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Tom Watson was elected to Parliament in June 2001 and was quickly appointed to the Home Affairs Select Committee. He was made Parliamentary Secretary to the Paymaster General in 2003 and entered the Government as an Assistant Whip at the end of 2004.
In 2006 he was Under Secretary of State for Defence and Minister for Veterans. In July 2007, he rejoined Government in the Government Whips office and in January 2008 was appointed Cabinet Office Minster.
He presented the Organ Donation (Presumed Consent with Safeguards) Bill to Parliament, steered the final stages of the Armed Forces Bill through the Commons, and has sat on the Standing Committees of the Proceeds of the Crime Bill, the Communications Bill, the Human Tissue Bill, the Civil Partnerships Bill and the Gambling Bill.
Before entering Parliament, Tom worked as Political Officer for the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union. He has also worked for the Labour Party and Save the Children and served on the Rover Taskforce, the Government-appointed body that helped extend the life of the Longbridge car plant.
Tom is the author of a number of publications, including Votes for All, examining the introduction of compulsory voting, and Taking Responsibility – Dealing with the Legacy of Radioactive Waste; and contributes regularly to political journals.
Tom was Parliament's first blogger and has a well-established interest in technology.
He lives in the Black Country with his wife Siobhan and two children. Outside politics his interests include growing vegetables, most spectator sports, music and cinema.