Hilary Benn
Encyclopedia
Hilary James Wedgwood Benn (born 26 November 1953) is a British
Labour Party
politician
who has been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Leeds Central
since 1999. He served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for International Development
from 2003 to 2007 and as the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
from 2007 to 11 May 2010. Since October 2011, Benn was the Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. In June 2007, Benn ran for
the deputy leadership of the Labour Party, coming fourth out of six candidates.
, London, Hilary Benn is a fourth generation MP as the second son of former Labour Cabinet
Minister Tony Benn
and educationalist Caroline Benn
. He attended Norland Place School
, Westminster Under School
(a private school), Holland Park School
and University of Sussex
where he graduated in Russian and East European
Studies. Benn has an older brother, Stephen, a younger sister Melissa
and a younger brother, Joshua.
and rose to become Head of Policy for Manufacturing Science and Finance. In 1979 he was elected to the Ealing Borough Council
where he was Deputy Leader
from 1986 to 1990. He was the Labour candidate for Ealing North in both the 1983 general election
and 1987 general election
. On both occasions he was defeated by the Conservative
candidate Harry Greenway
.
When Labour won power in 1997, Benn was appointed Special Adviser to David Blunkett
as Secretary of State for Education and Employment. In 1999 he was quickly selected as the Labour candidate for the Leeds Central by-election
following the death of Derek Fatchett
. Benn won the by-election on 10 June 1999 on a very small turnout, by just over 2,000 votes. He made his maiden speech
on 23 June 1999.
Alan Johnson
on 18%, Environment Secretary
David Miliband
on 17%, Justice Minister Harriet Harman
on 10%, and Labour Party Chair Hazel Blears
on 7%. The contest was formally launched on 14 May 2007 after the resignation
of incumbent Deputy leader John Prescott
, Benn had some initial difficulties securing the necessary 45 nominations required to get on the ballot paper but he acquired the support needed to join five other candidates - Hazel Blears
, Harriet Harman
, Alan Johnson
, Peter Hain
and backbencher Jon Cruddas
. Supporting nominations from constituency Labour Parties showed Hilary Benn obtaining 25%, Jon Cruddas 22%, Harriet Harman 19%, Alan Johnson 14%, Hazel Blears 12% and Peter Hain 8% of the constituency parties that voted. The Labour leadership contest closed on Sunday 24 June 2007 with Harriet Harman winning the contest.
Benn was eliminated in the 3rd round of voting having reached a total of 22.33% of the votes. Harriet Harman was elected in the 5th round with 50.43% of the vote.
, colloquially referred to as Bovine Tuberculosis (TB). The recommended option from the Chief Scientific Advisor until 2007, Sir David King
, was a badger cull.
In July 2008, in a House of Commons debate after Hilary Benn had made clear that a badger cull would not be pursued, Anne Snelgrove (Labour) asked:
Hilary Benn replied:
In April 2010, a badger cull was announced in Wales, after the high court in Cardiff rejected a legal challenge from The Badger Trust.
.
Whilst Benn proposed to scrap the "best before" date altogether, others proposed enhancing the validity date with other solutions such as time temperature indicator
s.
in 2010 during Harriet Harman
's interim leadership of the Labour Party. In Ed Miliband's first Shadow Cabinet
, announced on 8 October 2010, he was appointed Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
. When Miliband
reshuffled his team on 7 October 2011, he was named Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
at age 26 in 1979; Benn subsequently married Sally Christina Clark in 1982. He has four children, Michael, James, Jonathan and Caroline. He and his family live in Chiswick
, West London.
Benn strongly resembles his father, Tony Benn, in his speaking style and delivery, but is a political centrist and New Labour loyalist. It is in this vein that he famously describes himself as "a Benn, but not a Bennite". Like his father, he is a teetotaller
and a vegetarian.
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British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who has been the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Leeds Central
Leeds Central (UK Parliament constituency)
Leeds Central is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
since 1999. He served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for International Development
Secretary of State for International Development
In the United Kingdom, the Secretary of State for International Development is a Cabinet minister responsible for the Department for International Development and for promoting development overseas, particularly in the third world...
from 2003 to 2007 and as the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is a UK cabinet-level position in charge of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the successor to the positions of Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport...
from 2007 to 11 May 2010. Since October 2011, Benn was the Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. In June 2007, Benn ran for
Labour Party (UK) deputy leadership election, 2007
The 2007 Labour Party deputy leadership election was a British political party election for the position of deputy leader of the Labour Party. John Prescott, the previous deputy leader, announced on 10 May 2007 that he was standing down from that position and that he would be leaving as deputy...
the deputy leadership of the Labour Party, coming fourth out of six candidates.
