9 September 2004 - Alan Johnson MP – Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Alan Johnson has been appointed Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. He joins from the Department for Education and Skills, where he was Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education from June 2003.
Previously, he was Minister of State for Employment Relations and Regions and, before that, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Competitiveness, both at the Department of Trade and Industry.
Alan Johnson was born in 1950 and was educated at Sloane Grammar School, Chelsea. He became a postman in 1968, and joined the Union of Communication Workers at the same time. He held a number of posts representing employees since 1976 and was elected to the National Executive Council in 1981. He became General Secretary in 1992 and Joint General Secretary of the CWU from 1995 to 1997.
He was a Member of the General Council TUC from 1994 to 1995 and a member of the Labour Party NEC 1995 to 1997.
Alan Johnson was elected MP for Kingston-upon-Hull and Hessle in 1997. He was a member of the Trade and Industry Select Committee until he was made Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Financial Secretary to the Treasury in December 1997. A year later he became PPS to the Paymaster General.
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