The Right Honourable  David Blunkett MP
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
In office 6 May 2005 – 2 November 2005
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Alan Johnson
Succeeded by	John Hutton
Home Secretary
In office 8 June 2001 – 15 December 2004
Preceded by	Jack Straw
Succeeded by	Charles Clarke
Secretary of State for Education and Employment
In office 2 May 1997 – 8 June 2001
Preceded by	Gillian Shephard
Succeeded by	Estelle Morris
Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside
Incumbent
Assumed office  11 June 1987
Preceded by	Joan Maynard
Majority	13,644 (55. The Right Honourable (abbreviated as The Rt Hon) is an Honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is a position in the UK cabinet responsible for the Department for Work and Pensions. Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000 Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to Alan Arthur Johnson (born 17 May 1950 is a British Labour Party Politician and the Secretary of State for Health. John Matthew Patrick Hutton (born 6 May 1955, London) is a politician in the United Kingdom. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the United Kingdom Home Office Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Events 533 - Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " John Whitaker Straw (born 3 August 1946 most commonly known as Jack Straw, is a senior British Labour Party Politician. Charles Rodway Clarke (born 21 September 1950 is a British Labour Party Politician. The Secretary of State for Education and Skills was the chief minister of the Department for Education and Skills in the United Kingdom government Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Gillian Patricia Shephard Baroness Shephard of Northwold, PC (born January 22, 1940, Cromer) is a British Conservative Estelle Morris Baroness Morris of Yardley PC (born 17 June 1952 Manchester) is a British Labour politician and member of the House of Sheffield Brightside is a parliamentary constituency in the City of Sheffield. Events 1184 BC - Trojan War: Troy is sacked and burned according to the calculations of Eratosthenes. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) Vera Joan Maynard known as Joan Maynard ( 5 July 1921 – 27 March 1998) was an English Trade unionist and 4%)
Born	6 June 1947 (1947-06-06) (age 61) Sheffield, England
Nationality	British
Political party	Labour

David Blunkett (born 6 June 1947) is a British Labour Party politician and has been Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside since 1987. Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Sheffield ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year Year 1947 ( MCMXLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the A politician (from Greek " Polis " is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of Politics or a person A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Sheffield Brightside is a parliamentary constituency in the City of Sheffield. Blind since birth and from a poor family in one of Sheffield's most deprived districts, he rose to become Education Secretary from 1997 to 2001, and then Home Secretary from 2001 to 2004, when he resigned after a scandal. Blindness is the condition of lacking Visual perception due to Physiological or Neurological factors Sheffield ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England The Secretary of State for Education and Skills was the chief minister of the Department for Education and Skills in the United Kingdom government The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the United Kingdom Home Office Following the 2005 General Election he was appointed Secretary of State for Work and Pensions but was again forced to resign on 2 November 2005 after a series of reports about his external business interests during his brief time outside the cabinet. Results Overview For events leading up to the date of the election see article Pre-election day events of the United Kingdom general The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is a position in the UK cabinet responsible for the Department for Work and Pensions. Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000 Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Early life

Born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, Blunkett grew up in an underprivileged family and in 1959, he endured a family tragedy when his father was killed in an industrial accident in which he fell into a vat of boiling water while at work as a foreman for the East Midlands Gas Board and died a month later. Sheffield ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England Divisions and environs South Yorkshire is divided into four local government districts they are the City of Sheffield, the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This left the surviving family in poverty, especially since the board refused to pay compensation for two years because he was working past retirement age (67).