Early life
Born in HammersmithHammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
, London, Hilary Benn is a fourth generation MP as the second son of former Labour Cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
Minister Tony Benn
Tony Benn
Anthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...
and educationalist Caroline Benn
Caroline Benn
Caroline Middleton DeCamp Benn , formerly Viscountess Stansgate, was an educationalist and writer, and wife of the British Labour politician Tony Benn ....
. He attended Norland Place School
Norland Place School
Norland Place School is a coeducational independent school for boys aged 4–8 and girls aged 4–11. It is situated in the Holland Park area of London, and was founded in 1876 by Miss Emily Lord.-Famous pupils:Notable former pupils include:* Veronica Wedgwood...
, Westminster Under School
Westminster Under School
Westminster Under School is a private preparatory school for boys aged 7 to 13 and is attached to Westminster School in London.The school was founded in 1943 in the precincts of Westminster School in Little Dean’s Yard, just behind Westminster Abbey. In 1951 the Under School relocated to its own...
(a private school), Holland Park School
Holland Park School
Holland Park School was opened in London, UK, in 1958. It became the flagship for comprehensive education, and in its heyday had over 2000 in the student body. It became known as the "socialist Eton", and a number of high-profile socialists sent their children to Holland Park School, adding to its...
and University of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
where he graduated in Russian and East European
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
Studies. Benn has an older brother, Stephen, a younger sister Melissa
Melissa Benn
Melissa Ann Benn is a British journalist and writer. She is the only daughter of Tony and Caroline Benn.Benn was born in Hammersmith, London. She has two older brothers, Stephen and Hilary, and a younger brother, Joshua. She attended Holland Park School and graduated with a first in History from...
and a younger brother, Joshua.
Member of Parliament
On leaving university, Benn became a Research Officer with the ASTMSAssociation of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs
ASTMS - The Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs was a British trade union, created in 1969 when ASSET merged with the AScW under the leadership of joint general secretaries: Clive Jenkins of ASSET and John Dutton of the AScW.ASSET, the larger of the two...
and rose to become Head of Policy for Manufacturing Science and Finance. In 1979 he was elected to the Ealing Borough Council
London Borough of Ealing
The London Borough of Ealing is a borough in west London.-Location:The London Borough of Ealing borders the London Borough of Hillingdon to the west, the London Borough of Harrow and the London Borough of Brent to the north, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham to the east and the London...
where he was Deputy Leader
Deputy Leader
A deputy leader in the Westminster system is the second-in-command of a political party, behind the party leader. Deputy leaders often become deputy prime minister when their parties are elected to government. In opposition, deputy leaders often lead Question Time sessions when the party leader is...
from 1986 to 1990. He was the Labour candidate for Ealing North in both the 1983 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
and 1987 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
. On both occasions he was defeated by the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
candidate Harry Greenway
Harry Greenway
Harry Greenway , is a British Conservative politician and the former MP for Ealing North constituency.-Personal life and education:...
.
When Labour won power in 1997, Benn was appointed Special Adviser to David Blunkett
David Blunkett
David Blunkett is a British Labour Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, having represented Sheffield Brightside from 1987 to 2010...
as Secretary of State for Education and Employment. In 1999 he was quickly selected as the Labour candidate for the Leeds Central by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
following the death of Derek Fatchett
Derek Fatchett
Derek John Fatchett PC, QC, FRS was a British politician. He became member of Parliament for Leeds Central in 1983 and was a member of the Labour Party.-Early life:...
. Benn won the by-election on 10 June 1999 on a very small turnout, by just over 2,000 votes. He made his maiden speech
Maiden speech
A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country...
on 23 June 1999.
In government
Hilary Benn has held the following positions:- 2001-2002 - Parliamentary under Secretary of State at the Department for International DevelopmentDepartment for International DevelopmentThe Department For International Development is a United Kingdom government department with a Cabinet Minister in charge. It was separated from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1997. The goal of the department is "to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty". The current...
