What do you think?
Rate this book
Last Man Standing: Memoirs of a Political Survivor
As a small boy in Epping Forest, Jack Straw could never have imagined that one day he would become Britain's Lord Chancellor. As one of five children of divorced parents, he was bright enough to get a scholarship to a direct-grant school, but spent his holidays as a plumbers' mate for his uncles to bring in some much-needed extra income. Yet he spent 13 years and 11 days in government, including long and influential spells as Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary. This is the story of how he got there.
His memoirs offer a unique insight into the complex, sometimes self-serving but always fascinating world of British politics and reveals the toll that high office takes, but , more importantly, the enormous satisfaction and extraordinary privilege of serving both your constituents and your country.
Straw’s has been a very public life, but he reveals the private face, too and offers readers a vivid and authoritative insight into the Blair/Brown era and, indeed, the last forty years of British politics.
His memoirs offer a unique insight into the complex, sometimes self-serving but always fascinating world of British politics and reveals the toll that high office takes, but , more importantly, the enormous satisfaction and extraordinary privilege of serving both your constituents and your country.
Straw’s has been a very public life, but he reveals the private face, too and offers readers a vivid and authoritative insight into the Blair/Brown era and, indeed, the last forty years of British politics.
592 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
5 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Jack Whitaker Straw
10 books6 followersJohn Whitaker Straw (b. 1946) is a British Labour politician.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 30, 2018
Jack Straw was an ever present member of the New Labour governments of 1997 - 2010. In that time he was Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary, Leader of the House of Commons & Lord Chancellor. A very ‘Big Beast’ indeed.
This is quite a chunky memoir but it still feels rushed (he covers his time at the Ministry of Justice in around 50 pages).
I found the bit prior to his becoming an MP a bit more interesting to be honest. His time as an advisor to Barbara Castle & Peter Shore was fascinating.
Aside from that I found the book - a bit like the man himself - a bit bland. There wasn’t a great deal of score settling, yet there wasn’t a great deal of insight either. Maybe that’s the trouble with memoirs as opposed to diaries: they are more self serving. The memoirs of the Big Beasts of the Wilson/Callaghan era (like Jenkins, Healey & Owen) were much more interesting. Of the New Labour years, it’s the Diaries of Alastair Campbell that stand out. That being said I’ve got a bit of a thirst now to read a few memoirs of New Labour politicians.
This is quite a chunky memoir but it still feels rushed (he covers his time at the Ministry of Justice in around 50 pages).
I found the bit prior to his becoming an MP a bit more interesting to be honest. His time as an advisor to Barbara Castle & Peter Shore was fascinating.
Aside from that I found the book - a bit like the man himself - a bit bland. There wasn’t a great deal of score settling, yet there wasn’t a great deal of insight either. Maybe that’s the trouble with memoirs as opposed to diaries: they are more self serving. The memoirs of the Big Beasts of the Wilson/Callaghan era (like Jenkins, Healey & Owen) were much more interesting. Of the New Labour years, it’s the Diaries of Alastair Campbell that stand out. That being said I’ve got a bit of a thirst now to read a few memoirs of New Labour politicians.
August 7, 2019
Jack Straw is a Blairite who held some of the greatest offices of government and had an outstanding ministerial career. Within the book he sets out his entire life extensively up to 2012/2013. Yet, at the same time, he is humble and shows a great deal of humility by showing his flaws and inner struggles such as with depression around the time of the birth of his son Will, losing his daughter when she was only 6 days old, or his incapabilities at returning to normal life with the subsequent transport arrangements (such as forgetting to put the handbrake on his car and crashing into some Australian tourists, or his inability in working the tube, and requesting for BBC Radio 4 to be turned on whilst on the bus.
As a person, he has most certainly risen through the ranks from growing up on a council estate with pacifist parents, living without his father from 10, to gaining a boarding scholarship (11+) to Brentwood school whilst working as a plumbers aid during the holidays where he excellent to then have gain 3Ds for uni, but resitting to get an A and and E which he was thus able to get into Leeds University with and subsequently becoming the President of Leeds Uni Students union. His ability at reaching 3rd in the country for the bar exams, and also President of the National Students Union.
In some of the major offices of government he was integral in enabling the setting up of the ASBOs, the Lawrence Enquiry, Pinochet's extradition, implementing FOI, diplomacy between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, hesitancy of the Iraq war - creating his own dossier and having another signed off by other nation-states. Dealing with crises such as the passports, or the oil crisis when the treasury had sold off its reserves which should have lastred 65.5 days.