Blind since birth, and educated at schools for the blind in Sheffield and Shrewsbury, Blunkett's chances in life seemed limited. Shrewsbury ( /ˈʃruːzbri/ or /ˈʃroʊzbri/ is the County town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England Following his father's death, he was sent on assessment to the School for the Blind in Worcester (New College Worcester), where he failed to gain entry. Worcester (ˈwʊstə is a city and County town of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands of England. New College Worcester (or NCW; formerly RNIB New College) is a secondary school in the historic British city of Worcester. His failed assessment is said to be partly deliberate, due to his rebellious nature and dislike of public schools. An independent school in the United Kingdom is a school relying upon private sources for all of its funding predominantly in the form of school fees However, he later attended the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford. The Royal National College for the Blind (RNC is a Further education college based in the English city of Hereford Hereford ( ˈhɛrɨfəd is a city, Civil parish and County town of Herefordshire, England. Indeed, he was apparently told at school that one of his few options in life was to become a lathe operator. A lathe (ˈleɪð is a Machine tool which spins a block of material to perform various operations such as Cutting, Sanding, Knurling Nevertheless, he won a place at the University of Sheffield, where he gained a BA honours degree in Political Theory and Institutions; one of his lecturers was Bernard Crick. The University of Sheffield is a research University, located in Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. Sir Bernard Crick (born 16 December 1929) is a British Political theorist and Democratic socialist whose views are often summarised as "politics He entered local politics on graduation. Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions He worked as a clerk typist between 1967 and 1969 and as a lecturer in industrial relations and politics between 1973 and 1981.

Local Council

Blunkett became the youngest-ever councillor on Sheffield City Council, being elected in 1970 at the age of 22 whilst a teacher. A councillor or councilor ( Cllr, Coun, Clr or Cr for short is a member of a Local government council such as a Sheffield City Council is the City council for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. He served on Sheffield City Council from 1970 to 1988, becoming Leader from 1980 to 1987 and on South Yorkshire County Council from 1973 to 1977. This was a time of decline for Sheffield's steel industry. Steel is an Alloy consisting mostly of Iron, with a Carbon content between 0 Conservative MP Irvine Patnick coined the phrase "People's Republic of South Yorkshire" to describe the left-wing politics of its local government; Sheffield was designated as a nuclear-free zone. Sir Cyril Irvine Patnick, known as Irvine Patnick, OBE (born 29 October 1929 is a British businessman and former Conservative Party politician The People's Republic of South Yorkshire or The Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire, is a satirical reference to Sheffield. ^[1] Blunkett became known as the leader of one of the furthest left of the Labour councils,^[2] which was regularly denounced as "loony left" by the newspapers of the right. In Politics, right-wing, the political right, and the Right are positions that uphold traditional values and/or authorities He built up support within the Labour Party during his time as the council's leader during the 1980s and was elected to the Labour Party's National Executive Committee. The National Executive Committee or NEC is the chief administrative body of the UK Labour Party.

Member of Parliament

At the 1987 general election he was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Sheffield Brightside with a large majority in a safe Labour seat. Results |} All parties gaining over 500 votes listed Campaign and policies The Conservatives' campaign emphasized lower taxes a strong economy and defence A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Sheffield Brightside is a parliamentary constituency in the City of Sheffield. He became a party spokesman on local government, joined the shadow cabinet in 1992 as Shadow Health Secretary and became Shadow Education Secretary in 1994. Local governments are administrative offices that are smaller than a State. The Shadow Cabinet (also called the Shadow Front Bench) is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the Combining reforming zeal with social conservatism, he became a favourite of new party leader Tony Blair. Reform Movement redirects here For specific organizations by that name see Reform Movement (disambiguation A reform movement is a kind Social conservatism is a political or moral ideology that affirms the government's role in encouraging or enforcing traditional values or behaviors in the belief that these are what The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to

Education Secretary

After Labour's landslide victory in the 1997 general election, he became the UK's first blind cabinet minister as Secretary of State for Education and Employment. In Politics, a landslide victory (or landslide) is the victory of a candidate or Political party by an overwhelming margin in an Election Results The election was fought under new boundaries with a net increase of eight seats compared to the 1992 election The Secretary of State for Education and Skills was the chief minister of the Department for Education and Skills in the United Kingdom government The role of Education Secretary was a vital one in a government whose Prime Minister had in 1996 described his priority as "education, education, education" and which had made reductions in school class sizes a pledge. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom In the event it was higher education that proved to be the most controversial issue for Blunkett as he moved towards the imposition of tuition fees at public universities which had previously been free. Higher education is Education that is provided by universities, vocational universities, Community colleges Liberal arts colleges Tuition means instruction or teaching. In American English, the term tuition is often used to refer to a fee charged for educational instruction A public university is a University that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government as opposed to private universities.

