23 Facts About Dawn Primarolo

Dawn Primarolo was Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families at the Department for Children, Schools and Families from June 2009 to May 2010 and a Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons from 2010 to 2015.

Dawn Primarolo was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2014 Birthday Honours for political service.

Dawn Primarolo was nominated for a life peerage in the 2015 Dissolution Honours.

Dawn Primarolo then studied at Bristol Polytechnic as a bookkeeper and legal secretary.

Dawn Primarolo then studied for a social science degree at Bristol Polytechnic, where she gained a BA.

Dawn Primarolo did not finish the PhD, but was awarded an honorary doctorate by the university in 2016.

Dawn Primarolo was first elected to Parliament at the 1987 general election, after the constituency party de-selected Michael Cocks, the sitting MP.

Dawn Primarolo gained national attention in January 1989 by asking Margaret Thatcher at Prime Minister's Question Time if the only hope for low-paid women was "to follow her example and find themselves a wealthy husband".

Dawn Primarolo was reading out a question on behalf of Ann Clwyd, who at the time had "lost her voice".

Dawn Primarolo served as opposition spokesperson for health from 1992 to 1994 and the Treasury from 1994 to 1997.

At the time she was first elected, Primarolo was considered to be on the hard left, but later became a New Labour loyalist, leading Andrew Roth of The Guardian to say she has "changed from 'Red Dawn' to 'Rosy Pink'"; As part of this change, she shifted from support for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, the rise of which originally led her into politics, to voting for the renewal of Britain's Trident nuclear deterrent.

Dawn Primarolo served as Financial Secretary to the Treasury from 1997 to 1999 and as Paymaster General from 1999 to 2007.

In 2003, a Treasury select committee member accused her of "losing control of [her] department" after it became known that Inland Revenue buildings under Dawn Primarolo's purview had been sold to tax-haven companies.

Dawn Primarolo was responsible for introducing the controversial IR35 tax rules which were designed to tax "disguised employment" at a rate similar to employment.

Dawn Primarolo was the longest serving Paymaster General in the office's 200-year history.

Dawn Primarolo was named Chairman of the Code of Conduct Group upon its establishment by ECOFIN in March 1998.

In 2005, PM Tony Blair was forced to apologise after a report by the Parliamentary Ombudsman that Dawn Primarolo had failed to give Parliament accurate information.

Dawn Primarolo admitted at the same time that she had been fully aware "about the extent of the problems".

On 5 June 2009 Dawn Primarolo was moved, this time succeeding Beverley Hughes as Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families at the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Dawn Primarolo joined the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Minister for Children when Labour entered opposition in May 2010.

Dawn Primarolo was created a life peer taking the title Baroness Dawn Primarolo, of Windmill Hill in the City of Bristol on 26 October 2015.

In July 2022 Dawn Primarolo provided written evidence to the Infected Blood Inquiry.

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