Robin Cook
Robin Cook was a British politician under the Labour Party who was part of Tony Blair’s cabinet, working for some time as foreign secretary.
Synopsis
Born on February 28, 1946, in Lanarkshire, Scotland, Robin Cook immersed himself in Labour Party politics as a university student in Edinburgh. He joined Parliament in the '70s and eventually came to work with Prime Minister Tony Blair as foreign secretary. Later appointed head of the House of Commons, Cook left his post in opposition to the Iraq War. A fabled orator, Cook died on August 6, 2005.
Political Career
British politician Robert Finlayson "Robin" Cook was born in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, United Kingdom, on February 28, 1946. He studied at Edinburgh University, trained as a teacher, then became a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1974. He was opposition spokesman for the Treasury and economic affairs (1980–83), then held various posts in the shadow cabinet, including spokesman on health and social security (1987–92).
He managed the leadership campaigns of Neil Kinnock (1983) and John Smith (1992). Other posts include chief opposition spokesman on trade and industry (1992–4) and foreign affairs (1994–7), and chair of the Labour Party (1996–98). He became secretary of state for foreign and commonwealth affairs in the Blair government (1997) and Leader of the House of Commons (2001), but resigned in March 2003 over his opposition to war with Iraq. He died on August 6, 2005.