Home Secretary

At the start of the Labour government's second term in 2001, Blunkett was promoted to Home Secretary, fulfilling an ambition of his. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the United Kingdom Home Office Observers saw him as a rival to Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown's hopes to succeed Blair as the next Labour Party leader and potential Prime Minister. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all Economic and Financial WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Academic titles --> James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951 is

Being tough on immigration and asylum was important for Blunkett during his time at the Home Office. Immigration refers to the movement of people among countries While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels modern immigration implies long-term The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for security and order 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. Illegal immigration refers to Immigration across National Borders in a way that violates the Immigration laws of the destination Country According to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is a person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race

Meanwhile, his department in Sheffield was accepting immigration applications with only cursory security checks. When a whistle-blower made this public, both the whistle blower and one of Blunkett's subordinates lost their posts, but Blunkett survived. ^[3]

Another controversial area for Blunkett was civil liberties, which he famously described as "airy fairy". thumb| |Broken Liberty Istanbul Archaeology Museum Civil liberties are freedoms that protect the Individual from the Government. ^[4]. 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 hard-line, seem overly liberal. John Whitaker Straw (born 3 August 1946 most commonly known as Jack Straw, is a senior British Labour Party Politician. Liberalism is a broad array of related ideas and theories of Government that consider individual Liberty to be the most important political goal

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". Events 588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah 's reign Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Colin Ray Jackson CBE (born 18 February 1967 in Cardiff, Wales) is a Welsh former sprint The comment caused great controversy amongst senior Welsh Nationalists but the Labour Party rallied around Blunkett and the matter was quietly dropped. Welsh nationalism is a political and cultural movement that emerged during the nineteenth century

In 2003, he announced an extension of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, which critics condemned as a "snoopers' charter". Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 ( RIP or RIPA) is a United Kingdom Law regulating the powers of public bodies to carry out surveillance His Criminal Justice Act 2003 reduced legal safeguards such as the right to trial by jury and double jeopardy rules. The Criminal Justice Act 2003 (2003 c44 is a wide ranging Act of Parliament introduced to modernise many areas of the Criminal justice system in England Double jeopardy (non bis in idem is a Procedural defense (and in many countries such as the United States, Canada, Mexico and India He also attempted to introduce compulsory national identity cards (initially called "entitlement cards", though this euphemism was later dropped). Enabling legislation for the British national identity card was passed under the Identity Cards Act 2006 A euphemism is a substitution of an agreeable or less offensive expression in place of one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant to the listener or in the case of doublespeak The aftermath of terrorist attacks in the USA was offered as a justification to pass this controversial legislation, though no compulsion to carry identity cards was planned.

These measures earned him the nickname 'Big Blunkett' from parts of the tabloid press, a reference to the Orwellian concept of Big Brother but ironic since he is slight of build and is blind. A nickname is a Name of an entity or thing that is not its Proper name. A tabloid is a Newspaper industry term which refers to a smaller newspaper format per spread to a weekly or semi-weekly alternative newspaper that focuses on local-interest The adjective Orwellian describes the situation idea or societal condition that George Orwell identified as being destructive to the welfare of a free-society Big Brother is a Fictional character in George Orwell 's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, the

Lord Stevens, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police during Blunkett's tenure as Home Secretary, said of him "If you are ever asked to meet with Blunkett, under no circumstances should you go alone. John Arthur Stevens Baron Stevens of Kirkwhelpington KStJ QPM DL FRSA (born 21 October 1942 was Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, usually just referred to as the Metropolitan Police Commissioner or more colloquially as the Met Commissioner, is the . . he is a bully and a liar"^[5].

He also introduced plans to introduce criminalisation of possession of what the Government has labelled "extreme" adult pornography, in response to a request from Liz Longhurst, a move that has been criticised by anti-censorship and alternative sexuality groups, as the law will criminalise images involving consenting adults. ^[6]

First resignation

During his time as Home Secretary, Blunkett had a relationship with Kimberly Fortier, the American-born publisher of The Spectator, a conservative magazine. Kimberly Quinn (born 1961 as Kimberly Solomon, also formerly known as Kimberly Fortier) is an American Journalist, Commentator and The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For other uses see Spectator. The Spectator is a weekly British Magazine first published on 6 July The three-year relationship ended acrimoniously in August 2004, with Fortier choosing to return to her husband, Stephen Quinn. Fortier has since reverted to her married name.

