Hutton was born 6 May 1955 in London,though his family moved to Westcliff-on-Sea,Essex when he was eight.[1] He was educated at Westcliff High School for Boys and Magdalen College,Oxford,where he joined the Conservative,Liberal and Labour Associations[1] and gained a BA in 1976 and a BCL 1978. He worked for a year as a bus driver.[2] For two years he was a legal adviser to the CBI. From 1980 to 1981,he was a research associate for Templeton College,Oxford. He went on to become a senior law lecturer at the Newcastle Polytechnic from 1981 to 1992 before turning back to politics.
His position in this role was short lived,however. Following the second resignation of David Blunkett,Hutton was appointed as his replacement in the role of Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on 2 November 2005. Hutton was seen as one of Tony Blair's closest supporters but survived in cabinet following Blair's resignation in June 2007 and was moved by new Prime Minister Gordon Brown to be Secretary of State for Business,Enterprise and Regulatory Reform,which role incorporated the bulk of portfolios from the now dissolved Department of Trade and Industry,including energy security issues,which many had expected to be ceded to DEFRA.[citation needed] In 2007 he asked the economist DeAnne Julius to undertake a review of the public services industry,which was published in July 2008. He welcomed her report and was supportive of her view that private sector service provision and competition could help improve public services.[3]
He was moved into the role of Secretary of State for Defence in the cabinet reshuffle on 3 October 2008. On 5 June 2009,Hutton resigned his Cabinet position and announced his intention to stand down as an MP at the next general election.[5]
It was also announced in June 2010,that the Conservative –Lib Dem coalition had asked him to head a commission into public sector pensions.[9] His initial report was published in October 2010.[10] The final report was published in March 2011.[11] On 19 June 2011,Hutton rejected claims by trade unionists and Labour colleagues that he had been used as a 'stooge' by the government and dismissed speculation regarding his motives for accepting the coalition's invitation.[12]
Hutton was appointed as Non-executive director of Pearson Engineering,a subsidiary of state owned Israeli weapons manufacturer Rafael,in 2022.[14] This has drawn criticism from activists accusing him of "profiting from genocide".[15] Pearson has declared it is controlled by the Government Companies Authority of the state of Israel,[16] but has also denied that its equipment is currently used by the Israel Defense Forces.[17]
In 2024,he became chair of a new organisation representing PFI investors,The Association of Infrastructure Investors in Public Private Partnerships. It was set up as many PFI contracts were coming to an end over the next few years,particularly those involving schools,hospitals,military bases and housing developments. The body aims to encourage collaboration to avoid costly legal actions.[18][19]
In October 2026,the Thames Water creditor consortium,London &Valley Water,announced that Hutton had been selected as prospective chair of the Thames Water board,if the consortium rescue plan receives governmental approval.[20]
Personal life
In 1978 he married Rosemary Caroline Little in Oxford. They went on to have four children,before divorcing in 1993. In 2004 he married Heather Rogers.
Publications
In 2008 John Hutton's first book was published,a non-fiction book with the title Kitchener's Men:The King's Own Royal Lancasters on the Western Front 1915–18.[21] In it,Hutton gives a "graphic insight into the daily routine and grim reality of warfare on the Western Front for men who were mostly recruited from the Furness area of the North-West". This was followed with another First World War history related title in 2010,August 1914:Surrender at St. Quentin.[22] Further to these he has also edited Doctor on the Western Front:The Diary of Henry Owens 1914-1918 published in 2013,and authored The Gunners of August 1914:Baptism of Fire in 2014.
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