Jowell, Tessa (1947– )

British Labour politician, minister for the Olympics and London from 2007 A moderate ‘Blairite’, she was minister for public health 1997–99 and employment 1999–2001, before being promoted to the cabinet after the June 2001 general election as secretary of state for culture, media, and sport. After the 2004 general election, she was given additional responsibility as minister for women. In 2005, she also became minister for the Olympics, following London's selection to host the 2012 Olympic Games. She faced criticisms concerning the rising potential cost of staging the Olympics and was demoted following Gordon Brown's accession to the premiership in June 2007. She lost her department, part of her ministerial brief, and her right to automatically sit in the cabinet.

Jowell was born in London, England, and studied at schools and universities in Scotland and at Goldsmith's College, London University. Her early career was as a childcare and psychiatric social worker in London, and she was a local councillor for the London borough of Camden 1971–86. Jowell was assistant director of the mental health charity MIND 1974–86. She became MP for Dulwich and West Norwood in 1992. In March 2006 she separated from her husband, David Mills, who was being investigated in Italy for alleged tax fraud when representing the former Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi.