Marjorie "Mo" Mowlam (18 September 1949 – 19 August 2005) was a British Labour Party politician. She was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Redcar from 1987 to 2001 and served in the Cabinet of Tony Blair as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Mowlam's time as Northern Ireland Secretary saw the signing of the historic Good Friday Agreement in 1998. Her personal charisma and reputation for plain speaking led her to be perceived by many as one of the most popular "New Labour" politicians in the UK. When Tony Blair mentioned her in his speech at the 1998 Labour Party Conference, she received a standing ovation.
Early life
Marjorie Mowlam was born on 18 September 1949 in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, the middle of three children of Frank William Mowlam, a Post Office worker, and Bettina Mary "Tina" Mowlam (), a telephonist. She grew up in Coventry, where her father progressed to become Coventry's assistant postmaster.
Mowlam was the only one of the family's three children to pass the 11-plus exam. She started at Chiswick Girls' grammar school in West London, then moved to Coundon Court School in Coventry, became a supporter of the Labour Party, attended protests against the South African apartheid system and was an activist with the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).
Mowlam worked as a lecturer in the Political Science Department at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 1977 and at Florida State University in Tallahassee from 1977 to 1979. During her time in Tallahassee, her apartment was broken into by someone; she suspected that it was Ted Bundy, a serial killer and rapist who is thought to have murdered at least thirty-five young women and attacked several others. Norton died on 3 February 2009. Mowlam had two step-children from Norton's first marriage to Geraldine Bedell.
Member of Parliament
Having failed to win selection for the 1983 general election, Mowlam worked as treasurer on Neil Kinnock's Labour leadership campaign. Mowlam was selected as Labour candidate for the safe seat of Redcar after James Tinn stood down. She took the seat in the 1987 general election, making her maiden speech in Parliament on 7 July 1987.
Mowlam became the Labour spokesperson on Northern Ireland later in 1987. Together with Shadow Chancellor John Smith, Mowlam was one of the architects of Labour's "Prawn Cocktail Offensive" dedicated to reassuring the UK's financial sector about Labour's financial rectitude.
Mowlam joined the Shadow cabinet when John Smith was elected leader of the Labour Party in 1992, holding the title of Shadow Secretary of State for National Heritage. During this time, she antagonised both monarchists and republicans by calling for Buckingham Palace to be demolished and replaced by a "modern" palace built at public expense. Later, her willingness to speak her mind, often without regard to the consequences, was seen as her greatest strength by her supporters.
Following Smith's death in 1994, Mowlam, alongside Peter Kilfoyle, became a principal organiser of Tony Blair's campaign for the Labour leadership. After his victory, Blair appointed her as Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. With the Labour Party general election win in May 1997, she was appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. She was the first woman to have held the post and succeeded Patrick Mayhew of the Conservative Party. A reflection of Mowlam's personal approach was the organisation of a walk about in Belfast city centre. She said that "it's the real life of people that needs changing."