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Tessa Jowell
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Right Honourable Tessa Jowell MP |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 27 June 2007 |
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| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
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| Preceded by | Dawn Primarolo |
| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
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| In office June 8, 2001 – June 27, 2007 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Chris Smith |
| Succeeded by | James Purnell |
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| Born | 17 September 1947 |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | Goldsmiths, University of London |
| Website | Department for Culture, Media and Sport Constituency Website |
Tessa Jowell (born 17 September 1947 in London) is a British politician. She is the Labour MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, and since 28 June 2007 has been Paymaster General and Minister for London.
She is also Minister for the Olympics, a role which she initially combined with being Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport following the selection of London to host the 2012 Olympic Games. She was demoted following Gordon Brown's accession to the premiership in June 2007, losing her department, much of her ministerial brief, and her right to automatically sit in the Cabinet.
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Born Tessa Jane Helen Douglas Palmer, she was educated at the independent St. Margaret's School in Aberdeen, the University of Aberdeen, the University of Edinburgh and Goldsmiths College, University of London. She became a psychiatric social worker and eventually assistant director of the mental health charity Mind. In 1978 she was Labour Party candidate in a by-election in Ilford North but lost Labour's marginal majority to the Conservatives.
Elected as MP for Dulwich at the 1992 general election, she was successively appointed as an opposition spokesperson on health, an opposition whip and spokesperson on women before returning to the shadow health team in 1996, in time to become a minister in the Department of Health after the 1997 Labour electoral landslide. She moved to the Department for Education and Employment in 1999.
Jowell was appointed Culture Secretary after the 2001 election, replacing the sacked Chris Smith. One of her main concerns as Culture Secretary was the future of television broadcasting. She blocked the BBC's original plans for the digital channel BBC3 on the grounds that they were insufficiently different from commercial offerings, and imposed extra conditions[1] on BBC News 24 after it was criticised on the same grounds by the Lambert Report.[2] She was also responsible for the Communications Act 2003 which established a new media regulator, OFCOM. It also relaxed regulations on ownership of UK television stations, though a "public interest" test was introduced as a compromise after a rebellion in the House of Lords. In 2004, Jowell faced resistance to proposals for a series of Las Vegas style casinos. Jowell has also had to deal with complaints that the National Lottery has been directed to fund programmes that should be covered by mainstream taxation. Jowell oversaw a restructuring of the Arts funding system but lost out in the 2004/5 spending round resulting in a cut in her departmental budget and the loss of tax credits for UK Film production.
In the cabinet reshuffle following the 2005 Election it was predicted that Jowell would be promoted to one of the larger spending departments, but the impending decision by the IOC on the host city for the Olympic Games in 2012 made any change to her portfolio difficult and she remained at the DCMS - with the additional responsibilities of Minister for Women.[3][4]
In Gordon Brown's reshuffle in June 2007 following his succession as Prime Minister, Jowell was shifted from her position as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. She retained her Olympics portfolio however, and was also appointed Paymaster General and Minister for London. She is no longer officially a member of the Cabinet, although she does attend. Despite controversy alleging poor past performance overseeing the games, Olympic sources defended Jowell's retention of the Olympic brief citing her positive working relationships with key figures, including games organising committee chairman Lord Coe and London Mayor, Ken Livingstone.[5]
Jowell's first marriage was to fellow Camden councillor Roger Jowell. This was dissolved in 1976. She continues to use his surname.[6] Roger Jowell co-founded and directed Social & Community Planning Research (SCPR), now the National Centre for Social Research, known for its British Social Attitudes Surveys.
Jowell's second marriage, in 1979, was to international corporate lawyer David Mills. They separated after Mr Mills became embroiled in controversy related to his business dealings in Italy (see below).
