[citation needed] Clark attended the University of Manchester as a mature student from 1960, gaining a BA in Economics, then later an M.Sc.

He stood unsuccessfully for Manchester Withington at the 1966 General Election, being defeated by the incumbent Conservative, Sir Robert Cary.

Clark's long-standing position as a member of Labour's frontbench team meant Blair was obliged to appoint him to the Cabinet when the party was elected to government in May 1997.

Two years later, on 23 October 2000, Clark stood for the job of Speaker of the House of Commons in succession to Betty Boothroyd but was unsuccessful (192 votes in favour, 257 against) and his backbench colleague, Michael Martin was elected.

Clark sought reselection by the South Shields Constituency Labour Party to contest the 2001 general election for the seat.

However, control of the constituency Party had swung in favour of a vocal group of critics, led by a faction within South Tyneside Council, who feared Clark actually intended to stand down when the General Election was called, thus enabling the Labour Party's National Executive Committee to parachute a favoured candidate into the Constituency[citation needed], historically a safe Labour seat.

Clark's ongoing political interests include Bosnia, open spaces, hunting and bloodsports (to which he is opposed), defence and the environment.

He was awarded Freedom of the Borough of South Tyneside in February 1999, and is a long-standing fan of Carlisle United Football Club, of which he is a director.