David Blunkett

Biography

David Blunkett was elected MP for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough in May 2010 with a majority of 13,632 votes.

Blunkett became the youngest-ever councillor on Sheffield City Council, being elected in 1970 at the age of 22 whilst a teacher. 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.

At the 1987 general election he was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Sheffield Brightside with a large majority in a safe Labour seat. 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.

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.

At the start of the Labour government's second term in 2001, Blunkett was promoted to Home Secretary. amd he resigned on 15 December 2004.

Following the 2005 general election Blunkett was returned to the cabinet as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

Constituency

Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough

Constituency Address

Palatine Chambers, Pinstone Street, Sheffield, S1 2HN

Constituency Tel

0114 273 5987

Date of Birth

6 June 1947

Email

Party

Labour

Personal Website

http://www.labour.org.uk/

Westminster Address

Westminster Tel

020 7219 4043