- 2002-2003 - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of StateParliamentary Under-Secretary of StateA Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the government of the United Kingdom, junior to both a Minister of State and a Secretary of State....
for Prisons & Probation - 2003 - Minister of StateMinister of StateMinister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
at the Department for International DevelopmentDepartment for International DevelopmentThe Department For International Development is a United Kingdom government department with a Cabinet Minister in charge. It was separated from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1997. The goal of the department is "to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty". The current... - 2003-2007 - Secretary of State for International DevelopmentSecretary of State for International DevelopmentIn the United Kingdom, the Secretary of State for International Development is a Cabinet minister responsible for the Department for International Development and for promoting development overseas, particularly in the third world...
- 2007-2010 - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsSecretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsThe Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is a UK cabinet-level position in charge of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the successor to the positions of Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport...
Bid for deputy leadership
Benn was the bookmakers' favourite for the Deputy Leadership of the Labour Party. The early polls in the Deputy Leadership contest showed him to be the grassroots' favourite - in a YouGov poll of party members, Benn was top on 27%, followed by Education SecretarySecretary of State for Education and Skills
The Secretary of State for Education is the chief minister of the Department for Education in the United Kingdom government. The position was re-established on 12 May 2010, held by Michael Gove....
Alan Johnson
Alan Johnson
Alan Arthur Johnson is a British Labour Party politician who served as Home Secretary from June 2009 to May 2010. Before that, he filled a wide variety of cabinet positions in both the Blair and Brown governments, including Health Secretary and Education Secretary. Until 20 January 2011 he was...
on 18%, Environment Secretary
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is a UK cabinet-level position in charge of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the successor to the positions of Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport...
David Miliband
David Miliband
David Wright Miliband is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001, and was the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2007 to 2010. He is the elder son of the late Marxist theorist Ralph Miliband...
on 17%, Justice Minister Harriet Harman
Harriet Harman
Harriet Ruth Harman QC is a British Labour Party politician, who is the Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and was MP for the predecessorPeckham constituency from 1982 to 1997...
on 10%, and Labour Party Chair Hazel Blears
Hazel Blears
Hazel Anne Blears is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Salford and Eccles since 2010 and was previously the MP for Salford since 1997...
on 7%. The contest was formally launched on 14 May 2007 after the resignation
Resignation
A resignation is the formal act of giving up or quitting one's office or position. It can also refer to the act of admitting defeat in a game like chess, indicated by the resigning player declaring "I resign", turning his king on its side, extending his hand, or stopping the chess clock...
of incumbent Deputy leader John Prescott
John Prescott
John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott is a British politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. Born in Prestatyn, Wales, he represented Hull East as the Labour Member of Parliament from 1970 to 2010...
, Benn had some initial difficulties securing the necessary 45 nominations required to get on the ballot paper but he acquired the support needed to join five other candidates - Hazel Blears
Hazel Blears
Hazel Anne Blears is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Salford and Eccles since 2010 and was previously the MP for Salford since 1997...
, Harriet Harman
Harriet Harman
Harriet Ruth Harman QC is a British Labour Party politician, who is the Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and was MP for the predecessorPeckham constituency from 1982 to 1997...
, Alan Johnson
Alan Johnson
Alan Arthur Johnson is a British Labour Party politician who served as Home Secretary from June 2009 to May 2010. Before that, he filled a wide variety of cabinet positions in both the Blair and Brown governments, including Health Secretary and Education Secretary. Until 20 January 2011 he was...
, Peter Hain
Peter Hain
Peter Gerald Hain is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for the Welsh constituency of Neath since 1991, and has served in the Cabinets of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, firstly as Leader of the House of Commons under Blair and both Secretary of State for...
and backbencher Jon Cruddas
Jon Cruddas
Jonathan Cruddas is a British Labour Party politician who is the Member of Parliament for Dagenham and Rainham. He was first elected in 2001 to the seat of Dagenham....
. Supporting nominations from constituency Labour Parties showed Hilary Benn obtaining 25%, Jon Cruddas 22%, Harriet Harman 19%, Alan Johnson 14%, Hazel Blears 12% and Peter Hain 8% of the constituency parties that voted. The Labour leadership contest closed on Sunday 24 June 2007 with Harriet Harman winning the contest.
Benn was eliminated in the 3rd round of voting having reached a total of 22.33% of the votes. Harriet Harman was elected in the 5th round with 50.43% of the vote.
