33 Facts About Alan Milburn

Alan Milburn was born on 27 January 1958 and is a British Labour Party politician who was Member of Parliament for Darlington from 1992 to 2010.

Alan Milburn served for five years in the Cabinet, first as Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 1998 to 1999, and subsequently as Secretary of State for Health until 2003, when he resigned.

Alan Milburn briefly rejoined the Cabinet as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in order to manage Labour's 2005 re-election campaign.

Alan Milburn did not seek re-election in the 2010 election.

Alan Milburn was born in Whitehaven, and brought up in the village of Tow Law in County Durham and in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Alan Milburn was educated at John Marley School in Newcastle and, after his mother married, Stokesley Comprehensive School in North Yorkshire.

Alan Milburn went on to Lancaster University, where he lived in Morecambe and Galgate, graduating in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with Upper Second Class Honours in History.

Alan Milburn studied for a PhD at Newcastle University, but did not complete his thesis.

Alan Milburn was Co-ordinator of the Trade Union Studies Information Unit from the mid-1980s onwards.

From 1988, Alan Milburn co-ordinated a campaign to defend shipbuilding in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, and was elected Chairman of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central Constituency Labour Party.

Alan Milburn duly won the seat of Darlington in the 1992 general election.

In Parliament, Alan Milburn allied himself with the Blairite modernisers in the Labour Party, close to Tony Blair, MP for the next-door constituency of Sedgefield.

Alan Milburn became Secretary of State for Health in October 1999, with responsibility for continuing the reduction in waiting times and delivering modernisation in the National Health Service.

In 2002 Alan Milburn introduced NHS foundation trusts, originally envisaged as a new form of not-for-profit provider and "described at the time as a sort of halfway house between the public and private sectors".

Alan Milburn was thought to be a candidate for promotion within the Government, but on the day of a reshuffle he announced his resignation from government.

Alan Milburn cited the difficulties combining family life in North-East England with a demanding job in London as his reason for quitting.

Alan Milburn returned to government in September 2004, as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Alan Milburn was brought back to lead the Labour Party's campaign in the 2005 general election, but the unsuccessful start to the campaign led to Milburn taking a back seat, with Gordon Brown returning to take a very prominent role.

In 2007, Alan Milburn worked as an advisor to Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and again in 2010 acted as an advisor to the election campaign of Julia Gillard.

Between January and July 2009, Alan Milburn chaired a governmental commission on social mobility, the Panel on Fair Access to the Professions.

In 2007, Alan Milburn became a paid advisor to PepsiCo and sat on its nutritional advisory board.

Alan Milburn provoked criticism from former Cabinet colleague John Prescott, and his former ally Andy Burnham, for advising the government.

However, David Miliband defended Alan Milburn claiming that he was serving the country and was not working for the Coalition Government.

In 2011, Alan Milburn contributed to The Purple Book.

In 2012, a senior Number 10 adviser called for Andrew Lansley to be "taken out and shot" for introducing the Health and Social Care bill despite widespread opposition, and that Alan Milburn should be ennobled and join the coalition government as Secretary of State for Health.

Alan Milburn wrote in The Times attacking the reforms, but calling for the left to give an alternative.

In July 2012, Alan Milburn was appointed as Chair of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission.

In 2013 Alan Milburn joined PricewaterhouseCoopers as Chair of PwC's UK Health Industry Oversight Board, whose objective is to drive change in the health sector, and assist PwC in growing its presence in the health market.

Alan Milburn continued to be chairman of the European Advisory Board at Bridgepoint Capital, whose activities include financing private health care companies providing services ito the NHS, and continued as a member of the Healthcare Advisory Panel at Lloyds Pharmacy.

In 2015, Alan Milburn became Lancaster University's third Chancellor, taking over from the mountaineer Chris Bonington.

Early in 2015, Alan Milburn intervened in the British election campaign to criticise Labour's health plans, which would limit private sector involvement in the NHS.

Alan Milburn was criticised for doing so while having a personal financial interest in the private health sector.

In 2017, Alan Milburn was touted as a possible leader of a pro-EU movement after Brexit.