in the City, appearing on quiz shows or ranting in certain national newspapers," and recommended "Left-Wing" Communism: An Infantile Disorder by Vladimir Lenin. ^[40]

In the 2004 Equatorial Guinea coup d'état attempt, Straw was personally informed months in advance of the plans for the takeover attempt and failed to accomplish the duty under international law of alerting the country's government. 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 situation. Later on, British officials and Straw were forced to apologise to The Observer after categorically denying they had prior knowledge of the coup plot. ^{[41] [42] [43]}

Controversy over the Iraq War

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. The swing to the second placed Conservatives was less than 2%, much lower than the national average; the Liberal Democrat's increase in vote share (+12.5%) surpassed Labour's loss (−12.1%) . Craig Murray, who had been withdrawn as the ambassador to Uzbekistan, stood against his former boss (Straw was then Foreign Secretary) on a platform opposing the use of information gathered under torture in the "War on Terror"; he received a 5% vote share. Straw was re-elected, and following his victory called MPAC an "egregious group", and criticised their tactics during the election.

At the 2005 Labour Conference, the then Foreign Secretary was heckled by Walter Wolfgang, a German Jew who had suffered persecution under the Nazis, and a prominent Labour Party member. At a point when Straw claimed his support for the invasion of Iraq was solely for the purpose of supporting the Iraqi government, 82-year-old Wolfgang was heard to shout "Nonsense", and was forcibly removed from the auditorium by several bouncers. The incident gained considerable publicity, with party chairman Ian McCartney initially supporting the right to remove hecklers by force. McCartney, PM Tony Blair and other senior Labour members later issued apologies; Wolfgang was later elected to the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party. ^{[44] [45] [46]}

Military intervention in Iraq and Middle East policy

On 13 October 2005, Straw took questions from a public panel of 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. 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 Britain, but Straw said he could not agree based on the information presented to him.

Straw meets with US Deputy Secretary of Defence Paul Wolfowitz and UK Ambassador to the US Christopher Meyer in 2001.

In February 2006, Straw attracted publicity after he condemned the publication of cartoons picturing Mohammed in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten . ^[47]

Straw voiced concern over the 2006 Lebanon War. Straw warned that Israel's military action "could further destabilise the already fragile Lebanese nation", while noting that "Israel has clear rights to defend itself proportionately". ^[48]

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 owing to his expressed opposition to bombing Iran. ^[49] This would be ironic, as Richard Ingrams in The Independent wondered whether Straw's predecessor as Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, was also removed at Bush's request, ^[50] allowing Straw to become Foreign Secretary in the first place. It has also been alleged that another factor in Straw's dismissal was the large number of Muslims amongst his Blackburn constituents, supposedly considered a cause for concern by the US. ^[51]

Iraq Inquiry

Straw gave evidence to the Iraq Inquiry on 21 January 2010, making him the second member of Tony Blair's cabinet to do so. He told the inquiry that the decision to go to war in Iraq had "haunted him" and that it was the "most difficult decision" of his life. ^[52] He also said that he could have stopped the invasion, had he wanted to. ^[53]

In July 2017, former Iraqi general Abdulwaheed al-Rabbat launched a private war crimes prosecution, in the High Court in London, asking for Straw, Tony Blair and former attorney general Lord Goldsmith to be prosecuted for "the crime of aggression" for their role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The High Court ruled that, although the crime of aggression was recognised in international law, it was not an offence under UK law, and, therefore, the prosecution could not proceed. ^{[54] [55]}

Rendition and torture allegations

Despite repeated denials about his complicity in extraordinary rendition—he once dismissed the suggestion of UK involvement in the practice as a "conspiracy theory"—Straw had been dogged for years over his alleged leading role in it, with specific accusations about the case of Libyan politician Abdel Hakim Belhadj arising in April 2012. ^{[56] [57]} In October 2012, The Guardian reported on the filing of court papers, which alleged that MI6 alerted Muammar Gaddafi's intelligence services to the whereabouts of dissidents, co-operated in their rendition, sent officers and detailed questions to assist in their interrogation, and that Straw attempted to conceal this from MPs. ^[58]