What I'm most fond of in this book is how he contextualises everything into the times in which they occurred, or likens things to other matters which have occurred such as the Troubles in Northern Ireland or societal attitudes to different matters.
It is clear to see that his politics are grounded in empirical evidence, he has come to his decisions through the way he has experienced the world around him. This is abundantly clear through how one morning he woke up to find his 15 year old housemate at school dead on the floor of the study, he had gassed himself. He was, according to Straw, a brilliant musician and pianist. The sole reasoning for having gassed himself, as stated in his suicide note, was believing he was gay and knowing if such information got out it would have led to immediate expulsion and public excoriation. Whilst, the response from the headmaster to hide the contents of the note as not to destroy the reputation of the family, I have no doubt helped lead Straw to his views on homosexuality and how the law needed to be reformed. When writing about this aspect of his childhood he is very clear in framing it in the context of the time with Maxwell-Fyfe as home secretary and the family Britain of the 1950s.
Another aspect of clarity in his thought, and response to terrorist attacks comes through how he, himself, was a victim of a bomb attack in the early 1970s from the provincial IRA leading to him getting glass in his backside. This no doubt led to his understanding of the effects on others and the imperatives of government response in his time as Home Secretary when 9/11 occurred.
As Lord Chancellor, he did become the last person to resign from cabinet so he was the last person in government of the New Labour era, if only by a few hours.
As a person, he has most certainly risen through the ranks from growing up on a council estate with pacifist parents, living without his father from 10, to gaining a boarding scholarship (11+) to Brentwood school whilst working as a plumbers aid during the holidays where he excellent to then have gain 3Ds for uni, but resitting to get an A and and E which he was thus able to get into Leeds University with and subsequently becoming the President of Leeds Uni Students union. His ability at reaching 3rd in the country for the bar exams, and also President of the National Students Union.
In some of the major offices of government he was integral in enabling the setting up of the ASBOs, the Lawrence Enquiry, Pinochet's extradition, implementing FOI, diplomacy between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, hesitancy of the Iraq war - creating his own dossier and having another signed off by other nation-states. Dealing with crises such as the passports, or the oil crisis when the treasury had sold off its reserves which should have lastred 65.5 days.
What I'm most fond of in this book is how he contextualises everything into the times in which they occurred, or likens things to other matters which have occurred such as the Troubles in Northern Ireland or societal attitudes to different matters.
It is clear to see that his politics are grounded in empirical evidence, he has come to his decisions through the way he has experienced the world around him. This is abundantly clear through how one morning he woke up to find his 15 year old housemate at school dead on the floor of the study, he had gassed himself. He was, according to Straw, a brilliant musician and pianist. The sole reasoning for having gassed himself, as stated in his suicide note, was believing he was gay and knowing if such information got out it would have led to immediate expulsion and public excoriation. Whilst, the response from the headmaster to hide the contents of the note as not to destroy the reputation of the family, I have no doubt helped lead Straw to his views on homosexuality and how the law needed to be reformed. When writing about this aspect of his childhood he is very clear in framing it in the context of the time with Maxwell-Fyfe as home secretary and the family Britain of the 1950s.
Another aspect of clarity in his thought, and response to terrorist attacks comes through how he, himself, was a victim of a bomb attack in the early 1970s from the provincial IRA leading to him getting glass in his backside. This no doubt led to his understanding of the effects on others and the imperatives of government response in his time as Home Secretary when 9/11 occurred.
As Lord Chancellor, he did become the last person to resign from cabinet so he was the last person in government of the New Labour era, if only by a few hours.
May 17, 2017
That Jack Straw has had an incredible ministerial career amidst a long and eventful Parliamentary life is without doubt. Straw recounts many of the significant incidents that have dominated his political world and, in many cases, explores the ramifications of the policies he chose to advocate.
However over all I was disappointed with this autobiography. Straw admits that he tends to overly focus on facts and figures as a means to understanding the world and this approach is all too apparent in his book. Consequently there is a lack of both warmth and personal context. We want to know about the conversations and dramas that play a major part in political life at such a high level and not just the details of the policies which can be looked up at a moment's notice online. We are left with little insight or personal recollection of colleagues including the two prime minister under whom he served, which is a great shame given his almost unparalleled level of access to such major personalities in recent political history.
However over all I was disappointed with this autobiography. Straw admits that he tends to overly focus on facts and figures as a means to understanding the world and this approach is all too apparent in his book. Consequently there is a lack of both warmth and personal context. We want to know about the conversations and dramas that play a major part in political life at such a high level and not just the details of the policies which can be looked up at a moment's notice online. We are left with little insight or personal recollection of colleagues including the two prime minister under whom he served, which is a great shame given his almost unparalleled level of access to such major personalities in recent political history.