David Mills has acted for Silvio Berlusconi, once Italian Prime Minister. This has been a cause of controversy, as Mills is being investigated in Italy for money laundering and alleged tax fraud.[7][8] Jowell was investigated by the Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell over the allegations surrounding her husband because of a potential clash of interest between her personal life and ministerial duties. However, Sir Gus stated that "it is the Prime Minister, not me, who, constitutionally, is the right and proper person to take a view on matters arising based on the Ministerial Code" in his letter,[9] and Tony Blair decided she was clear of any wrongdoing.[10]
On 4 March 2006, it was announced that Jowell and Mills separated after their marriage was put under strain by the allegations. Their professed hopes to "restore their relationship over time" rather than seek divorce have caused some to regard this as merely a politically expedient gesture.[11][12] David Mills had admitted only to being an "idiot" and has expressed his remorse about the impact of his dealings upon Tessa Jowell.
The affair has been termed "Jowellgate" by parts of the press.[13]
Jowell is no stranger to controversy. In 2003, she received unfavourable tabloid press coverage when her departmental "Christmas" cards avoided any reference to the Christmas story. More recently (2006), she has been heavily criticised for likely cost over-runs on the London Olympics project, which came under the umbrella of her former department.[citation needed]
In 2007, Jowell attracted criticism as a "philistine"[citation needed]on two grounds. First, she was condemned by Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin and others[citation needed] for following the advice of English Heritage not to list, as a Grade I building, the former home of author Arthur Conan Doyle. Second, she was roundly condemned by the arts world in April 2007 for diverting around £100m money from the (lottery) arts budget to the Olympics 2012 project, for which she has ministerial responsibility.[citation needed] Jowell maintains that the funds will be returned to their former budgets in due course.
- ^ "BBC news channel told to change", BBC, 5 December 2002.
- ^ Lambert (1 December 2002). Review Of BBC News 24 (PDF). Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
- ^ "The reshuffle Blair wanted… and the one he got", The Guardian, 9 May 2005.
- ^ "Tough luck, Tessa", The Observer, 8 May 2005.
- ^ "Jowell retains games brief", The Guardian, 29 June 2007.
- ^ "The Minister And A £350,000 'Gift'", tmc.net, 23 February 2006.
- ^ "How Jowell's husband played host to Berlusconi at the Garrick Club", Times, 22 February 2006.
- ^ "Jowell has nothing to do with Italian bribe allegations, insists her husband", Telegraph, 22 February 2006.
- ^ "In Full: Tessa Jowell inquiry letter", BBC, 2 March 2006.
- ^ "Blair clears Jowell of wrongdoing", BBC, 2 March 2006.
- ^ "Tessa Jowell splits from husband", BBC, 4 March 2006.
- ^ "'She just wanted to lie down and rest. She was devastated'", Telegraph, 5 March 2006.
- ^ "Jowellgate: Italian judge will press charges over bribery allegations", Independent, 2 March 2006.
- Tessa Jowell. 10 Downing Street.
- Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP. Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
- Constituency website. Tessa Jowell MP.
- Tessa Jowell. Guardian Unlimited Politics — Ask Aristotle.
- Tessa Jowell MP, Dulwich & West Norwood. TheyWorkForYou.com.
- Video interview with Tessa Jowell MP. Lambeth Labour.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Gerald Bowden |
Member of Parliament for Dulwich 1992 – 1997 |
Succeeded by (constituency abolished) |
| Preceded by (new constituency) |
Member of Parliament for Dulwich and West Norwood 1997 – present |
Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Chris Smith |
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 2001–2007 |
Succeeded by James Purnell |
| Preceded by Office created |
Minister for the Olympics 2005 – present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Dawn Primarolo |
Paymaster General 2007 – present |
Incumbent |
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| Alexander | Ashton | Balls | Benn | Blears | Brown | Browne | Burnham | Darling | Denham | Hain | Harman | Hoon | Hutton | Johnson | Kelly | D. Miliband | E. Miliband | Purnell | J. Smith | Straw | Woodward In attendance: Austin | Cooper | Grocott | Hughes | Jowell | Malloch-Brown | Scotland | A. Smith |
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Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since May 2007 | Articles with unsourced statements since October 2007 | British Secretaries of State | Labour MPs (UK) | UK MPs 1992-1997 | UK MPs 1997-2001 | UK MPs 2001-2005 | UK MPs 2005- | Members of the United Kingdom Parliament for English constituencies | British political scandals | Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom | Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London | Female members of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom | British female MPs | 1947 births | Living people | Politics of Southwark