Tina Stowell

Tina Stowell is Baroness Stowell of Beeston, a Conservative Peer and a Government Whip in the House of Lords for the Home Office, Department for Energy & Climate Change, and the Department for International Development. 

Before being appointed to the Lords in January 2011, her career for the previous 25 years criss-crossed government, politics and the media.

Until September 2010, she was the BBC’s Head of Corporate Affairs. Throughout her nine years at the BBC she worked at the heart of the organisation and – as an adviser to three BBC chairmen – was involved in a number of high-profile events, including the Hutton Inquiry.

Before joining the BBC in November 2001 she ran William Hague’s office when he was Leader of the Conservative Party and was responsible for coordinating the work of teams across Conservative HQ to deliver political and campaign strategy.

She was a civil servant for ten years, working at the Ministry of Defence in London, the British Embassy in Washington and the 10 Downing Street Press Office from 1991 to 1996 when John Major was Prime Minister. At Number 10 she was the assistant to two successive press secretaries and was in charge of media planning for Prime Ministerial overseas visits.  She was awarded the MBE for services for the Prime Minister’s office in 1996.

She spent two years away from the world of government and politics from 1996 to 1998 and enjoyed a wide range of job experiences, including a short spell at Granada Media and working for Sir David Frost at Paradine, his own independent television and film production company.

After leaving the BBC in September 2010 and whilst a backbench peer, she worked independently and offered communications advice through her own consultancy, Tina Stowell Associates.  She ceased trading in September 2011 when she became a Government Whip.  Her blog remains available on this site, but all the posts pre-date her appointment to the Government.

Tina Stowell was born and brought up in Beeston, just outside of Nottingham.  She attended a local comprehensive and moved to London aged 18 to join the civil service as a secretary.  She talked briefly about her family and route from Beeston to the House of Lords in her maiden speech and how her experiences motivate her own political priorities.

For more information about Tina Stowell’s work in the House of Lords:

• here is her index page on the Parliament website which includes information on political interests and her entry in the Register of Interests; and
• her index page on Hansard offers links to transcripts of all contributions she has made to debates in the Chamber since entering the Lords