The high court in London agreed in January 2017, against the wishes of the Conservative government, to hear a judicial review against the decision to not prosecute Straw and former head of MI6 Mark Allen in the case of the abduction and alleged torture of Belhadj and his pregnant wife who were abducted in Bangkok in 2004 after a tip-off from MI6 and were held for seven years in Tripoli where, Belhaj alleges, he and his wife were repeatedly tortured. ^[59] The Crown Prosecution Service had decided in June 2016 to not prosecute any members of the UK government citing a "lack of evidence" and the challenge to that decision resulted in the decision to allow a judicial review. ^[60]

After a successful action by the Conservative government the high court announced in July 2017 that the judicial review would be held in private and that evidence relating to the defence by the government and security services would neither be made available to Belhaj or his legal team nor made public. Criticising the decision Belhaj was quoted as saying that "I went through a secret trial once before, in Gaddafi's Libya. It took about a half hour, and I never saw any of the evidence against me. Later a guard came to my cell and tossed in a red jumpsuit – that was how I found out that the secret court had sentenced me to die" and continued "what kind of a trial will it be if we put in a mountain of evidence and government officials can simply refuse to answer us". In response, Straw stated that he was opposed to extraordinary rendition and had not been complicit in it.

Leader of the House of Commons (2006–2007)

Official portrait, 2007

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. 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. 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. In addition, Straw was given the chairmanship of the Constitutional Affairs cabinet committee where he was responsible for attempting to force through a flat-fee charge for Freedom of Information requests. ^[61]

On 25 March 2007, Straw announced he was to run Gordon Brown's campaign for the Labour leadership. This was the first official confirmation the Chancellor would stand. ^[62]

2006 debate over veils

Main article: British debate over veils

In October 2006, Straw attracted controversy by suggesting to a local newspaper, The Lancashire Evening Telegraph (now The Lancashire 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. 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 altogether.

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." ^[63] He said that he had asked women visiting his constituency surgeries to consider uncovering their noses and mouths in order to allow better communication. He claimed that no women had ever chosen to wear a full veil after this request. ^{[64] [65] [66]}

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. There is an ongoing debate within the Muslim community whether the Qur'an and hadith (traditions of Muhammad) require the use of the full face veil. ^[67] Straw apologised for these comments regarding the veil on 26 April 2010 at a private hustings organised by Engage in the buildup to the 2010 United Kingdom general election. ^[68]

Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (2007–2010)

Straw canvassing with local councillors in Blackburn

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. He was the first Lord Chancellor since the sixteenth century to serve in the role whilst a member of the House of Commons. His appointment meant that he continued to be a major figure in the Labour Government. Only Straw, Brown and Alistair Darling served in the cabinet continuously during Labour's 13-year government from 1997 to 2010. ^[69]

In February 2009, Straw used his authority as Secretary of State for Justice to veto publication of government documents requested under the Freedom of Information Act: in particular, those pertaining to early government meetings held in the run-up to the Iraq war in 2003. ^[70]

Straw represented the government on a controversial edition of Question Time on 22 October 2009, against British National Party leader Nick Griffin on his first ever appearance. Griffin's first comment was to attack Straw's father's wartime record, to general disdain. As Griffin claimed that European laws prevented him from explaining his stance on holocaust denial Straw later offered his personal assurance as Secretary of State for Justice, which Griffin declined.

Ambitions for premiership

Andrew Thorpe-Apps, writing in the Backbencher, states that Straw knew he would be defeated by Gordon Brown in a leadership contest as Brown was 'consumed by this one ambition'. ^[71]

Expenses claims

Main article: List of expenses claims in the United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal

Two months after learning that MPs' expenses were to be made public, Straw admitted to the fees office to using expenses to claim a full council tax bill despite only paying a 50% rate. Straw said he had acted in good faith and had repaid the erroneous claims once he was aware that MPs' expenses were to be made public. Included with the admission was a cheque for the amount he believed he had overcharged, which itself turned out to have been miscalculated leading Straw to send a further cheque with a note saying "accountancy does not appear to be my strongest suit". ^{[72] [73] [74]}

Retirement from front-bench politics (2010–present)

