Robin Cook

The Right Honourable Robert Finlayson Cook (February 28, 1946 – August 6, 2005) was a British Labour Party politician, who was Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2001. He resigned from his post as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council on March 17, 2003 he claimed as a protest over the invasion of Iraq. Some believed it was more in protest at his demotion from the Foreign Secretary's position. At his death he was president of the Foreign Policy Centre and a vice-president on the America APPG and the Global Security and Non-Proliferation APPG.

Cook was born in Bellshill, Scotland, the son of a schoolteacher. He studied English Literature at Edinburgh University before becoming MP for Edinburgh Central in 1974, and represented Livingston from 1983 to the time of his death. He became known as a brilliant parliamentary debater, and rose through the party ranks, reaching the Shadow Cabinet in 1987. In 1994 he ruled himself out of contention for the Labour leadership, apparently on the grounds that he was insufficiently attractive to be an election winner. On 26 February 1996, during the controversy surrounding the publication of the Scott Report into the 'Arms to Iraq' affair, he made a famous speech in response to the then President of the Board of Trade Ian Lang in which he said "this is not just a Government which does not know how to accept blame; it is a Government which knows no shame".

With the election of a Labour government at the 1997 general election, Cook became Foreign Secretary. He was believed to have coveted the job of Chancellor of the Exchequer, but that job was reportedly promised by Tony Blair to Gordon Brown. He announced, to much scepticism, his intention to add "an ethical dimension" to foreign policy. Unfortunately for Cook, his own personal morals were soon in the headlines: when his affair with his secretary was revealed by a newspaper, he told his wife Margaret Cook he was leaving her at Heathrow Airport on the way to a holiday. She later wrote a book recounting his many affairs and accusing him of having a drinking problem. A highly experienced hospital haematologist, she also became a prominent critic of the government's health policy.

His term as Foreign Secretary was marked by British interventions in Kosovo and Sierra Leone. The latter proved particularly controversial, with allegations that the British company Sandline International had supplied arms to supporters of the deposed president in contravention of a United Nations embargo. Cook was also embarrassed when his apparent offer to mediate in the dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir was rebuffed. The "ethical dimension" of his policies was subject to inevitable scrutiny, leading to criticism at times.

After the 2001 general election he was moved from the Foreign Office to be Leader of the House of Commons. This was widely seen as a demotion, and Cook was very unhappy about Blair's decision to change his portfolio. However, he welcomed the chance to spend more time on his favourite stage, the House of Commons where he excelled as a debater and expert in procedure. As Leader of the House he was responsible for reforming the hours and practices of the Commons and for leading the debate on reform of the House of Lords. He also spoke for the Government during the controversy surrounding the membership of Commons Select Committees which arose in 2001, where Government whips were accused of pushing aside the outspoken committee chairs Gwyneth Dunwoody and Donald Anderson. He was President of the Party of European Socialists from May 2001 to April 2004.

In early 2003 he was reported to be one of the cabinet's chief opponents of military action against Iraq, and on March 17 he resigned from the cabinet. Some interpreted his resignation as being less about principle and more about him protesting Blair's decision to demote him years earlier. In a statement giving his reasons for resigning he said, "I can't accept collective responsibility for the decision to commit Britain now to military action in Iraq without international agreement or domestic support." He also praised Blair's "heroic efforts" in pushing for the so-called second resolution regarding the Iraq disarmament crisis. Cook's resignation statement [1] in the House of Commons, received with an unprecedented standing ovation by fellow MPs, was described by the BBC's Andrew Marr as "without doubt one of the most effective, brilliant, resignation speeches in modern British politics".

After leaving the Government, Cook was a leading analyst of the decision to go to war in Iraq, giving evidence to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee which was later relevant during the Hutton and Butler inquiries. He was sceptical of the proposals contained in the Government's Higher Education Bill, and abstained on its Second Reading [2]. He also took strong positions in favour of both the proposed European Constitution [3] and a majority-elected House of Lords [4] [5], about which he said "I do not see how [the House of Lords] can be a democratic second Chamber if it is also an election-free zone".

He was a keen follower of horse racing and worked as a racing tipster in his spare time.

On 6 August 2005 Cook collapsed while climbing the mountain Ben Stack in Sutherland, Scotland. He was taken by helicopter from the mountain to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness and pronounced dead on arrival. He was 59. [6]

Template:Succession box two to two

Preceded by Malcolm Rifkind	Foreign Secretary 1997–2001	Succeeded by Jack Straw

Preceded by Thomas Oswald (Labour)	MP for Edinburgh Central 1974–1983	Succeeded by Alex Fletcher (Conservative)
Preceded by New Seat	MP for Livingstone 1983–2005	Succeeded by Seat Vacant

Bibliography

The Point of Departure by Robin Cook (Simon & Schuster, 2003) ISBN 0743252551

External links