August 12, 2023
A thoughtful story of a Labour MP and (mostly) his time in government. As someone who held many of the "great offices" (Home Secretary, Foreign Minister, Lord Chancellor), he brings a unique perspective in government leadership. He is fairly straightforward in his telling of government service - not much Westminster gossip here. It may not be the most thrilling telling, but I think its a good read for anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of UK Government.
April 30, 2024
I was hoping that having left government and with the benefit of hindsight there would be some interesting insights into some of the fascinating times he’d been a part of. That was clearly very naive as me, because this is largely an account of how and why he was always right and everyone else should have done better. Limited signs of humanity and very self serving.
December 29, 2017
Decent political bio. The first half is better than the second (which is a bit too polite and diplomatic). Worth reading as a companion to other books on New Labour.
August 27, 2020
Fascinating political memoir! Gripping and easy to read.
September 4, 2025
EnjoyedÆ’??Differed on Iraq but sound on Iran+MidEast. Pity he, instead of Blair, was not made ME Peace Envoy?
March 10, 2017
Very good account on English politics behind the parliament.
August 9, 2013
Well-written and interesting…
Unlike some of the rushed memoirs that came out immediately following Labour's loss in the UK general election in 2010, Jack Straw has taken time to reflect on his period in office and as a result this book is perhaps a bit more thoughtful than some of the earlier ones. Although the whole Blair/Brown saga is touched on, (how could it not be?), thankfully Straw hasn't built the whole book round it. In fact, he gives a picture of himself as a man who concentrated very much on the responsibilities of whichever department he was working in and largely stayed out of the party wrangling going on around him.
Straw starts with a quick resumé of his life before Labour took office in 1997 but most of the book is focused on his time in power. Having held two of the Great Offices of State as Home and then Foreign Secretary, Straw is well-placed to discuss the workings of government at the highest levels, and to give some insights into the major events of the time - the Stephen Lawrence debate, prison overcrowding, the formation of the new Justice Department and the Supreme Court amongst many other things. Obviously Iraq and the Middle East rank high in this, particularly as Straw gradually found his own approach diverging from Blair's. However, again, he manages not to get bogged down in the well-tramped ground of the lead up to the Iraq war, instead expanding the discussion to include his views on Israel, Iran and the policies of the US, UK and Europe in regard to the region. While there is much in here about UK domestic politics, as Foreign Secretary Straw worked closely with the US administration and talks extensively about his relationships with people of the stature of Rice and Powell as they worked together to maintain a common approach to foreign policy matters.
If the book has a weakness, it is that sometimes Straw assumes that we know and remember events as clearly as he does and so doesn't take time to explain the background as fully as he might. For instance, he refers to Brown's remarks about Mrs Duffy during the election campaign, but doesn't remind us what these remarks were.* As a bit of a political junkie and because the events were so recent, this didn't present a problem for me but may do so for US readers. Even in the UK I suspect that in 10 years time memories will have faded and I wonder if the book's longevity will be affected as a result. Perhaps that's a recommendation to read it now!
Overall, a well written, interesting biography leavened by a considerable amount of self-deprecating humour - very enjoyable.
*(Mrs Duffy was a member of the public who complained to Brown about immigration. He later referred to her privately as a ‘bigoted woman’, not realising his microphone was still switched on. The BBC kindly put the comments on air in the midst of an interview with Brown, leading to a huge press hoohah and a good deal of public humiliation for Brown.)
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Unlike some of the rushed memoirs that came out immediately following Labour's loss in the UK general election in 2010, Jack Straw has taken time to reflect on his period in office and as a result this book is perhaps a bit more thoughtful than some of the earlier ones. Although the whole Blair/Brown saga is touched on, (how could it not be?), thankfully Straw hasn't built the whole book round it. In fact, he gives a picture of himself as a man who concentrated very much on the responsibilities of whichever department he was working in and largely stayed out of the party wrangling going on around him.
Straw starts with a quick resumé of his life before Labour took office in 1997 but most of the book is focused on his time in power. Having held two of the Great Offices of State as Home and then Foreign Secretary, Straw is well-placed to discuss the workings of government at the highest levels, and to give some insights into the major events of the time - the Stephen Lawrence debate, prison overcrowding, the formation of the new Justice Department and the Supreme Court amongst many other things. Obviously Iraq and the Middle East rank high in this, particularly as Straw gradually found his own approach diverging from Blair's. However, again, he manages not to get bogged down in the well-tramped ground of the lead up to the Iraq war, instead expanding the discussion to include his views on Israel, Iran and the policies of the US, UK and Europe in regard to the region. While there is much in here about UK domestic politics, as Foreign Secretary Straw worked closely with the US administration and talks extensively about his relationships with people of the stature of Rice and Powell as they worked together to maintain a common approach to foreign policy matters.