In August 2010, Straw announced his plans to quit his role as Shadow Secretary of State for Justice and move to the backbenches, citing the need for a 'fresh start' for the Labour Party under a new leader. ^[75] Straw has since described Gordon Brown's leadership as a "tragedy". ^[76]

In December 2010, ahead of the 2011 Alternative Vote Referendum, Straw was a signatory to a letter to The Guardian arguing in favour of the alternative vote. ^[77]

In January 2011, Straw provoked controversy with comments made on Newsnight about Pakistani men. ^[78] He said "there is a specific problem which involves Pakistani heritage men ... who target vulnerable young white girls." ^[79] His comments came after two men of Pakistani origin were convicted of rape in Derby.

In April 2011, Straw was appointed as a consultant to ED&F Man Holdings Ltd, a British company based in London specialising in the production and trading of commodities including sugar, molasses, animal feed, tropical oils, biofuels, coffee and financial services. Commenting on his appointment to ED&F Man on a salary of £30,000 per annum, Straw said, "There are 168 hours in the week, and I will work in Blackburn for a least 60 and maybe sleep for 50. Providing there's no conflict, I have long taken the view that I am not against people doing other things. I had two jobs as a minister. I think it's really important that politicians are involved with the outside world." ^[80]

In late 2011, Straw was appointed to the role of visiting professor to University College London School of Public Policy. He later argued for the abolition of the European Parliament. ^[81]

On 25 October 2013, Straw announced that he would stand down as an MP at the next election. ^[82]

Allegation of antisemitism

In 2013, at a round-table event of the Global Diplomatic Forum at the UK's House of Commons, Straw (who has partial Jewish heritage) ^[83] noted, according to Einat Wilf, a former member of Israel's Knesset who was one of the other panelists, that among the main obstacles to peace in the Middle East was the amount of money available to Jewish organisations and AIPAC in the US, which was used to control US policy in the region, an opinion common among opponents of Israel. Another obstacle was Germany's "obsession" with defending Israel. ^{[84] [85]} Wilf stated: "It was appalling to listen to Britain's former foreign secretary. His remarks reflect prejudice of the worst kind... I thought British diplomats, including former ones, were still capable of a measure of rational thought." ^[86] Wilf said that she was shocked to hear Straw's comments and that she responded in the debate by stressing her view that the origin and cause of the conflict was the Palestinian and Arab refusal to accept Israel's legitimacy as a sovereign Jewish state. ^[85]

The Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland said that Straw's comments "echo some of the oldest and ugliest prejudices about 'Jewish power' and go far beyond mere criticism of Israel." ^[87]

Speaking to The Jerusalem Post , Straw strongly denied claims that his criticism was antisemitic. ^[87] In a statement to The Times of Israel , Straw did not relate to whether he had said what Wilf alleged he said, but did say that there was no justification in any of his remarks for claims that he was being antisemitic. He pointed out that Wilf did not claim that he had embarked on an antisemitic diatribe, as had been claimed in many of the media reports. ^[85] He wrote a statement to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz , which was described as follows: ^[88]

Straw wrote that he had voiced concerns at the seminar over Israel's "settlement-building ... on Palestinian land (in East Jerusalem, and the Occupied Territories). This is illegal, as the British Foreign Secretary William Hague has observed and in those terms. I said that this amounted to 'theft' of Palestinians' land." In addition, he said that he advocated at the seminar "a tougher stand on this (and on the related issue of goods exported from the Occupied Territories by Israelis) by the European Union."

He said that he had pointed out in the past that one of the obstacles to an EU policy on this had been "the attitude of Germany, who for understandable reasons have been reluctant to be out of line with the Government of Israel."

Responding to the claim by Wilf that he referred to "Jewish money", Straw said that he had spoken at the seminar of the "Israeli lobby" and "the problems which faced President Obama from AIPAC" and spoke of the way AIPAC spends large sums of money supporting pro-Israeli candidates in American elections.

