Tessa Jowell

Tessa Jowell (born September 17, 1947 in London) is a British politician who is Labour MP for Dulwich and West Norwood, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Minister for the Olympics, following the selection of London to host the 2012 Olympic Games. Tessa Jowell is also the cabinet minister responsible for ensuring families of victims of the terrorist attacks in London are supported.

Early life

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.

Parliament

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.

Culture Secretary

Jowell was appointed Culture Secretary after the 2001 election, replacing the sacked Chris Smith. Her main concern as Culture Secretary has been 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 on BBC News 24 after it was criticised on the same grounds by the Lambert Report. 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 ran into trouble because of resistance to proposals for 24 hour gambling and licenses to be granted 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 lost out and remained at the DCMS with the additional responsibilities of Minister for Women.

Personal life

Jowell's first marriage was to fellow Camden councillor Roger Jowell. This was dissolved in 1976. She continues to use his surname. 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.

Controversy and "Jowellgate"

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. 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, and Tony Blair decided she was clear of any wrongdoing.

On 4 March 2006 it was announced that Jowell and Mills were to "separate" after their marriage was put under strain following the allegations. Their professed hopes to "restore their relationship over time" rather than seeking divorce have caused some to regard this as merely a politically expediant gesture. David Mills had admitted only to being an "idiot" and has expressed his remorse about the impact of his dealings upon Tessa Jowell. He denies criminal wrong-doing and has stressed that his wife is completely innocent.

The affair has been termed "Jowellgate" by parts of the press.

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