If the book has a weakness, it is that sometimes Straw assumes that we know and remember events as clearly as he does and so doesn't take time to explain the background as fully as he might. For instance, he refers to Brown's remarks about Mrs Duffy during the election campaign, but doesn't remind us what these remarks were.* As a bit of a political junkie and because the events were so recent, this didn't present a problem for me but may do so for US readers. Even in the UK I suspect that in 10 years time memories will have faded and I wonder if the book's longevity will be affected as a result. Perhaps that's a recommendation to read it now!
Overall, a well written, interesting biography leavened by a considerable amount of self-deprecating humour - very enjoyable.
*(Mrs Duffy was a member of the public who complained to Brown about immigration. He later referred to her privately as a ‘bigoted woman’, not realising his microphone was still switched on. The BBC kindly put the comments on air in the midst of an interview with Brown, leading to a huge press hoohah and a good deal of public humiliation for Brown.)
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
December 13, 2015
This was a well written, and interesting account of the author's life and political career. I learnt a lot about the different offices he held, and about British politics in general.
Jack Straw is a career politician (a fact, not a negative view!), truly obsessed with the subject, having grown up in a politically charged household and been involved in the Labour party since childhood. I think he sometimes assumes too much of the readership; for example, he talks of his student union days as if they were followed nationally, when in reality i don't think many people paid too much attention to student politics. He also refers to a lot of speeches and incidents as if we all knew them well already. Perhaps it's just me, but despite being quite interested in politics, a lot of these events were new to me!
A real strength of this account is the effort Straw puts into analysing his decisions, and discussing the origin of his views. Whether you agree with his politics or not, you are led to understand and respect them during the read. My interest wained a little in places, but overall this was a very good political memoir.
Jack Straw is a career politician (a fact, not a negative view!), truly obsessed with the subject, having grown up in a politically charged household and been involved in the Labour party since childhood. I think he sometimes assumes too much of the readership; for example, he talks of his student union days as if they were followed nationally, when in reality i don't think many people paid too much attention to student politics. He also refers to a lot of speeches and incidents as if we all knew them well already. Perhaps it's just me, but despite being quite interested in politics, a lot of these events were new to me!
A real strength of this account is the effort Straw puts into analysing his decisions, and discussing the origin of his views. Whether you agree with his politics or not, you are led to understand and respect them during the read. My interest wained a little in places, but overall this was a very good political memoir.
January 27, 2013
The first half of this book dealing with Jack Straw's early life and being an opposition MP is much more engaging than the second, where he gives few insights into government in general, and Blair and Brown's relationship, the Iraq war, Brown's premiership in particular. I enjoyed the book very much, but wish he had been a bit more forthcoming, and told me some things about the Blair years that I did not already know.
February 26, 2022
I'd forgotten how much I really enjoy a good political biography. This is well written and it really is a memorable history of our times. Straw writes with ease and its well researched and referenced throughout. Absolutely fascinating when read in conjunction with the plethora of memoirs and biographies!
June 16, 2013
Very interesting book about the life and career of one of Labour's best politicians and MP's. Covering the Iraq War and many other issues during the Labour government, this book will make you think and maybe even a chuckle or two as well. Well worth paying the full price of £9.99 at Victoria Station a few weeks ago.
August 13, 2013
I went in to this book with high hopes as I'd actually been something of a fan of Jack Straw. After reading the book, however, I was left with a bad taste in my mouth. Think this guy is amazingly full of himself and ended up with a much lower opinion of him at the end of the book vs the beginning.
March 13, 2016
Unlike a lot of politicians Mr Straw comes across as honest and genuine and someone who cares passionately about his country and his constituents. The book for me was a bit slow to get going but was worth persevering with, it didn't get too bogged down with intricate political processes but instead concentrated on the more human and personal aspects.
December 30, 2012
an attractive read as he is an attractive politician - self-serving as all these memoirs are, but none the worse for that.
June 7, 2015
An interesting book which gives a much better description of the New Labour years from the inside than Tony Blair's.
August 20, 2016
An Interesting read used to think he w a s a fabulous MP Home Secretary etc but he's gone down in my estimation
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews