Dawn Primarolo

Dawn Primarolo is no longer a Member of Parliament.  This page has not been updated since 2015.

Biography:

Dawn Primarolo was re-elected MP for Bristol South in May 2010 with a majority of 4,734. She is now the deputy Speaker of the Commons.

Dawn Primarolo was born in London in 1954, spending most of her childhood in Crawley, Sussex, where she attended Thomas Bennett Comprehensive School. In 1973 she joined the Labour Party, while employed in an east London Law Centre.

A year later Dawn married and moved to Bristol South, where she had a son and has lived ever since. When her son was three years old, Dawn decided to study for a social science degree at Bristol Polytechnic. By successfully managing the demands of being a mature student and a parent, Dawn gained a BA (Hons) degree and conducted PhD research into women and housing until her studies were interrupted by her election to Parliament.

In 1987, Dawn was elected MP for Bristol South. She took her role as constituency MP very seriously, holding regular surgeries and keeping in close contact with local organisations – many of which were suffering greatly from the deep recession and massive spending cuts inflicted by the Tories. Dawn was re-elected with an increased majority in 1992.

Soon afterwards, she was promoted to Labour’s front bench team – firstly as Shadow Minister for Health and then as a member of the Opposition Treasury team. Labour’s election victory in 1997 earned Dawn a role in the new Labour Government, initially as Financial Secretary and then, in 1999, as Paymaster General. In June 2002 she was appointed to the Privy Council – making her one of only a handful of women to have ever been given this role. Following the recent government reshuffle, Dawn has moved to work alongside Alan Johnson in the Department of Health. She concluded her time in government as children’s minister.

Dawn is also a patron of many local organisations, including Bristol City Supporters Trust, Bristol Family Mediation, Home-Start Bristol, Lifeskills Project, Re-work and Show of Strength Theatre Company.

Away from her parliamentary responsibilities, Dawn enjoys gardening, cooking, cinema and opera.

Primarolo married UNISON regional secretary Thomas Ian Ducat in Bristol in 1990.

Constituency: Bristol South

Constituency Address: PO Box 1002, Bristol, BS99 1WH

Constituency Tel: 0117 909 0063

Date of Birth: 2 May 1954

Party: Labour

Personal Website: http://www.dawnprimarolo.labour.co.uk/