Shaun Woodward facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Shaun Woodward
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Woodward in 2009
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| Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | |
| In office 28 June 2007 – 11 May 2010 |
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| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
| Preceded by | Peter Hain |
| Succeeded by | Owen Paterson |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Creative Industries and Tourism | |
| In office 10 May 2006 – 28 June 2007 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | James Purnell |
| Succeeded by | Margaret Hodge |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | |
| In office 6 May 2005 – 10 May 2006 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Barry Gardiner |
| Succeeded by | Maria Eagle |
| Member of Parliament for St Helens South and Whiston St Helens South (2001–2010) |
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| In office 7 June 2001 – 30 March 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Gerry Bermingham |
| Succeeded by | Marie Rimmer |
| Member of Parliament for Witney |
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| In office 1 May 1997 – 14 May 2001 |
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| Preceded by | Douglas Hurd |
| Succeeded by | David Cameron |
| Shadow Cabinet portfolios | |
| 2010–2011 | Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Shaun Anthony Woodward
26 October 1958 Bristol, England |
| Political party | Labour (since 1999) |
| Other political affiliations |
Conservative (before 1999) |
| Spouse |
Camilla Sainsbury
(m. 1987; sep. 2015) |
| Domestic partner | Luke Redgrave |
| Children | 4 (including Ella) |
| Alma mater | Jesus College, Cambridge Harvard University |
Shaun Anthony Woodward (born 26 October 1958) is a British politician. He held an important government role as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2007 to 2010.
Before becoming a politician, Woodward worked in television. He started his political journey with the Conservative Party. He was first elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Witney in 1997.
In 1999, he made a big change and joined the Labour Party. He then served as a Labour MP for St Helens South from 2001 until 2015.
After holding junior minister roles, he became a senior government minister. He was the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from June 2007 to May 2010. After the 2010 election, he continued to work on Northern Ireland issues for the Labour Party in opposition.
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Early Life and Education
Shaun Woodward grew up in Bristol, England. He went to Bristol Grammar School, which was a private school at the time. After school, he studied English literature at Jesus College, Cambridge. He also studied at Harvard University in the United States.
From 1981 to 1982, he worked to influence politicians for the National Consumer Council. Then, from 1982 to 1990, he worked for BBC TV. He was a researcher and producer for popular shows like That's Life!, Panorama, and Newsnight.
He later wrote a book about Ben Hardwick, a young patient who had a liver transplant. From 1991 to 1992, he was in charge of communications for the Conservative Party.
Becoming a Member of Parliament
Shaun Woodward was chosen to run for Parliament in the area of Witney in the 1997 election. This was a very safe seat for the Conservative Party. He won the election with a large number of votes.
He became a spokesperson for the Conservative Party on London issues. However, in 1999, he was removed from this role. This happened because he supported changing a rule about what schools could teach.
Changing Political Parties
On 20 December 1999, Shaun Woodward decided to leave the Conservative Party. He joined the Labour Party, which was in power at the time. He did not resign as an MP, so there was no special election to replace him.
He was given a job helping to plan the Labour Party's election campaign for 2001. His former Conservative colleagues were not happy about his decision. They asked him to resign and run again as a Labour candidate, but he refused.
Many Conservative politicians criticized Woodward for changing parties. They said he did it for his own career. Some Labour MPs also expressed surprise about his move.
In the June 2001 general election, Woodward did not run in Witney. Instead, he ran for a safe Labour seat in St Helens South. David Cameron later became the MP for Witney.
When Woodward decided to run in St Helens South, some local politicians tried to stop him. They felt he was being given an easy path to a seat. Despite this, Woodward won the election, though with fewer votes than usual for that area.
As a Labour MP, Woodward worked on human rights issues. He strongly supported the Gender Recognition Act 2004. In May 2005, he was re-elected in St Helens South with more votes.
Working in Government
After the 2005 election, Woodward was appointed as a junior minister in the Northern Ireland Office. This meant he helped manage affairs in Northern Ireland.
In May 2006, Prime Minister Tony Blair moved him to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Here, he was responsible for the change from analogue to digital TV.
On 28 June 2007, when Gordon Brown became Prime Minister, he appointed Woodward to a very important role. Woodward became the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. He chose not to take a salary for this job because he was already wealthy. He became a trusted advisor to Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Working in Opposition
After the 2010 general election, the Labour Party was no longer in power. Woodward tried to get a role in Labour's team of spokespeople, but he was not successful. However, the new Labour leader, Ed Miliband, kept him as the main spokesperson for Northern Ireland issues.
In November 2013, Woodward announced he would leave Parliament at the next general election in 2015. He wanted to focus on human rights work. Ed Miliband praised him for his courage in joining the Labour Party years earlier.
Personal Life
Shaun Woodward married Camilla Davan Sainsbury in 1987. Camilla is the daughter of Tim Sainsbury, whose family is known for the Sainsbury's supermarkets. They separated in 2015 after 28 years of marriage. They have one son and three daughters, including the food blogger Ella Woodward.
Shaun Woodward is involved with several organizations. He is the chairman of the board for the Human Dignity Trust. He also chairs the board at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He is a board member for the Hamptons International Film Festival.
Works
Shaun Woodward has co-written several books:
- 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
