Tessa Jowell was first elected as a Member of Parliament in 1992 and represented Dulwich (later Dulwich and West Norwood) in parliament until 2015. She served as a Minister throughout the last Labour Government with 8 of 13 years in the Cabinet. In her capacity as Minister for Public Health she initiated and developed Sure Start. As Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Tessa has been credited with bringing the Government behind London’s successful bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. She became Olympics Minister when the bid was secured in 2005 and also served as the Shadow Olympics Minister and on the Olympic Board. She stepped down from the Shadow Cabinet following the successful Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. Tessa was made a Dame for her political and charitable services in 2012.