Cash for access

In February 2015, Straw was secretly recorded by journalists from The Daily Telegraph and Channel 4 News, who posed as representatives of a fictitious Chinese company that wanted to set up an advisory council. Straw was recorded describing how he operated "under the radar" and had used his influence to change EU rules on behalf of a firm which paid him £60,000 a year. ^[89] Straw voluntarily withdrew from the Parliamentary Labour Party (but remained a member of the party itself) in February 2015 due to allegations from Channel 4 and The Daily Telegraph.

Straw denied any wrongdoing or any breach of the parliamentary rules and voluntarily referred himself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and withdrew from the Parliamentary Labour Party pending the Commissioner's inquiry. ^[90] He told the BBC, "[I have] acted with complete probity and integrity throughout my parliamentary career". ^[91] He was exonerated by the Commissioner in September 2015 after a detailed investigation. ^{[92] [93]} The Commissioner for Standards dismissed all allegations that he had brought the House of Commons into disrepute, saying that "I have seen nothing which suggests that [Mr Straw's] conduct would have merited criticism if the approach made by PMR [the bogus company established by Channel 4] had been genuine." ^{[93] [94]} She said that "the evidence I have seen supports Mr Straw's assertions that he "neither exaggerated nor boasted" in what he said to the reporters." ^[95]

The Commissioner was sharply critical of Channel 4 and The Daily Telegraph, saying "if in their coverage of this story, the reporters for Channel 4's Dispatches, and The Daily Telegraph had accurately reported what was said by these two members [the other was Sir Malcolm Rifkind] in their interviews and measured their words against the rules of the House it would have been possible to avoid the damage that has been done to the lives of these two individuals and those around them and to the reputation of the House." ^{[92] [93] [96]}

Media regulator Ofcom, however, took a different view; it judged in December 2015 that the journalists had investigated a matter of significant public interest and that their presentation had been fair. ^{[97] [98]}

Personal life

Straw's first marriage, in 1968, to teacher Anthea Weston, ended in divorce in 1977. They had a daughter, Rachel, born on 24 February 1976, who died after five days because of a heart defect. On 10 November 1978, he married Alice Perkins, a senior civil servant. ^[99] In 2006, Straw's wife joined the board of the country's largest airports operator BAA, shortly before it was taken over by the Spanish firm Ferrovial. ^[100]

Perkins was Chair of the Post Office during a critical period of the British Post Office scandal, chairing a Post Office sub-committee, codenamed "Project Sparrow", which has been accused of sacking forensic accountants who had found bugs in the Horizon IT system and seeking to exclude victims from compensation. ^[101]

The couple have two adult children, Will and Charlotte. ^[6]

Straw supports his local football team Blackburn Rovers, ^[102] and was made an honorary vice-president of the club in 1998 by Jack Walker. ^[103] In October 2015, he was given the Freedom of the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen. ^[104]

A motion of Leeds University Union Council in 2000 revoked Jack Straw's life membership of the Union and removed his name from the Presidents' Board, citing his support for "the asylum and immigration bill" and for limits to trial by jury and legal aid. ^[105] In 2007, the Union Council reinstated his life membership and place on the Presidents' Board. ^[106]

Publications

Autobiography

• Straw, Jack (2012). Last Man Standing: Memoirs of a Political Survivor. Macmillan. ISBN   978-1447222750.

Author or co-author

• The English Job: Understanding Iran and Why It Distrusts Britain (2019) ISBN   978-1785903991
• 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

Explanatory notes

1. As Senior Member of the Shadow Cabinet.
2. As Shadow Secretary of State for Education.
3. Resigned whip 23 February 2015. ^[1]

