William David John Straw CBE (born 1980) works in the charitable sector. He worked as a civil servant, founded the political blog Left Foot Forward, was an associate director of the think-tank Institute for Public Policy Research, specialising in climate change, energy and transport, and was chief operating officer of Clearly, a charity in the eye care sector. He now works as the chief executive officer of The King's Trust International.
In the lead up to 2016's referendum on European Union membership, he was the executive director of Britain Stronger in Europe, the all-party umbrella organisation that unsuccessfully campaigned for the United Kingdom to remain a member of the European Union.
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Early life and education
Straw was born in Lambeth, London in 1980. His parents are Alice Perkins and Jack Straw. He attended the comprehensive Pimlico School.
He went to Oxford University where he studied politics, philosophy and economics (PPE) and was elected President of the Junior Common Room of New College and the Oxford University Student Union in 2001. In 2001, he and several other OUSU campaigners protested against tuition fees on the steps of Oxford's Bodleian Library by throwing off most of their clothes to reveal gold-painted torsos. After Oxford, he studied for a master's degree in public administration as a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University.