In office Jack Straw has gained a reputation as a conservative home secretary, unwilling to give much ground on civil rights, bringing in tough anti-terrorist proposals and preferring weak freedom of information laws.

Straw's watch has also seen major rows over police numbers, as well as a rise in the amount of violent crime. The number of asylum seekers attempting to enter the country has also been constantly in the headlines.

As home secretary Straw also had to deal with the particularly sensitive Pinochet case and the fall out from the Macpherson report on the murder of the black teenager Stephen Lawrence.