 Two of Benn 's children have been active in Labour Party politics . His first son , Stephen , was an elected Member of the Inner London Education Authority from 1986 to 1990 . His second son , Hilary , was a councillor in London , and stood for Parliament in 1983 and 1987 , becoming the Labour MP for Leeds Central in 1999 . He was Secretary of State for International Development from 2003 to 2007 , and then Secretary of State for Environment , Food and Rural Affairs until 2010 , serving as Shadow Foreign Secretary ( 2015 – 16 ) . This makes him the third generation of his family to have been a member of the Cabinet , a rare distinction for a modern political family in Britain . Benn 's granddaughter Emily Benn was the Labour Party 's youngest @-@ ever candidate when she failed to win East Worthing and Shoreham in 2010 . Benn was a first cousin once removed of the actress Margaret Rutherford . 
