Milburn, Alan (1958- )

British Labour politician, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 2004-05. A moderate ‘Blairite’, he became a minister for health when Labour came to power in 1997, and was chief secretary to the Treasury 1998-99. As health secretary (1999-2003) he oversaw increases in public spending, but also promoted the use of private-public partnerships. He resigned from the cabinet in 2003 to spend more time with his young family. In 2004, he returned to the cabinet, as chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, to coordinate, with Gordon Brown, Labour's 2005 successful general election campaign.

Milburn was born into a working class family in the County Durham village of Tow Law, in northeast England. He was brought up in Newcastle, studying at a comprehensive school before graduating in history at Lancaster University. Before becoming a member of Parliament for Darlington, in 1992, he worked as a trade-union information officer and council development officer in the northeast.