Bovine TB
As Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, it was the responsibility of Hilary Benn to respond to the threat to UK cattle from Mycobacterium bovisMycobacterium bovis
Mycobacterium bovis is a slow-growing , aerobic bacterium and the causative agent of tuberculosis in cattle...
, colloquially referred to as Bovine Tuberculosis (TB). The recommended option from the Chief Scientific Advisor until 2007, Sir David King
David King (scientist)
Sir David Anthony King FRS is the Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford, Director of Research in Physical Chemistry at the University of Cambridge, Director of the Collegio Carlo Alberto, Chancellor of the University of Liverpool and a senior...
, was a badger cull.
In July 2008, in a House of Commons debate after Hilary Benn had made clear that a badger cull would not be pursued, Anne Snelgrove (Labour) asked:
Was one of the practicalities that he envisaged that, in constituencies such as mine, with a densely populated centre surrounded by great swathes of countryside, it would be very difficult to undertake a cull and persuade people in the densely populated centre that that was the right thing to do?
Hilary Benn replied:
That was one factor that I was bound to take into account in reaching my decision, because there are strong views on all sides and public opinion can have an impact on the practicality of a cull. It was entirely legitimate for that to be one of the factors that I weighed up in my mind, but above all the decision has been taken as a result of the science.
In April 2010, a badger cull was announced in Wales, after the high court in Cardiff rejected a legal challenge from The Badger Trust.
May 2009, "MP expenses controversy"
Hilary Benn was picked out by several national newspapers as one of only three senior members of the Labour Party to have presented expenses beyond reproach. "When all Westminster MPs' total expenditures are ranked, Benn's bill is the 15th least expensive for the taxpayer," said The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
.
June 2009, "War on Waste"
Relating to the huge amounts of food wasted (according to WRAP 33% of all food produced), Hilary Benn launched the "War on Waste" program to reduce this amount.Whilst Benn proposed to scrap the "best before" date altogether, others proposed enhancing the validity date with other solutions such as time temperature indicator
Time temperature indicator
A time temperature indicator is a device or smart label that shows the accumulated time-temperature history of a product. Time temperature indicators are commonly used on food, pharmaceutical, and medical products to indicate exposure to excessive temperature .-Technology:There are a large number...
s.
In Opposition
Benn briefly served as Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsShadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is a position with the Opposition's Shadow Cabinet that deals with issues surrounding the environment and food and rural affairs; if elected, the designated person is slated to become the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food...
in 2010 during Harriet Harman
Harriet Harman
Harriet Ruth Harman QC is a British Labour Party politician, who is the Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and was MP for the predecessorPeckham constituency from 1982 to 1997...
's interim leadership of the Labour Party. In Ed Miliband's first Shadow Cabinet
Shadow Cabinet of Ed Miliband
Ed Miliband became Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition upon being elected to the former post on 25 September 2010. The election was triggered by Gordon Brown's resignation following the party's fall from power at the 2010 general election, which yielded a Conservative – Liberal...
, announced on 8 October 2010, he was appointed Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Shadow Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet responsible for working with the Leader of the House in arranging Commons business and holding the Government to account in its overall management of the House...
. When Miliband
Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel Miliband is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition...
reshuffled his team on 7 October 2011, he was named Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
Personal life
In 1973, whilst at university, he married fellow student Rosalind Retey, who died of cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
at age 26 in 1979; Benn subsequently married Sally Christina Clark in 1982. He has four children, Michael, James, Jonathan and Caroline. He and his family live in Chiswick
Chiswick
Chiswick is a large suburb of west London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located on a meander of the River Thames, west of Charing Cross and is one of 35 major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, with...
, West London.
Benn strongly resembles his father, Tony Benn, in his speaking style and delivery, but is a political centrist and New Labour loyalist. It is in this vein that he famously describes himself as "a Benn, but not a Bennite". Like his father, he is a teetotaller
Teetotalism
Teetotalism refers to either the practice of or the promotion of complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages. A person who practices teetotalism is called a teetotaler or is simply said to be teetotal...
and a vegetarian.
External links
- HilaryBenn.org official constituency website
- Hilary Benn MP official Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) profile
- Close family, distant politics, Nicholas Watt, The ObserverThe ObserverThe Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, 3 June 2007 interview with Benn and his father - Adapting to Climate Change Rt Hon Hilary Benn, Royal Institute of British Architects, Gleeds TV, video
- Love Food, Hate Waste
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