References

1. Profile at UK Parliament website
2. Who's Who 2008, A & C Black, 2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, December 2007
3. Last Man Standing: Memoirs of a Political Survivor , Jack Straw, 2012
4. General Register Office Birth Index 1946 Q3 Epping 5a 178
5. Rachel Cooke (30 September 2012). "Jack Straw: 'I didn't have a nervous breakdown, but I was close to one'". The Observer . London. Archived from the original on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
6. Hughes, Colin (24 July 1999). "Jack Straw: Jack of all tirades". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 21 December 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
7. How Jewish is Jack Straw? Archived 4 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine The Jewish Chronicle , 31 July 2008
8. "Ten things you didn't know about Jack Straw". Total Politics . 3 August 2011. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
9. Sanders, Mark (30 July 2006). "Straw comments reflect Cabinet unease". BBC News . Retrieved 5 January 2010.
10. Sir Patrick Wall, Student Power (London: Conservative Monday Club, 1969), p. 8
11. "Key points: Jack Straw's career in politics". ITV News. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
12. Mills, Heather (5 September 1995). "Straw sets agenda for reclaiming the streets". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
13. "Straw on trial over jury reform". BBC News. 19 November 1999. Archived from the original on 5 May 2007. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
14. The position of Secretary of State for Justice would not come into existence until 2007.
15. "IoS Hillsborough exclusive: Revealed - the critical role of Jack Straw". Independent.co.uk . 23 September 2012. Archived from the original on 24 May 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
16. Prince, Rosa (13 September 2012). "Jack Straw expresses regret over failure of Hillsborough review". Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
17. "Jack Straw on 1997 Hillsborough inquiry: 'I wish I could turn the clock back'". 29 April 2016. Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
18. "Cover letter upon completion of inquiry". Archived from the original on 7 September 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
19. "The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry". official-documents.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 September 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
20. "Sir William Macpherson's Inquiry into the Matters Arising from the Death of Stephen Lawrence". Official Documents Archive. 24 February 1999. Archived from the original on 5 June 2009. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
    (see also summary: "Lawrence: Key recommendations". BBC News. 24 March 1999. Archived from the original on 4 September 2007. Retrieved 5 January 2012.)
21. "Justice at last for Stephen Lawrence". The Times . 4 January 2012. Archived from the original on 25 June 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
22. McLean, Iain and Johnston, Ron (2009) 'When is proportional not proportional? Great Britain's 2009 elections to the European Parliament', Representation, 45: 351.
23. "Witches: No pardon from Straw", Lancashire Telegraph , 29 October 1998, retrieved 27 March 2020
24. "Pinochet set free". BBC News . 2 March 2000. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
25. Hodges, Dan (5 February 2015). "Rotherham abuse didn't happen because of political correctness. It happened because of racism". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 January 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
26. Chomsky, Noam (21 January 2006). "Iconoclast and Radical Who Takes the Long View – Noam Chomsky interviewed by Denis Staunton". The Irish Times . Archived from the original on 8 March 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
27. "English nationalism 'threat to UK'". BBC News. 9 January 2000. Archived from the original on 29 January 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
28. Keleny, Anne (28 January 2014). "Sir Nicholas Browne: Britain's chargé d'affaires in Tehran who faced an angry mob following the fatwa issued on Salman Rushdie". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 28 January 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
29. Mitchell, Ben (11 September 2011). "How the 9/11 response changed Britain". Left Foot Forward: Leading the UK's progressive debate. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
30. "The British and 9/11: So Near and Yet So Far". rusi.orghttps. Retrieved 7 July 2024.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
31. "United Kingdom: Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001". Refworld. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
32. "Straw defends new terrorism powers". 19 February 2001. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
33. "What did Jack Straw know about the UK's role in torture and rendition? | UK security and counter-terrorism | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
34. Binyon, Michael (28 June 2006). "Onesided treaty was meant to handle terrorist suspects". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 10 September 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
35. "A Review of the United Kingdom's Extradition Arrangements". Home Office. Archived from the original on 19 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
36. Ulabideen, Zia (22 January 2023). "Former British FM spills beans on 2002 Gujarat riots inquiry". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
