| The Right Honourable Shaun Woodward MP |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 28 June 2007 |
|
| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
|---|---|
| Preceded by | Peter Hain |
| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
|
Member of Parliament
for St Helens South |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 7 June 2001 |
|
| Preceded by | Gerald Bermingham |
| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
|
Member of Parliament
for Witney |
|
| In office 1 May 1997 – 7 June 2001 |
|
| Preceded by | Douglas Hurd |
| Succeeded by | David Cameron |
|
|
|
| Born | 26 October 1958 Bristol |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour (formerly Conservative) |
| Religion | Anglican [1] |
Shaun Anthony Woodward MP (born 26 October 1958, Bristol) is a British politician, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Labour Member of Parliament for St Helens South.
Contents |
Early life
Woodward was educated at Bristol Grammar School and the University of Cambridge.
Member of Parliament
He was selected as Douglas Hurd's successor as Conservative candidate for the safe seat of Witney at the 1997 election, having previously been a senior official of the party. Elected with a large majority, he was a front-bench spokesman on London for the Conservative opposition under William Hague until 1999, when he was sacked for supporting the repeal of Section 28, a regulation which prevented the "promotion" of homosexuality in schools — seen by its predominantly Christian supporters as necessary to protect children from being educated about homosexuality, and by opponents - including the ruling Labour Party - as outdated, discriminatory, homophobic legislation.
Defected to the Labour Party
Woodward then controversially left the Conservative party to move to the ruling Labour Party. In the June 2001 general election he decided not to contest his Witney seat under the Labour banner and instead found a safe Labour seat in St Helens South. His successor in Witney was David Cameron, who subsequently became leader of the Conservatives. When news of Woodward's intention to stand reached St Helens, a strong left-wing challenge was put forward in an attempt to deny the former Conservative the safe Labour seat. Neil Thompson of the Socialist Alliance and Michael Perry of the Socialist Labour Party both contested the St Helens South seat and received a total of 12% of the vote between them. Woodward won the seat with a much reduced 49% of the vote.[2] As a Labour MP, Woodward served on the Joint Committee on Human Rights, and was a prominent supporter of the Gender Recognition Act 2004. In May 2005, Woodward was re-elected in St Helens South receiving 54% of the vote and his majority increased. However, the Liberal Democrats candidate, Brian Spencer, saw his party's vote increase from 23% in 2001 to 28%. Michael Perry of the Socialist Labour Party contested the seat again and received just under two percent of the vote.[3]
In government
After the 2005 election he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office. In the May 2006 reshuffle, Tony Blair appointed Woodward Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport with responsibilities for the digital handover for TV. On 28 June 2007, in his first cabinet, newly appointed Prime Minister Gordon Brown appointed Woodward as the Northern Ireland Secretary, replacing Peter Hain. Woodward will not receive a Ministerial salary.
Personal life
He is married to Camilla Sainsbury, daughter of the former Conservative MP Tim Sainsbury of the wealthy supermarket Sainsbury family, and was said in 2001 to be the only Labour MP with a butler.
Works
- Death by Television by Esther Rantzen, Shaun Woodward (Century, 1999) ISBN 0-7126-2543-7
- Drugwatch: Just Say No! by Sarah Caplin, Shaun Woodward (Corgi, 1986) ISBN 0-552-12820-1
- Ben: Story of Ben Hardwick by Esther Rantzen, Shaun Woodward (Penguin Character Books, 1985) ISBN 0-563-20331-5 *"That's Life" Survey on Tranquillisers by Ron Lacey, Shaun Woodward (BBC, 1985) ISBN 0-563-20294-7
References
External links
- Shaun Woodward MP official site
- Northern Ireland Office - Shaun Woodward MP biography and portfolio
- Joint Committee on Human Rights
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Shaun Woodward MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Shaun Woodward MP
- The Public Whip - Shaun Woodward MP voting record
- BBC News - Shaun Woodward profile 24 March, 2005
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Douglas Hurd |
Member of Parliament for Witney 1997–2001 |
Succeeded by David Cameron |
| Preceded by Gerald Bermingham |
Member of Parliament for St Helens South 2001 – present |
Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Peter Hain |
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 2007 – present |
Incumbent |
|
|
|
|---|---|
| Alexander | Ashton | Balls | Benn | Blears | Brown | Browne | Burnham | Darling | Denham | Hain | Harman | Hoon | Hutton | Johnson | Kelly | D. Miliband | E. Miliband | Purnell | J. Smith | Straw | Woodward In attendance: Austin | Cooper | Grocott | Hughes | Jowell | Malloch-Brown | Scotland | A. Smith |
 |