Blair regarded it proper for Blunkett to remain Home Secretary while pursuing his pregnant former lover in the courts to ascertain paternity of her unborn child as it appeared of no relevance to his ministerial position. However, at the end of November 2004, it was alleged that Blunkett abused his position to assist his ex-lover's Filipina nanny, Leoncia "Luz" Casalme, by speeding up her residence visa application and later using his influence to ensure that she successfully obtained an Austrian tourist visa. Filipinos or the Filipino people are the citizens of the Philippines. A nanny is a person who looks after the child or children of one family in the child's home A visa (short for the Latin carta visa, lit "a document that has been seen" is a document issued by a Country giving an individual Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich A visa (short for the Latin carta visa, lit "a document that has been seen" is a document issued by a Country giving an individual An investigation into these allegations was launched, led by Sir Alan Budd. Sir Alan Peter Budd (born 16 November 1937) is a prominent British economist who was a founding member of the Bank of England 's Monetary Shortly before Sir Alan was due to report his findings, an email emerged headed "no special favours, . . but a bit quicker". Though there was no evidence Blunkett was responsible for the email or its title, he resigned as Home Secretary on 15 December 2004, saying that questions about his honesty were damaging the government. Events 533 - Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Sir Alan's final verdict, delivered on 21 December 2004, concluded that "I believe I have been able to establish a chain of events linking Blunkett to the change in the decision on Mrs Casalme's application. Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " "

Budd admitted that the investigation was "not a straightforward matter", because few involved in it could recall the details. His report says:

A fax from Blunkett's office to the IND had not been found during the inquiry but Sir Alan found no evidence of an attempt to conceal or destroy evidence. Following the report's publication, he told reporters: "I have been unable to link Mr Blunkett to the sending of faxes to the IND. There must have been such a link but I have been unable to discover what its nature was. "

Blunkett resigned as Home Secretary after being told in advance of Budd's findings. He said: "I want to make it clear that I fully accept the findings of Sir Alan's report, where his findings differ from my recollections this is simply due to failure on my part to recall details. "

On the day that Sir Alan delivered his report, a Parliamentary standards committee led by Sir Philip Mawer also upheld a complaint against Blunkett for giving Quinn a taxpayer-funded railway ticket (reserved for MPs' spouses) to the value of £179. The Committee on Standards and Privileges of the United Kingdom House of Commons was established in 1995 to replace the earlier Committee of Privileges. The Pound Sterling ( symbol £; ISO code: GBP) subdivided into 100 pence (singular penny) is the Currency Blunkett had already admitted that he had broken the rules, saying that he had made an honest mistake, and repaid the sum in question.

Blunkett was not helped by a series of stinging criticisms of his Cabinet colleagues, made by Blunkett to his biographer Stephen Pollard, which became public days before he resigned. A cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of Government, typically representing the executive branch. Stephen Pollard is a British Author and Journalist, currently President of a Free-market Brussels -based Think tank His increasingly public paternity battle (see Private life) was also believed by many to be harming his position. However, many believed that he would be able to salvage his political career.

Return to the Cabinet

Following the 2005 general election Blunkett was returned to the cabinet as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, where he faced a growing pensions crisis, although it is known Tony Blair wanted to make him the new minister for Anti-social behaviour within the cabinet at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister but this was snubbed by John Prescott. Results Overview For events leading up to the date of the election see article Pre-election day events of the United Kingdom general The pensions crisis is the potential result of insufficient resources being reserved for Retirement income as life expectancies rise Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to The Department for Communities and Local Government (branded as Communities and Local Government) is the United Kingdom government department for communities John Leslie Prescott (born 31 May 1938 is a British Labour Party Politician, former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Characteristically he was already at work on the morning of Saturday 7 May, a matter of hours after his appointment. Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses He was to be seen the previous day (the day after the election) anxiously awaiting a telephone call from the PM during the centenary celebrations at the University of Sheffield, to which he was invited as a speaker. The University of Sheffield is a research University, located in Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. There he was heard to apologise for the woes of student fees he had imposed on the university. He himself had only wanted to apply them to Oxbridge, but had been overruled. Oxbridge was originally a fictional composite of the University of '''Ox'''ford and the University of Cam'''bridge''' in England, and the term is now

