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TODAY BRENT SOUTH, TOMORROW SOWETO
He was the UK's first black cabinet minister when appointed to his post in 2002, promoted from the Home Office, where he had been prisons minister. Mr oateng served on the Greater London Council before being elected to Parliament in 1987, declaring "today Brent South, tomorrow Soweto".
British High Commissioner, Rt Hon Paul Boateng The Right Honourable Paul Boateng is currently the British High Commissioner to South Africa. Prior to this appointment, Mr Paul Boateng was a Member of the UK Parliament, representing the constituency of Brent South in London from 1987 until 2005. He was the first person of African descent to be elected to the British Parliament.
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His career in Opposition included stints as spokesman for the Treasury and Economic Affairs (1989-92) and the Lord Chancellors Department (1992-97). He also served on the Select Committee for the Environment (1987-89), taking a special interest in housing policy and homelessness.
After the 1997 General Election, he was appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health with responsibility for Social Services and Mental Health.
In October 1998 he was made Minister of State at the Home Office and subsequently Deputy Home Secretary, with responsibilities for the Probation Service, coroners, family policy, and Active Community. From the autumn of 2000 until June 2001, he was also Minister for Young People, overseeing the Children’s Fund and the work of the Government’s Children and Young People’s Unit.
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Following the 2001 General Election, he was appointed to the post of Financial Secretary at the Treasury, with responsibilities that included Customs & Excise, the productivity agenda, charities and the voluntary sector.
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