William David John Straw, CBE (born 1980) works in the charitable sector. He worked as a

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

, founded the political blog '' Left Foot Forward,'' was an associate director of the think-tank Institute for Public Policy Research, specialising in climate change, energy and transport, and is currently Chief Operating Officer of Clearly, a charity in the eye care sector. In the lead up to 2016's referendum on European Union membership, he was the executive director of Britain Stronger in Europe, the all-party umbrella organisation that unsuccessfully fought for the United Kingdom to remain a member of the European Union.

Early life and education

Straw was born in

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...

, London in 1980. His parents are

Alice Perkins Alice Elizabeth Perkins, CB (born 24 May 1949) is a former British civil servant. She was appointed in July 2011 as the Chairman of Post Office Ltd., a UK state-owned limited company, to lead the Board following the separation of the Post Offic ...

and Jack Straw. He attended the comprehensive Pimlico School. In January 1998, aged 17, he was caught trying to sell £10 of cannabis, after a friend was paid £2,000 by the '' Daily Mirror'' to introduce him to an undercover reporter posing as an acquaintance. The story caused some embarrassment for his father, who was Home Secretary at the time, both for his opposition to legalising cannabis and his stance on parents taking responsibility for the poor behaviour or criminality of their children. He went to Oxford University where he read Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) and was elected President of the Junior Common Room of New College and the Oxford University Student Union in 2001. In 2001, he and several other OUSU campaigners protested against tuition fees on the steps of Oxford's

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...

by throwing off most of their clothes to reveal gold-painted torsos. After Oxford, he read for a master's degree in public administration as a

Fulbright Scholar The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

at Columbia University.

Policy research and journalism

Straw worked for four years as an adviser on enterprise and growth issues, in HM Treasury under Gordon Brown. In 2009, he founded the political blog '' Left Foot Forward'', which was set up professionally as a counter to right wing media in the United Kingdom, and was sponsored by a variety of individuals and institutions, including Peter Kellner, Patrick Carter and the unions Connect and Unite. The blog grew to have about forty writers; Straw left it in 2010 to join the Institute for Public Policy Research.

Political ambitions

In 2004, Straw became governor of Henry Fawcett Primary School in Kennington, which he had attended as a child. He moved to the US in 2007 but his name was not taken off the official register. In 2009, Straw was one of twelve governors removed by Lambeth Council amid concerns over financial management and poor teaching at the school. His retention on the list of governors was criticised at the time and it was suggested he was retained for his "high-profile name". Straw was the parliamentary candidate for the Labour Party, for the constituency of

Rossendale and Darwen Rossendale and Darwen is a constituency in Lancashire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Sir Jake Berry, the former Chairman of the Conservative Party. Boundaries 1983 to 1997: The Borough of Rossendal ...

in the 2015

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

, the neighbouring constituency to his father’s Blackburn, but lost to the Conservative incumbent Jake Berry. Straw was one of 15 Labour candidates each given financial support of £10,000 by Lord Oakeshott the former Liberal Democrat in January 2015. In April 2014, he posed with a local folk-dancing troupe, the

Britannia Coconut Dancers The Britannia Coconut Dancers or Nutters are a troupe of Lancastrian clog dancers who perform every Easter in Bacup, dancing across the town and surrounding areas after blackening their faces. There are eight dancers and a whipper-in, who con ...

. This generated some controversy, because of their use of

blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...

makeup, which Straw defended as a traditional custom linked to the coal mining heritage of the area. Straw has been criticised for being a 'Red Prince', which refers to the son of a Labour politician who goes into politics. New Statesman suggested that this nepotism allows them better access to educational, employment and political opportunities. Straw was the executive director of Britain Stronger in Europe, the group that campaigned for the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union, ahead of the 2016 referendum. He was awarded a CBE in outgoing Prime Minister

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...

's controversial resignation honours in 2016. He stated that he had accepted the award in order to take his wife to Buckingham Palace and "as something to remember the hard work that I and others put into the campaign".

Personal life

Straw lives in Clapham, London. He is married to Claire Straw (née Howard), an American, with whom he has two sons, Matthew, born in 2013, and Samuel, born in 2016.

References

External links

Will Straw
– profile at IPPR
Will Straw profile at The Guardian
{{DEFAULTSORT:Straw, Will 1980 births Alumni of New College, Oxford School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University alumni Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English bloggers English socialists Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Living people People from Lambeth British male bloggers