| The Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo MP | |
| |
Member of Parliament
for Bristol South | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 11 June 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Cocks |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
| Born | 2 May 1954 London |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | University of Bristol, University of the West of England |
Dawn Primarolo (born 2 May 1954 in London) is a British Labour Member of Parliament representing Bristol South. Since 29 June 2007 she has been the Minister of State for Public Health at the Department of Health. Between 1999 and 2007 she was Paymaster General, after being Financial Secretary to the Treasury from 1997 to 1999.
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Education and Early Political Career
Primarolo was educated at Thomas Bennett comprehensive school in Crawley, Bristol Polytechnic and Bristol University, gaining a B.A. (Hons) degree in Social Science.[1] She joined the Labour Party in 1973 and was first elected to Parliament at the 1987 general election, after her constituency party de-selected the sitting MP Michael Cocks. At the time of her election, she was regarded as a hard left-winger and is still often referred to by the media as "Red Dawn", but she is now a New Labour loyalist and "absolutely loyal to New Labour" [2], leading Andrew Roth of The Guardian newspaper to say she has "changed from 'Red Dawn' to 'Rosy Pink'" [3]; as part of this change, she has moved from support of the CND, the rise of which originally encouraged her into politics, to voting for the renewal of Britain's Trident nuclear defence [4]. She is a former member of Avon County Council. On the election of the Labour government in 1997 she was appointed to the role of Financial Secretary to the Treasury from 1997.
Paymaster General
Between 1999 and 2007 she was Paymaster General. Despite campaigning against the first Gulf War in 1991, she voted strongly in favour of invading Iraq in 2003, and against any investigation into the invasion after it had taken place [5] [6]. On other 'key issues' (as described by TheyWorkForYou), she has voted in favour of ID cards and increased university tuition fees [7]. As Paymaster General, Dawn Primarolo was responsible for the administration of the Tax Credits system, intended to provide working families with financial support. However, the administration of this system has received significant criticism, including allegations that some families have been left less well off as a result[8]. In 2003, a Treasury select committee member accused her of "losing control of [her] department" [9] after it became known that Inland Revenue buildings under Primarolo's pervue had been sold to tax-haven companies [10]. This came shortly after she had "insisted ... the Child tax credit scheme was a "success"", despite Inland Revenue staff walking out in protest against the pressure they were being placed under [11] [12]. In 2005, PM Tony Blair was forced to apologise after a report by the Parliamentary Ombudsman that Primarolo had failed to give Parliament accurate information. Primarolo admitted at the same time that she had been fully aware "about the extent of the problems"[13]. She was responsible for introducing the controversial IR35 tax rules.
Minister of State for Public Health
In the cabinet reshuffle after Gordon Brown succeeded Tony Blair as Prime Minister, Primarolo was moved from the Treasury, to the Department of Health, as Minister of State for Public Health. In this role, she has responsibility for health improvement and health protection issues including such areas as tobacco, obesity, drugs and sexual health, as well as international business, pharmacy and research and development. She was succeeded as Paymaster General by Tessa Jowell. Primarolo is married to UNISON regional secretary Ian Ducat. On May 13, 2007, the Mail on Sunday published a story in which it is alleged that John Reid "sexually harassed" Primarolo during her early years in parliament.[1]
References
- ^ The day leadership rival John Reid propositioned the young Brown ally Dawn Primarolo - and never drank again, Simon Walters, Mail on Sunday, 13th May 2007
External links
- Dawn Primarolo official site
- Department of Health - Official Biography
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Dawn Primarolo MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Dawn Primarolo MP
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Michael Cocks | Member of Parliament for Bristol South 1987 – present | Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Michael Jack | Financial Secretary to the Treasury 1997–1999 | Succeeded by Barbara Roche |
| Preceded by Geoffrey Robinson | Paymaster General 1999–2007 | Succeeded by Tessa Jowell |
| Preceded by Caroline Flint | Minister of State for Public Health 2007 – present | Incumbent |
