Short, Clare /kleəʳ/ BrE AmE
(1946–) a British politician in the ↑ Labour Party , who became the Secretary of State (=chief minister) for International Development in 1997. She is thought of as someone who has strong ↑ socialist beliefs and who is more willing than most politicians to say exactly what she thinks. Because of this, many people admire her, but she has often been criticized by leaders of her own party. She decided to leave the government in 2003, saying that the Prime Minister had broken his promise to her about going to war with Iraq.