37. "2002 Gujarat riots: BBC documentary on Modi biased…blatant colonial mindset, says MEA". The Indian Express. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
38. Khalidi, Rhea Mogul,Manveena Suri,Aliza Kassim (23 January 2023). "India bans BBC documentary on PM Modi's role in Gujarat riots | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
39. "Foreign minister attacks Britain for granting asylum to Chechen | World news | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
40. Straw, Jack (16 November 2004). "Letters: Not a Trot". The Independent . London. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
41. Barnett, Antony (28 November 2004). "How much did Straw know and when did he know it?". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 August 2007.
42. Barnett, Antony (28 November 2004). "Revealed: how Britain was told full coup plan". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 January 2007. Retrieved 22 August 2007.
43. "Equatorial Guinea". Parliament of the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 26 February 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2007.
44. Assinder, Nick (29 September 2005). "Wolfgang highlights deeper disquiet". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
45. "Labour issues apology to heckler". BBC News. 28 September 2005.
46. "Heckler voted on to Labour's NEC". BBC News. 3 August 2006. Archived from the original on 21 August 2006. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
47. "U.S.: Muhammad Cartoon 'Offensive'". CBS News. 3 February 2006. Archived from the original on 27 June 2007. Retrieved 18 June 2007.
48. "Straw warning on Israeli action". BBC News. 29 July 2006.
49. Rees-Mogg, William (7 August 2006). "How the US fired Jack Straw". The Times . London. Archived from the original on 15 October 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2006.
50. "Richard Ingrams's Week: Was Cook sacked on the orders of George Bush?". The Independent . London. 23 January 2010. Archived from the original on 26 January 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
51. Williams, John (9 August 2006). "With extreme prejudice". The Guardian . London. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
52. "Straw says Iraq 'most difficult decision' in his life". BBC News . 21 January 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
53. Brown, David (22 January 2010). "I could have stopped Blair on Iraq, Jack Straw admits". The Times. London. Retrieved 29 March 2010.^{[ dead link ‍]}
54. Bowcott, Owen (31 July 2017). "Tony Blair prosecution over Iraq war blocked by judges". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
55. Osborne, Samuel (31 July 2017). "High Court rules Tony Blair can't be prosecuted for Iraq war". The Independent. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
56. Richard Norton-Taylor (11 April 2012). "Tony Blair has 'no recollection' of Libyan dissident's rendition". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
57. Tom Whitehead (16 April 2012). "Straw under pressure over Belhadj rendition". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 17 April 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
58. Richard Norton-Taylor (10 October 2012). "Jack Straw accused of misleading MPs over torture of Libyan dissidents". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
59. Bowcott, Owen; Cobain, Ian (17 January 2017). "Jack Straw and UK government must face kidnap and torture claims, court rules". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
60. Doward, Jamie (19 February 2017). "MI6 chief's role in abduction of Gaddafi foe Belhaj set to be revealed". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
61. King, Oliver (5 May 2006). "Clarke sacked in major cabinet reshuffle". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 17 May 2006. Retrieved 5 May 2006.
62. "Straw to run Brown leadership bid". BBC News. 25 March 2007. Archived from the original on 26 July 2008. Retrieved 25 March 2007.
63. In quotes: Jack Straw on the veil Archived 13 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine – BBC News. 6 October 2006
64. "Straw in plea to Muslim women: Take off your veils". The Blackburn, Darwen And Hyndburn Citizen. 5 October 2006. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 18 June 2007.
65. "Muslim veil row". GMTV. Archived from the original on 19 March 2007. Retrieved 18 June 2007.
66. "Straw's veil comments spark anger". BBC News. 5 October 2006. Archived from the original on 8 February 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
67. "In graphics: Muslim veils". BBC News. Archived from the original on 15 January 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2008.
68. Administrator. "Jack Straw apologises for his anti-niqab comments at ENGAGE hustings in Blackburn". iengage.org.uk. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
69. Kettle, Martin (28 July 2008). "Clutching at Straw". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 21 December 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2009.
70. "Straw vetoes Iraq minutes release". BBC News. 25 February 2009. Archived from the original on 28 February 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
71. "Last Man Standing: Memoirs of a Political Survivor" Archived 6 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine , The Backbencher, 22 October 2012
72. "MPs' expenses claims – key details". BBC News. 19 June 2009. Archived from the original on 11 May 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
73. Rayner, Gordon (8 May 2009). "Daily Telegraph: Jack Straw". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 May 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
