Jack Cunningham, Baron Cunningham of Felling
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Minister for the Cabinet Office Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 27 July 1998 – 11 October 1999 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Tony Blair | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | David Clark | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Mo Mowlam | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 2 May 1997 – 27 July 1998 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Tony Blair | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Douglas Hogg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Nick Brown | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Under Secretary of State for Energy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 10 September 1976 – 4 May 1979 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Jim Callaghan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Gordon Oakes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Norman Lamont | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 10 September 1976 – 21 February 1977 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Jim Callaghan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | John Tomlinson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Roger Stott | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Member of Parliament for Copeland Whitehaven (1970–1983) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 18 June 1970 – 11 April 2005 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Joseph Symonds | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Jamie Reed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | John Anderson Cunningham 4 August 1939 Durham, England, UK | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Political party | Labour | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alma mater | Durham University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John Anderson Cunningham, Baron Cunningham of Felling,
Background
His father was Andrew Cunningham, leader of the Labour Party in the Northern Region in the 1970s, who was disgraced in the 1974 Poulson scandal. Dr Cunningham was first elected as member for Whitehaven in 1970, and the renamed Copeland constituency, which was the same as Whitehaven, in 1983.
Early life
He was educated at Jarrow Grammar School (now
He was a district councillor for Chester-le-Street Rural & Parish Council, prior to becoming an MP and continued to live in the Garden Farm area of the town, bringing up his family there.
Political career
Cunningham joined the
Minister
After the Labour landslide victory at the 1997 general election, he became Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and embarked on a modernisation programme for the Ministry. He worked to secure the lifting of the EU ban on the export of UK beef, and achieved some limited success on this.[citation needed]
Cabinet
He was shifted in 1998 to Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. The media dubbed him cabinet enforcer, claiming that his role was effectively to sell the Government and its policies to the public and the media.[3] He also led the government's work on modernising government, and chaired the Ministerial Committee on genetically modified foods and crops.[citation needed]
Backbenches
He retired from the Cabinet in 1999, and returned to the backbenches. He stood down from Parliament at the 2005 general election. Having represented the
House of Lords
In the 2005 Dissolution Honours, he was raised to the peerage as Baron Cunningham of Felling, of Felling in the County of Tyne and Wear.[4][5]
Lord Cunningham of Felling is still active in politics and chairs an all-party parliamentary committee to review the powers of the House of Lords.
Lobbyist allegations
Cunningham was suspended from the Labour Party whip, and the party, in June 2013 pending an investigation over claims he had offered to work for lobbyists.[6] He was subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing by the parliamentary standards authorities, and had the Labour whip restored.
Expenses claimed in the House of Lords
Research conducted by the Guardian newspaper revealed that Lord Cunningham claimed a total of £75,122 for 154 days’ attendance in 2017–2018.[7] This was the largest claim for attendance and travel expenses out of all the sitting members in the House of Lords. £23,108 of the £75,122 was claimed for air travel expenses.
Personal life
He lives with his wife near Stocksfield, in Northumberland and is an avid fly fisherman.[citation needed] In 2016 Cunningham was awarded with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star.[8]
References
- ^ "Dr Jack Cunningham". Hansard. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
- ^ "No. 52695". The London Gazette. 25 October 1991. p. 16312.
- ^ McSmith, Andy (28 February 1999). "So what exactly does Jack the Enforcer do?". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
- ^ "No. 57689". The London Gazette. 30 June 2005. p. 8499.
- ^ "No. 25865". The Edinburgh Gazette. 1 July 2005. p. 1946.
- ^ Rajeev Syal "Labour peers stripped of party whip over lobbying allegations" Archived 10 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine, guardian.co.uk, 2 June 2013
- from the original on 11 June 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
- ^ https://www.mofa.go.jp/files/000152721.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- Announcement of his introduction at the House of Lords House of Lords minutes of proceedings, 11 October 2005