British politician, a Member of Parliament returned at General Election 6/11/1987. In Tony Blair’s cabinet, he is Secretary of State for the Home Department in 2004. Although he has been blind from birth, he graduated from Sheffield University with honors and subsequently worked as an industrial tutor at Barnsley College of Technology and taught courses in industrial relations and politics.
He was born in poverty and blind from birth. Having joined the Labour Party at the age of sixteen, he had become involved with local political issues even while at the University. In 1970, he was elected to the Sheffield City Council, holding progressively more responsible positions in city government, ultimately heading the Council.
In 1983 Mr Blunkett was elected to the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party and a year later was elected as Chairman. On June 11, 1987, he was elected to Parliament. In July 1992, when he was elected to the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Health Secretary. In 1994 Mr Blunkett was appointed as Shadow Secretary of State for Education,
In May 1997, he was appointed to the Cabinet in the post of Secretary of State for Education and Employment. He was appointed Home Secretary following the 2001 general election.
On December 15, 2004, he resigned his position of Home Secretary after a bitterly-dissolved relationship with Kimberly Quinn led to allegations that he had used his influence to fast-track visas for his ex-lover’s children’s nanny.
After it was reported that Blunkett broke the ministerial code of conduct, the British politician resigned for the second time on November 2, 2005, this time from his position as work and pension secretary in Tony Blair’s administration. The resignation resulted from a paid position he took in May 2005 without having consulted the appropriate independent committee.
Link to Wikipedia biography