Further political trouble and second resignation

In late October 2005, David Blunkett began to feel the pressure of the media for a second time. Two weeks before the 2005 general election he took up a directorship in a company called DNA Bioscience and bought £15 000 of shares in the company. Results Overview For events leading up to the date of the election see article Pre-election day events of the United Kingdom general DNA Bioscience is a DNA testing company offering a DNA paternity testing service in the UK

On 31 October 2005 Blunkett was asked to explain why he had not consulted the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments regarding the directorship. Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments is an Non-Departmental Public Body in the UK, which provides advice government officials on applications from the most Having placed the shares into an independent trust, ^[7] "Mr Blunkett said he had asked his three grown-up sons from his first marriage to authorise trustees to "dispose of" the shares. They agreed to the request. "

Blunkett's political opponents claimed that a conflict of interest was created by him having been director of and holding shares in a company proposing to bid for government contracts to provide paternity tests to the Child Support Agency – part of the Department for Work and Pensions, of which he was Secretary of State. The Child Support Agency (or CSA) is a UK Government Executive Agency, part of the Department for Work and Pensions in Great The Department for Work and Pensions (or DWP) ( Welsh: Adran Gwaith a Phensiynau) is the largest government department in the Government

An investigation by Cabinet secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell – asked for by Prime Minister Tony Blair – found that although Blunkett had not broken the Ministerial Code by becoming a director of the company or buying its shares, he should have consulted the Advisory Committee before doing so. A Cabinet Secretary is almost always a senior official (almost always a civil servant who provides services and advice to a Cabinet of Ministers. Sir Augustine Thomas O'Donnell, KCB, born October 1, 1952, known as Sir Gus O'Donnell (and informally as GOD is the Cabinet Secretary

However, it was revealed on 1 November that Lord Mayhew of Twysden, who chairs the Advisory Committee, had sent three letters to Blunkett reminding him to seek the committee's advice on his involvement with DNA Bioscience, which he ignored. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Patrick Barnabas Burke Mayhew Baron Mayhew of Twysden, Kt PC (born 11 September 1929) is a British Barrister, and On the same day, Sir Alistair Graham, chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said Blunkett had breached ministerial rules. Sir John Alistair Graham (born 6 August, 1942) is a well known figure in British Public Life

Blunkett declared that he would not be resigning, saying to a newspaper, "I have done nothing wrong. " A statement by Downing Street said that the Prime Minister did not believe that Blunkett's mistake should prevent him from carrying out his job.

It also became public that Blunkett had taken two other paid jobs, one with the international Jewish charity World ORT the main focus of which is the development of hi-tech industries in Israel. World ORT is a Non-governmental organization whose mission is the advancement of Jewish people through training and education with past and present activities in over 100 countries ,^[8] and the other with Indepen Consulting, again without seeking advice from the Advisory Committee.

On 2 November, Lord Nolan, a former Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life and architect of the code of conduct, was reported as having said in an interview with the Yorkshire Post, "I think he's more or less admitted that he should have followed the rules. Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000 Michael Patrick Nolan Baron Nolan, PC, QC, DL ( 10 September 1928 - 22 January 2007) was a Judge The Yorkshire Post is a daily Broadsheet Newspaper, published in Leeds, England by Yorkshire Post Newspapers, a company But I think it's the fault of the Government that he has been allowed to see if he can get away with it. " Lord Nolan was reported to have continued: "Blair should insist on Ministers all round obeying the rules. I think that if anyone breaks the rules they should be disciplined, otherwise there's no point having the rules. " Lord Nolan agreed that this meant that Blunkett should have been dismissed or demoted by the Prime Minister. ^[9]

On the same day, a scheduled appearance before a House of Commons Select Committee was cancelled at the last minute and Blunkett was summoned to a meeting at Number 10. Later that morning, a spokesman for Prime Minister Tony Blair confirmed Blunkett had resigned at the meeting, stating that his position had become untenable. In a statement, Blunkett claimed that the "lies" of those such as Max Clifford would one day be "dealt with". Maxwell Frank Clifford (born 6 April 1943) is an English Publicist.

