Primarolo was first elected to
Parliament at the
1987 general election, after the constituency party de-selected
Michael Cocks, the sitting MP. She 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". She was reading out a question on behalf of
Ann Clwyd, who at the time had "lost her voice". Thatcher dismissed the question as 'cheap'. She 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 (CND), the rise of which originally led her into politics, to voting for the renewal of Britain's
Trident nuclear deterrent. Despite campaigning against the first
Gulf War in 1991, she voted in favour of the
Iraq War in 2003, and against any investigation into the invasion after it had taken place. On other 'key issues' (as described by
TheyWorkForYou), she has voted in favour of
ID cards and increased
university tuition fees. In 2003, a Treasury
select committee member accused her of "losing control of [her] department" after it became known that
Inland Revenue buildings under Primarolo's purview had been sold to tax-haven companies. She was also responsible for introducing the controversial
IR35 tax rules which were designed to tax "disguised employment" at a rate similar to employment. The measure was controversial as it was seen by some as unfair. Primarolo was also the longest serving Paymaster General in the office's 200-year history. 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 Primarolo had failed to give
Parliament accurate information. Primarolo admitted at the same time that she had been fully aware "about the extent of the problems". As
Minister of State for Public Health from 2007 to 2009, Primarolo was responsible for health improvement and health protection issues including such areas as tobacco, obesity, drugs and sexual health, as well as international business, pharmacy and research and development. On 5 June 2009 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. This gave her the right to attend cabinet when her responsibilities were on the agenda. Primarolo's abilities as a minister have been questioned, with former Prime Minister Tony Blair revealing in his autobiography
A Journey that he did not think she was "right for government" but had to give her a job because she was one of
Gordon Brown's key allies; and political commentator
Danny Finkelstein arguing that she was "contender no. 1" for title of "Labour's worst Minister".
Jonathan Powell, Blair's Chief of Staff, is reported as saying "We fired Dawn Primarolo about ten times. And each time Gordon (Brown) insisted we put her back."
Deputy Speaker Primarolo joined the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Minister for Children when Labour entered opposition in May 2010. In June 2010 she became a
Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons. In November 2011 she announced her intention to stand down from Parliament at the
next general election. Primarolo was created a
life peer taking the title
Baroness Primarolo, of
Windmill Hill in the
City of Bristol on 26 October 2015.
2022 Infected Blood Inquiry In July 2022 Primarolo provided written evidence to the
Infected Blood Inquiry. In September 2022 she provided spoken evidence. ==Personal life==