74. Rayner, Gordon (8 May 2009). "Daily Telegraph: Jack Straw". London: Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
75. Mendonca, Susan (6 August 2010). "Jack Straw to quit Labour front bench". BBC News. Archived from the original on 6 August 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
76. Politics, Chat (13 November 2013). "Jack Straw on retirement, Ed Miliband, and the Iraq War". Chat Politics. Archived from the original on 3 November 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
77. "Labour's yes to AV Archived 2 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine , The Guardian, 8 December 2010"
78. "Jack Straw: Some white girls are 'easy meat' for abuse". BBC News. 8 January 2011. Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
79. Batty, David (8 January 2011). "White girls seen as 'easy meat' by Pakistani rapists, says Jack Straw". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
80. Mosely, Tom (28 April 2011). "Blackburn MP Jack Straw takes £30k consultancy role". This Is Lancashire. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
81. Wintour, Patrick (21 February 2012). "European parliament should be abolished, says Jack Straw". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
82. "Jack Straw to step down as Labour MP for Blackburn". BBC News. 25 October 2013. Archived from the original on 27 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
83. "Dalyell's 'Jewish cabal' remarks denied". BBC News. 4 May 2003. Archived from the original on 26 November 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
84. "Ex-UK FM: 'Unlimited' Jewish funds control US policy, block Mideast peace". The Times of Israel. Jerusalem. 27 October 2013.
85. Ahren, Raphael (28 October 2013). ""I'm not remotely anti-Semitic, says ex-British FM Straw"". The Times of Israel. Jerusalem. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
86. Eichner, Itamar (27 October 2013). "Former British Foreign secretary: Jewish money prevents peace". ynet. Archived from the original on 28 October 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
87. "Jack Straw to 'Post': 'I am not remotely anti-Semitic'" Archived 29 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine , The Jerusalem Post , by Henry Rome, 28 October 2013.
88. Pfeffer, Anshel. "Ex-U.K. FM denies anti-Semitic remarks on 'Jewish money'". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
89. "Jack Straw and Sir Malcolm Rifkind deny wrongdoing". BBC News. 23 February 2015. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
90. Wintour, Patrick (22 February 2015). "Jack Straw and Malcolm Rifkind face 'cash for access' allegations". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 9 April 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
91. "Jack Straw: I acted with probity and integrity". 23 February 2015. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
92. "Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Jack Straw 'did not break lobbying rules'". BBC News. 17 September 2015. Archived from the original on 4 February 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
93. "House of Commons – Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Mr Jack Straw – Committee on Standards". www.publications.parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
94. Paragraph 82, Ibid
95. Paragraph 80, Ibid
96. Para 14 of Overall Conclusion, Ibid
97. "Ofcom: Channel 4 Rifkind and Straw Dispatches probe 'fair'". BBC. 21 December 2015. Archived from the original on 26 April 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
98. "Parliamentary commissioner faces questions over Rifkind and Straw sting". The Guardian. 21 December 2015. Archived from the original on 20 September 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
99. Murphy, Joe (19 June 2001). "Cabinet's own marriage failures force retreat on traditional wedlock". The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on 1 March 2009. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
100. Wachman, Richard (20 August 2006). "Couldn't BAA have come up with a contingency plan?". The Observer. Archived from the original on 21 December 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
101. Verity, Andy (26 January 2024). "Post Office accused of cover-up over secret Horizon documents". BBC News. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
102. "Famous Football Fans". Archived from the original on 26 June 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
103. "Jack Straw". Trusupporter. 12 October 1991. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
104. Jacobs, Bill (25 September 2015). "Former Blackburn MP Jack Straw to be given 'freedom' of the borough". Lancashire Telegraph . Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
105. "Protesters ban Straw from his old student union". The Guardian. 11 February 2000. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
106. "Leeds University Union Union Council – November Referendum Meeting" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2007. Retrieved 16 June 2016.

External links

• "Jack Straw". Blackburn Labour Party.
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
• Jack Straw collected news and commentary at The Guardian and articles written by Jack Straw for The Guardian
• Jack Straw collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Jack Straw at IMDb
• Online exhibition of the May 1968 student protest in Leeds
• '"Paris Today, Leeds Tomorrow!" Remembering 1968 in Leeds', Northern History journal, online 2020
• Jack Straw, BBC News, Newsnight , 17 October 2002
• ConvaTec, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Blair, Straw and Chilcot