John Hutton (Labour MP)

Infobox Minister
honorific-prefix = The Right Honourable
name = John Hutton
honorific-suffix = MP

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office =Secretary of State for Defence
term_start = October 3 2008
primeminister =Gordon Brown
predecessor = Des Browne
office1 =Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
term_start1 = June 28 2007
term_end1 = October 3 2008
primeminister1 =Gordon Brown
predecessor1 = Alistair Darling
successor1 = Peter Mandelson
office2 =Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
term_start2 = November 2, 2005
term_end2 = June 27 2007
primeminister2 =Tony Blair
predecessor2 = David Blunkett
successor2 = Peter Hain
office3 =Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
term_start3 = 6 May 2005
term_end3 = November 2, 2005
primeminister3 =Tony Blair
predecessor3 = Alan Milburn
successor3 = Hilary Armstrong (from 5 May 2006)
constituency_MP4=Barrow and Furness
majority4= 6,037 (16.5%)
term_start4 = 9 April 1992
term_end4 =
predecessor4 = Cecil Franks
successor4 = Incumbent
birth_date = birth date and age|1955|05|6|df=yes
birth_place = Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex
death_date =
death_place =
nationality = British
spouse =
party = Labour
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater = Magdalen College, Oxford
occupation =
profession =
religion =


website =
footnotes =

John Matthew Patrick Hutton (born 6 May 1955, London) is a politician in the United Kingdom. He is Labour Member of Parliament for Barrow and Furness in Cumbria, the current Secretary of State for Defence [ [http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page17065 Number 10 Press release] ] , and formerly the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

Early life

Westcliff-on-Sea-born, John Hutton was educated at Westcliff High School for Boys and Magdalen College, Oxford where he gained a BA in 1976 and a BCL 1978. From 1980-1, he was a research associate for Templeton College, Oxford. He went on to become a senior law lecturer at the Newcastle Polytechnic from 1981-92 before turning back to politics, this time to the Labour party.

Parliamentary career

Mr Hutton first stood for election in the Penrith and the Borders seat in 1987. Two years later, he also failed to be elected as an MEP for the Cumbria and North Lancashire region. His election to the Barrow and Furness seat in the 1992 UK General Election saw him replace Cecil Franks as MP with a majority of 3,578. His majority increased to 14 497 in the Labour landslide of the 1997 Election

After being a part of the Department of Health from 1998, he was made a member of the Privy Council in 2001. In the reshuffle following the 2005 general election (in which his majority fell to just over 6,000), he was made Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, replacing his close friend and former flatmate, Alan Milburn.

His position in this role was short lived, however. Following the second resignation of David Blunkett, Hutton was appointed as his replacement in the role of Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on November 2, 2005. Hutton was seen as one of Tony Blair's closest supporters but survived in cabinet following Blair's resignation in June 2007 and was moved by new Prime Minister Gordon Brown to be Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, which incorporated the bulk of portfolios from the now dissolved Department of Trade and Industry, including Energy security issues which many had expected to be ceded to Defra.

He was moved into the role of Secretary of State for Defence in the cabinet reshuffle on October 3rd, 2008.

Personal life

John Hutton married Rosemary Caroline Little in 1978 in Oxford. They had three sons and a daughter before divorcing in 1993.

External links

* [http://www.johnhuttonmp.co.uk/ John Hutton MP] official site
* [http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/about_the_cabinet_office/john_hutton.asp Cabinet Office - Rt Hon John Hutton MP] official profile
* [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-2629,00.html Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: John Hutton MP]
* [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/john_hutton/barrow_and_furness TheyWorkForYou.com - John Hutton MP]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/mpdb/html/29.stm BBC Politics page]

News items

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4402834.stm BBC Profile in November 2005]

References