Charles Clarke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Clarke
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Clarke in 2014
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| Home Secretary | |
| In office 15 December 2004 – 5 May 2006 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | David Blunkett |
| Succeeded by | John Reid |
| Secretary of State for Education and Skills | |
| In office 24 October 2002 – 15 December 2004 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Estelle Morris |
| Succeeded by | Ruth Kelly |
| Minister without Portfolio Chairman of the Labour Party |
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| In office 9 June 2001 – 24 October 2002 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Peter Mandelson |
| Succeeded by | John Reid |
| Minister of State for Prisons | |
| In office 29 July 1999 – 9 June 2001 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Baron Williams |
| Succeeded by | Keith Bradley |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Lifelong Learning | |
| In office 28 July 1998 – 29 July 1999 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Kim Howells |
| Succeeded by | Malcolm Wicks |
| Member of Parliament for Norwich South |
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| In office 1 May 1997 – 12 April 2010 |
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| Preceded by | John Garrett |
| Succeeded by | Simon Wright |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Charles Rodway Clarke
21 September 1950 Hammersmith, London, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | Carol Pearson |
| Alma mater | King's College, Cambridge |
| Signature |  |
Charles Rodway Clarke (born 21 September 1950) is a British politician. He was a member of the Labour Party. Charles Clarke held important jobs in the government under Prime Minister Tony Blair. These roles included being the Home Secretary from 2004 to 2006. He was also a Member of Parliament (MP) for Norwich South from 1997 to 2010.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Charles Clarke was born in London. His father, Sir Richard Clarke, worked as a senior government official. Charles went to Highgate School, a private school, where he was the Head Boy.
After school, he studied Mathematics and Economics. He attended King's College, Cambridge University. While there, he was also the president of the Cambridge Students' Union.
Student Politics and Early Career
From 1975 to 1977, Charles Clarke was the president of the National Union of Students. This group represents university students across the UK. He joined the Labour Party around this time.
Later, he worked in local government. He was a local councillor in the London Borough of Hackney from 1980 to 1986. He helped lead committees on housing and economic development. From 1981 to 1992, he worked for Neil Kinnock, who was the leader of the Labour Party.
After 1992, he worked in the private sector. He was the chief executive of a company that advised on public affairs. This experience helped him prepare for his later roles in national politics.
Becoming a Member of Parliament
Charles Clarke was elected to the House of Commons in 1997. This was a big election for the Labour Party. He quickly moved up in government roles.
In 1998, he became a junior minister for education. Then, in 1999, he moved to the Home Office. After the 2001 election, he joined the Cabinet. The Cabinet is a group of senior ministers who lead government departments. He became a Minister without Portfolio and the Party Chair.
Leading Education
On 24 October 2002, Charles Clarke became the Secretary of State for Education and Skills. In this role, he made some important decisions. He supported universities like Oxbridge. He also encouraged the creation of special secondary schools.
He believed that universities should help the British economy and society. He once said that government funding for universities should be justified by how they help the country. He also oversaw the introduction of "top-up fees" for universities. These fees meant students would pay more for their education.
Home Secretary Role
On 15 December 2004, Charles Clarke was appointed Home Secretary. This is one of the most important jobs in the government. The Home Secretary is in charge of policing, national security, and immigration.
He worked on new ideas to fight terrorism. He also supported identity cards. He believed these cards were important for national security. During the UK's time leading the European Union in 2005, he pushed for a rule to store communication data. This was for law enforcement.
In 2006, he ended a system that gave money to people wrongly convicted of crimes. This decision caused some debate.
Leaving Government
In 2006, Charles Clarke was dismissed from his role as Home Secretary. This happened after a difficult period for the government. He was replaced by John Reid. After this, Clarke became a backbencher. This means he was still an MP but no longer held a government job.
He later spoke out about his time in government. He said that Prime Minister Tony Blair should have supported him more. He also took on a consulting job with a law firm. This led to ideas that he might not return to frontline politics.
Life After Parliament
Charles Clarke lost his seat in Parliament in the 2010 General Election. He lost by a very small number of votes. He said he was unlikely to run for Parliament again.
Since then, he has worked in academia. In 2010, he became a Visiting Professor at the University of East Anglia. He also became a Visiting Professor at Lancaster University. He is also a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations.
The 'Too Difficult' Box
Charles Clarke introduced the idea of the "too difficult box." This idea explains why politicians sometimes avoid fixing big problems. He wrote a book about it called The 'Too Difficult' Box: The Big Issues Politicians Can't Crack.
In his book, he explains reasons why some issues are hard for politicians to deal with. These reasons include:
- It's hard to understand the problem fully.
- It's hard to find a clear solution.
- It's hard to put a solution into action.
- Powerful groups might not want changes.
- Existing laws can make things difficult.
- Making new laws takes a long time.
- Politicians might not have enough energy for tough issues.
Personal Life
Charles Clarke married Carol Pearson in 1984. They have two sons, Christopher and Matthew. The family used to live in Norwich but now lives in Cambridge. Charles Clarke can speak Cuban Spanish, French, and German.
In 2004, he became a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society. This was to honor his father, who was a statistician. Charles Clarke is also a big fan of Norwich City Football Club.
In 2018, he received an honorary degree from the University of East Anglia.
Images for kids
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Charles Clarke's signature
