Jim Dowd (politician)
| Jim Dowd MP |
|
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Lewisham West and Penge Lewisham West (1992–2010) |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 9 April 1992 |
|
| Preceded by | John Maples |
| Majority | 5,828 (12.9%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 March 1951 Bad Eilsen, Lower Saxony, West Germany |
| Nationality | English |
| Political party | Labour |
James Patrick Dowd (born 5 March 1951) is a British Labour Party politician, who has been a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1992, first for Lewisham West and since 2010 for Lewisham West and Penge.
Contents |
Early life[edit]
Jim Dowd grew up in Lewisham, London, with an Irish father and German mother. He was educated at the Dalmain Infant and Junior Schools in Forest Hill; the Sedgehill Comprehensive School, Catford, and the London Nautical School, Lambeth. He began his career in telephone engineering as an apprentice in 1967 with the General Post Office (GPO). After his apprenticeship in 1972, he became a manager at a Heron petrol station for a year before joining Plessey as a telecommunications engineer in 1973, where he remained until his election to Parliament.
Dowd was elected as a councillor in the London Borough of Lewisham in 1974, becoming deputy leader in 1984 for two years. He was twice deputy mayor in 1987 and 1990, and was the Mayor of Lewisham in 1992. He stepped down from the council in 1994.
Parliamentary career[edit]
Dowd first stood for Parliament at the 1983 general election for the seat of Beckenham, finishing in third place behind the long-standing Conservative MP Philip Goodhart by some 17,330 votes. At the 1987 general election he contested the marginal seat of Lewisham West, but was defeated by John Maples by 3,772 votes.
Five years later though, at the 1992 general election, Dowd again contested Lewisham West, and defeated Maples by 1,809 votes. He made his maiden speech in the House of Commons on 10 June 1992.[1]
Jim Dowd entered the new Tony Blair team as an opposition whip in 1994, before becoming the spokesman on Northern Ireland in 1995. Following the election of the Labour government at the 1997 General Election he was given a place in the Blair government as a whip. He was unexpectedly sacked after the 2001 general election,[2] since when he has been a member of the Health Select Committee and maintained a voting record strongly in line with government policies.[3] In June 2012, Jim joined the Science & Technology Select Committee.
In 2005 he was involved in a heated confrontation in Parliament with fellow Labour MP Bob Marshall-Andrews over the Terrorism Bill.[4]
Dowd is a member of the Unite trade union.
Personal life[edit]
Dowd lists his interests as music, theatre and reading, and enjoys travelling in Cornwall. His partner Janet Anderson is the former Labour MP for Rossendale and Darwen.
See also[edit]
- Dowd (surname)
References[edit]
External links[edit]
- Jim Dowd official site
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Jim Dowd MP
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Jim Dowd
- The Public Whip - Jim Dowd MP voting record
- BBC News: Politics - Jim Dowd MP profile (2005)
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Maples |
Member of Parliament for Lewisham West 1992–2010 |
Constituency abolished |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Lewisham West and Penge 2010–present |
Incumbent |
- 1951 births
- Living people
- People educated at the London Nautical School
- English people of German descent
- English people of Irish descent
- Labour Party (UK) MPs
- UK MPs 1992–1997
- UK MPs 1997–2001
- UK MPs 2001–2005
- UK MPs 2005–2010
- UK MPs 2010–
- Members of the United Kingdom Parliament for English constituencies
- Councillors in Lewisham
- Mayors of places in Greater London
