Charles Clarke

The Right Honourable Charles Rodway Clarke (born September 21, 1950, London) is a British Labour Party politician. He is Member of Parliament for Norwich South and Home Secretary.

Related Topics:
The Right Honourable - September 21 - 1950 - London - British - Labour Party - Politician - Member of Parliament - Norwich - Home Secretary

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The son of Civil Service Permanent Secretary Sir Richard Clarke, Charles Clarke attended Highgate School, London, where he was Head Boy. He then read Mathematics and Economics at King's College, Cambridge, where he also served as the President of the Cambridge Students' Union. He went on to become President of the National Union of Students from 1975 to 1977. He was elected as a local councillor in the London Borough of Hackney, acting as Chair of its Housing Committee and Vice-Chair of economic development from 1980 to 1986. He worked as a researcher, and later Chief of Staff, to Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock from 1981 to 1992. His association with Kinnock and with the general election defeat in 1992 was expected to handicap him in his subsequent career, but he was to emerge as a high flyer.

Related Topics:
Permanent Secretary - Richard Clarke - Highgate School - London - King's College - Cambridge - Cambridge Students' Union - National Union of Students - 1975 - 1977 - London Borough of Hackney - 1980 - 1986 - Labour Party - Neil Kinnock - 1981 - 1992 - General election

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From 1992 to 1997, he was chief executive of Quality Public Affairs, a public affairs management consultancy.

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Elected to the British House of Commons in the Labour landslide of 1997, Clarke served less than a year on the back benches before joining the government as a junior education minister in July 1998. He moved to the Home Office in 1999 and joined the Cabinet as Minister without Portfolio and Party Chair after the 2001 general election.

Related Topics:
British House of Commons - Labour landslide of 1997 - July - 1998 - Home Office - 1999 - Cabinet - Minister without Portfolio - Party Chair - 2001 general election

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He returned to Education as Secretary of State on October 24, 2002 after the resignation of Estelle Morris. As Education Secretary, he defended Oxbridge elitism, encouraged the establishment of specialist secondary schools, and (allegedly) suggested that the state should not fund "unproductive" humanities research. His view of universities could be seen as either impressively bold or overly instrumental. In 2003, he boiled down the point of all higher education to one simple sentence when he announced: "Universities exist to enable the British economy and society to deal with the challenges posed by the increasingly rapid process of global change". He also oversaw the introduction of Bills to enable universities in the UK to charge top-up fees, despite a Labour manifesto commitment not to introduce such fees.

Related Topics:
Secretary of State - October 24 - 2002 - Estelle Morris - Oxbridge - 2003 - Universities - UK - Top-up fees

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In 2004 he became a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society to acknowledge its contribution to education and in memory of his father, who had been a statistician.

Related Topics:
2004 - Royal Statistical Society

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Following the resignation of David Blunkett on 15 December, 2004, Clarke took over at the Home Office as Home Secretary, one of the most senior positions in the Cabinet. He has recently been at the centre of much controversy regarding his proposed plans for countering terrorism. Critics suggest that his reforms to the judicial system undermine centuries of British legal precedent dating back to the 1215 Magna Carta, particularly the right to a fair trial and trial by jury.

Related Topics:
David Blunkett - 15 December - 2004 - Home Office - Home Secretary - 1215 - Magna Carta - Fair trial - Trial by jury

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Clarke married his wife, Carol Pearson, in 1984. They have two sons and live in Norwich.

Related Topics:
1984 - Norwich

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