JACK Straw last night spoke of his 'incredible luck' in being MP for Blackburn for 36 years as he was awarded the 'Freedom of the Borough'.

The former Labour cabinet minister said representing the town at Westminster was his 'dream job'.

The 69-year-old was presented with the scroll marking the borough's highest ceremonial honour before last night's full Blackburn with Darwen Council Forum meeting by Mayor Faryad Hussain.

He and council leader Mohammed Khan praised the former MP, who stood down in May', for his 'tireless work' as an advocate for the town.

Mr Straw told the meeting: "By awarding me the Freedom of the Borough, you have paid me a very great honour.

"As children, all of us dream of things we might be when we have grown up which seem completely out of reach, but worth dreaming about anyway.

"In my case, my dream, not to say my fantasy, was becoming a Labour MP.

"Incredibly on May 3 1979, I was able to fulfil that dream, when I was 'duly elected the Member of Parliament for Blackburn'.

"I still have the next day’s copy of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph on our wall – along with the next seven.

"I have been incredibly lucky.

"Although it’s not quite Acapulco here, one of the things which has irritated me ever since is that too many people in the South do not realise what a great place this is.

"I was lucky, too, that for 13 years I was able to hold senior Cabinet positions.

"Juggling those responsibilities with my duties as the town’s MP wasn’t always easy.

"It wasn’t just duty however, it was coming back to Blackburn with great regularity which kept me sane.

"Time and again, when in Cabinet I told my colleagues what my constituents were telling me.

"Going to Ewood Park, especially with my children William and Charlotte, to watch Rovers was a vitally important interlude of normal life."

Former Tory council leader Colin Rigby said: "Jack always retained the ability to deal equally with people combining courtesy and thoughtfulness."