David Blunkett

The Right Honourable David Blunkett (born June 6, 1947) is a British Labour Party politician and Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside. He was Education Secretary from 1997 to 2001, and Home Secretary from 2001 to 2004. Following the 2005 General Election he was appointed to the position of Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

As Home Secretary

At the start of the Labour government's second term in 2001, Blunkett was promoted to become Home Secretary, a long-term ambition of his.

Related Topics:
2001 - Home Secretary

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Appearing to be tough on immigration and asylum was a central issue for Blunkett during his time at the Home Office. In December 2001, he controversially called for immigrants to develop a greater "sense of belonging" to Britain. In April 2002, he proposed new powers which he claimed would curb illegal immigration and unfounded claims for political asylum.

Related Topics:
Immigration - Home Office - 2001 - Immigrants - 2002 - Illegal immigration - Political asylum

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Another controversial area for Blunkett was civil liberties (which he famously described as "airy fairy" http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/02/99/e-cyclopedia/1666371.stm); as Education Secretary, he had repeatedly expressed the intention that, were he to become Home Secretary, he would make the then-incumbent Jack Straw, who had been criticised for being somewhat hard-line, seem overly liberal.

Related Topics:
Civil liberties - Jack Straw - Liberal

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On 15 January 2003, he was at the centre of controversy again when at a gathering of Asian and Black Home Office Employees in London he made a joke: "Colin Jackson succeeded, despite being Welsh". The comment caused great controversy amongst senior Welsh Nationalists but the Labour party rallied around Blunkett and the matter was quietly dropped.

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In 2003, he announced an extension of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Act, which critics condemned as a "snoopers' charter". His Criminal Justice Act 2003 reduced legal safeguards such as the right to trial by jury and double jeopardy rules. He also attempted to introduce compulsory national identity cards (initially called "entitlement cards", though this euphemism was later dropped).

Related Topics:
2003 - Regulation of Investigatory Powers - Criminal Justice Act 2003 - Trial by jury - Double jeopardy - National identity cards - Euphemism

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These measures earned him the nickname Big Blunkett http://big-blunkett.blogspot.com/ from parts of the tabloid press, a reference to the Orwellian concept of Big Brother.

Related Topics:
Nickname - Tabloid press - Orwellian - Big Brother

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