James Purnell
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The Right Honourable James Purnell |
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| Secretary of State for Work and Pensions | |
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In office 24 January 2008 – 4 June 2009 |
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| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
| Preceded by | Peter Hain |
| Succeeded by | Yvette Cooper |
| Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport |
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In office 28 June 2007 – 24 January 2008 |
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| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
| Preceded by | Tessa Jowell |
| Succeeded by | Andy Burnham |
| Minister of State for Pensions | |
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In office 5 May 2006 – 28 June 2007 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Stephen Timms |
| Succeeded by | Mike O'Brien |
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Member of Parliament for Stalybridge and Hyde |
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In office 8 June 2001 – 12 April 2010 |
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| Preceded by | Tom Pendry |
| Succeeded by | Jonathan Reynolds |
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Islington Borough Councillor for Canonbury East Ward |
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In office 5 May 1994 – 12 October 1995 |
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| Succeeded by | Terence Herbert |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
2 March 1970 London, United Kingdom |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | None |
| Other political affiliations |
Labour (until 2013) |
| Alma mater | Balliol College, Oxford |
James Mark Dakin Purnell (born 2 March 1970) is a British broadcasting executive and a former politician. In late September 2016, he was appointed as the BBC's Director of Radio, and will take up his position at the end of October in addition to his other role as the BBC's Director of Strategy and Digital, a job he has held since March 2013.
Purnell was previously a British Labour Party politician, being the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stalybridge and Hyde from the 2001 general election until the 2010 general election. He served as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport from 2007 to 2008 and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2008 until 2009. He resigned from the Government on 4 June 2009, criticising the leadership of Gordon Brown.
He became the director of the Open Left project for Demos in 2009, and Purnell chaired of the Institute for Public Policy Research until 2010 and a Senior Advisor in the Public Sector practice of the Boston Consulting Group. He is also a film producer, and a former Senior Producer at Rare Day, who produced the film One Mile Away.
Purnell was born in the City of London; he received most of his education in France before returning to study for his A Levels at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, and then read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Balliol College, Oxford. While a student, he worked during summer vacations as a researcher for Tony Blair between 1989 and 1992. After graduating from Oxford University with a first class degree, he worked as a research fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research before moving to the BBC to become its Head of Corporate Planning.
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