Tom Watson MP
Minister for Transformational Government, Cabinet Office
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.
Between May 2006 and September 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 Adviser to Sir Ken
Jackson at 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 Responsibilty –
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 young son Malachy.
Outside politics his interests include growing vegetables, most spectator
sports, music and cinema.
