Photo: Flickr user Steve Punter / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Shaun Woodward has one of the most intriguing arcs in modern British politics. Born in Bristol in 1958 and educated at Jesus College, Cambridge, he started as a television researcher and producer before entering Parliament, then famously crossed the floor from the Conservatives to Labour, eventually serving as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2007 to 2010. Switching parties invites suspicion, yet it can also be the truest test of conviction, and I find that willingness to defy expectation compelling. A man who lived in both the media's back rooms and the front line of government strikes me as unusually adaptable, and that range is what makes him worth a second look.
Overview
Shaun Anthony Woodward (born 26 October 1958) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2007 to 2010. A former television researcher and producer, Woodward began his political career in the Conservative Party. He was elected in 1997 as Conservative MP for Witney, but joined Labour in 1999. He then served as Labour MP for St Helens South from 2001 to 2015.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Shaun Woodward
- Name (Japanese)
- ショーン・ウッドワード
- Reading
- しょーん・うっどわーど
- Born
- October 26, 1958 (age 67)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Scorpio / Dog
- Origin
- Bristol, Avon, United Kingdom
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- politician / media consultant
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Jesus College
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Politician — see all → · More people from United Kingdom →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.