Frank Field: the political maverick appointed to ‘think the unthinkable’
When Tony Blair entered No 10 following Labour’s landslide general election victory of 1997, one of his first acts was to appoint Frank Field as a social security minister with a brief to “think the unthinkable” on the thorny issue of welfare reform.
It was a surprising – and to many onlookers – a bold choice. The MP for Birkenhead had a reputation as an independent voice with a burning commitment both to tackling poverty and to ending benefit dependence.
To the new prime minister determined to curb the ballooning welfare bill while pursuing Labour’s traditional commitment to social justice, it appeared to be the ideal combination.
In the event it proved to, and the all-powerful chancellor who bridled at the cost of his proposals.
