John Denham (politician)

John Yorke Denham

After leaving education in 1977 he became an advice worker at the Energy Advice Agency in Durham, before becoming a transport campaigner with Friends of the Earth in 1978. He was Head of Youth Affairs at the British Council from 1979 until 1983, and was responsible for public education and advocacy for War on Want from 1984 to 1988. He subsequently worked for Christian Aid, Oxfam and other development agencies until his election to Westminster.

Councillor

Prior to being elected as an MP, Denham served as a local councillor, initially as a member of the Hampshire County Council in 1981, where he remained until 1989, when he was elected as a councillor on Southampton City Council, on which he served until 1993 and was the chairman of the city's Housing Committee. He was selected to contest the Southampton Itchen seat at the 1983 general election following the defection to the Social Democratic Party of the sitting Labour MP Bob Mitchell. The election proved to be a close-run affair, with Denham coming in third place, Mitchell in second, and the victor was the Conservative Christopher Chope who gained the seat with a majority of 5,290.

Denham again contested the seat at the 1987 general election, he overtook Mitchell into second place but was still behind Chope, who held his seat with a majority of 6,716.

Member of Parliament

Denham took the seat at the third attempt at the

• 1995–1997: Shadow Minister for Social Security
• 1997–1998: Parliamentary under Secretary of State at the
  Department of Social Security
• 1998–1999: Minister of State at the
  Department of Social Security
• 1999–2001: Minister of State for Health Services
• 2001–2003:
  Minister of State for Policing
• 2003–2007: Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee
• 2007–2009: Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills
• 2009–2010:
  Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
• 2010–2011:
  Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills
• 2011–2013: Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition

In government

Denham became a member of the Environment

Resignation over Iraq War

Following the 2001 general election he became a Minister of State at the Home Office, until he resigned in March 2003 over the Iraq War.^[5]

After his resignation, Denham was appointed in July 2003 as chairman of the influential Home Affairs Select Committee. Despite speculation following the 2005 general election that he would return as a member of the Government, he did not do so, although in the post-election reshuffle there were reports that he was offered – and accepted – the cabinet post of Chief Secretary to the Treasury, before being told that the post had been assigned instead to Des Browne.

Though regarded as a Blairite, Denham was a regular critic of the Blair administration as chair of the Home Affairs committee.^{[citation needed]}

Return to Government

Following Brown's installation as Prime Minister in June 2007, Denham was named to take over the new post of Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills.^[6] In September 2007, he announced funding for students taking second degrees would be re-allocated to allow more students to take first degrees: adult and continuing education institutions such as the Open University, Birkbeck, University of London, and lifelong learning departments throughout the country, have voiced angry protest at the proposals.^[7][8][9]

During Denham's tenure as Secretary of State, he also announced an extension of maintenance grants to students from households earning up to £60,000 a year.^[10] The changes mean that an additional 50,000 students would be entitled to a full grant and an additional 100,000 students would be entitled to a partial grant.

As part of the Cabinet reshuffle on 5 June 2009, Denham was appointed to the role of Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. He replaced Hazel Blears who had resigned from the post on 3 June 2009.

On 7 October 2011, Denham announced that he would be standing down at the 2015 general election.^[11]

In June 2012, Denham said that Labour knew as early as 2005 that the immigration estimates they had relied on were "vastly wrong".^[12]

He was seen as a government loyalist and University of Southampton Students' Union had revoked his lifetime membership for his support of tuition fees.

Post-parliamentary career

Denham is Chair of the Southern Policy Centre,^[13] which he co-founded with Professor Francis Davis, ^[14] as a think tank responding to challenges and opportunities for southern England with specialisms in open data research and new forms of public participation in politics.^[15]

Denham is director of the

Honours

Denham was sworn in as a member of the

He married Ruth Eleanor Dixon[1] and they have two children; they have now divorced. He has another child born in 2005.^{[citation needed]}

In an interview with the