John Hutton was appointed as David Blunkett's successor that day. John Matthew Patrick Hutton (born 6 May 1955, London) is a politician in the United Kingdom. Blunkett's children's trustees decided not to sell the shares in DNA Bioscience after all. In December 2005 it was reported that the company faces insolvency, resulting in Blunkett's shares being worth very little. ^[10]

Despite his resignation from the cabinet in November, Blunkett continued to enjoy rent-free accommodation in Belgravia, London, at tax-payers' expense until he found new accommodation in mid-March 2006. Belgravia is a district of central London in the City of Westminster, situated to the south-west of Buckingham Palace. ^[11] He also rents a cottage on the estate of Chatsworth House. Chatsworth House is a large Country house at Chatsworth, Derbyshire, England 3½ miles north east of Bakewell. ^[12] The controversy gained further press coverage later in 2006, when Tory MP Philip Davies asked when Blunkett was due to vacate the residence. ^[13] Ironically, this was published only the day before the same newspaper broke the story about him vacating the house, which will now stand empty and be maintained by the government at the tax-payer's expense until another cabinet minister requires an official residence.

Backbenches

David Blunkett, who pioneered the UK government's ID cards proposals, has taken a job with Entrust, a security company which works on Spain's ID card and has formally registered an interest in the British project. An identity document, also called a piece of identification ( ID) is a document used to verify aspects of a person's Identity. Entrust is a company that specialises in security products such as SSL, fraud detection and e-mail security ^[14] He does not disclose this interest when he uses his column in the The Sun to promote the concept of ID cards. The Sun is a Tabloid daily newspaper published in the United Kingdom and Ireland with the highest circulation of any daily English-language An identity document, also called a piece of identification ( ID) is a document used to verify aspects of a person's Identity.

Personal life

Further information: David Blunkett paternity case

Blunkett divorced his wife, by whom he had three sons, in 1990. In November 2004 the then UK Home Secretary David Blunkett was reported to have started a paternity suit against a former Lover, In 2004, with news of his affair with Kimberly Quinn, Blunkett asserted that he was the father of Quinn's two-year-old son, William and also perhaps of her then-unborn child. Kimberly Quinn (born 1961 as Kimberly Solomon, also formerly known as Kimberly Fortier) is an American Journalist, Commentator and Quinn denied this, claiming that both children were her husband's. In late 2004, Blunkett began a legal challenge to gain access to William. In late December 2004, as was widely reported in the media, DNA tests confirmed that Quinn's two-year-old son, William, was Blunkett's child. On 5 March 2005 it was confirmed that Blunkett was not the father of Quinn's newborn son, Lorcan. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[15]

In 2005 there was more speculation about Blunkett's private life, this time regarding a young woman and for not disclosing free membership to an exclusive London nightclub, Annabel's. Annabel's is a London Nightclub, located at Berkeley Square, London The matter with the young women has been cleared up following a full apology from the newspaper which printed the original story^[16] and his membership at the nightclub has been forfeited. ^[17]

Guide dogs

Blunkett's guide dogs – Ruby, Teddy, Offa, Lucy and most recently Sadie ^[18] have become familiar characters in the House of Commons, usually sleeping at his feet on the floor of the chamber, inspiring occasional witty comments from Blunkett and his fellow MPs on both sides of the house. "Guide Dogs" redirects here For the British charity see The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association Guide dogs are Assistance The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords In one memorable incident, Lucy (a black Labrador) vomited during a speech by opposition member David Willetts ^[19]. David Linsay Willetts (born 9 March 1956 is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Havant, in the United Kingdom. On occasion when Blunkett is being guided by Tony Blair the wry comment has been made: "who is guiding whom?" However, Blunkett's blindness does not generally arouse much comment.

The Blunkett tapes

Main article: The Blunkett tapes

In October 2006, David Blunkett's audio diaries were published in his book The Blunkett tapes: My life in the bear pit. The Blunkett Tapes My life in the bear pit is a book version of the audio Diaries of the British MP David Blunkett. The tapes detail his time as a cabinet minister until the present date, and provide insights into the workings of the Labour cabinet. They were recorded every week, and contain his view of what was happening in Cabinet at the time, alongside contemporary reflections and more recent thoughts on the events.

