In an age of identikit politicians, Labour's Alan Johnson stands out. Orphaned at 13, he grew up in conditions unimaginable to many of his parliamentary colleagues.
As the MP for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle, Johnson now sits on the Labour backbenches and is one of the party's elder statesmen, having served in the cabinets of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
So does Johnson have any remaining political ambitions? Pundits have speculated that he may have designs on the job of London mayor. Others have suggested he could still have a part to play in a future Labour cabinet, despite stepping down earlier in the parliament as shadow chancellor.
In this interview with Politics Weekly he discusses how his childhood struggles gave him strength - and how being raised by his sister helped make him a strong advocate for women's rights in office.
But how did the 1960s mod who started out as a postman end up being home secretary? And could a postie make it into parliament today?
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