David Blunkett in popular culture

As a result of David Blunkett's affair with Kimberly Quinn he has been portrayed three times in dramatic or musical form. Along with the other recent dalliances associated with The Spectator, Blunkett was featured in Who's The Daddy?, a play by Toby Young and Lloyd Evans, the magazine's theatre critics, which ran at The King's Head Theatre in the Summer of 2005. Toby Daniel Moorsom Young (born 1963 is a British Journalist and the author of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, the tale of his The King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970 by the late Dan Crawford is an Off-West End venue in London The satirist Alistair Beaton wrote the television film A Very Social Secretary, for Channel 4, which was screened in October 2005. Alistair Beaton (born 1947 is a Scottish left wing political satirist, journalist radio presenter novelist and television writer Channel 4 is a public-service Television and Radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom centred around a television channel of the same name which began Finally, Blunkett – The Musical toured the UK during the course of Spring 2005. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located This work featured music by the American composer Mary Jo Paranzino;^[20] there is also a book by The Times journalist Ginny Dougary. The Times is a daily national Newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. Ginny Dougary is a British award-winning interviewer and feature writer for The Times. In 2005 BBC Radio 4 had a series of comic programmes called A 15 Minute Musical, the first of which was based on David Blunkett's affair with Kimberley Quinn.

A character based on Blunkett appeared in the Canadian cartoon series Bromwell High, and a club-night called Electric Blunkett, held at the Sheffield Blind Institute, began in the summer of 2005, although its name was swiftly changed to Electric Blanket. Bromwell High is an Animated series about a British high school in South London. ^[21] Linda Smith once described Blunkett as "Satan's bearded folk singer". Linda Smith ( 29 January 1958 &ndash 27 February 2006) was an English stand-up comic and comedy writer ^[22] He is the topic of a song by Manchester group The Fall called Blindness. The Fall are an English Post-punk band formed in Prestwich, Greater Manchester in 1976 ^[23]

References

Bibliography

• David Blunkett by Stephen Pollard (Hodder & Stoughton, 14 December 2004) ISBN 978-0-340-82534-1
• Civil Society and David Blunkett: Lawyers Vs. Stephen Pollard is a British Author and Journalist, currently President of a Free-market Brussels -based Think tank Events 1287 - St Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses killing over 50000 people "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Politicians by Kenneth Minogue (Civitas, 2002) ISBN 978-1-903386-22-4
• Politics and Progress: Renewing Democracy and a Civil Society by David Blunkett (Demos, 2001) ISBN 978-1-84275-024-7
• On a Clear Day by David Blunkett and Alex MacCormick (Michael O'Mara Books, 1995) ISBN 978-1-85479-741-4
• Democracy in Crisis: The Town Halls Respond by David Blunkett and Keith Jackson (Hogarth Press, 1987) ISBN 978-0-7012-0777-9
• The Blunkett Tapes: My life in the bear pit by David Blunkett (Bloomsbury, 16 October 2006) ISBN 978-0-7475-8823-8

External links

• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: David Blunkett MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - David Blunkett MP
• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Special Report: David Blunkett
• Simon Hoggart's sketch
• Scotsman - David Blunkett Affair
• A balanced biography of the man
• Open Directory Project — David Blunkett directory category

Resignation as Home Secretary

• BBC News In Depth - Blunkett Resignation
• Text of David Blunkett's resignation statement
• Budd Report (fast-tracking of visa)
• Mawer Report (inappropriate use of taxpayer-funded rail ticket)
• British Home Secretary quits amid scandal

Further political trouble

• Advisory Committee on Business Appointments
• The Ministerial Code
• Disclosure of non-sale of shares

Pay off for leaving the Cabinet – then coming back. Kenneth Minogue (1930- is Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the London School of Economics. Keith Jackson (born October 18, 1928) is an American former Sportscaster, known for his long career with ABC Sports television . .

• Blunkett got £18,000 payoff (and then came back)

Paternity battle

• "Blunkett 'did not father child'" – BBC News
• Evening Standard - Blunkett Prepares for Court Battle 22 November 2004