Tom Watson, Baron Watson of Wyre Forest facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable The Lord Watson of Wyre Forest
Official portrait, 2023
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
In office 12 September 2015 – 13 December 2019
Leader	Jeremy Corbyn
Preceded by	Harriet Harman
Succeeded by	Angela Rayner
Minister of State for Digital Engagement and Civil Service Issues
In office 25 January 2008 – 5 June 2009
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Gillian Merron
Succeeded by	Dawn Butler
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Veterans
In office 5 May 2006 – 6 September 2006
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Don Touhig
Succeeded by	Derek Twigg
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Life peerage
Assumed office 21 November 2022
Member of Parliament for West Bromwich East
In office 7 June 2001 – 6 November 2019
Preceded by	Peter Snape
Succeeded by	Nicola Richards
Government whip offices 2007–2008 Assistant Whip 2005–2006 Lord Commissioner 2004–2005 Assistant Whip
Shadow cabinet portfolios 2016–2019 Digital, Culture, Media and Sport 2015–2017 Party Chair 2015–2016 Cabinet Office 2011–2013 Deputy Party Chair 2011–2013 National Campaign Coordinator
Personal details
Born	Thomas Anthony Watson (1967-01-08) 8 January 1967 (age 58) Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Political party	Labour
Spouse	Siobhan Corby ​ ​ (m. 2000; sep 2012)​
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Hull
Signature

Thomas Anthony Watson, Baron Watson of Wyre Forest (born 8 January 1967) is a British politician. He was the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2019. He also served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for West Bromwich East from 2001 to 2019. Since 2022, he has been a member of the House of Lords.

Born in Sheffield, Tom Watson grew up in Kidderminster. He became involved in politics and trade unions while studying at the University of Hull. He worked for the Labour Party and a trade union before becoming an MP.

Early Life and Political Start

Tom Watson was born in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire. He went to King Charles I School in Kidderminster. At 17, he started working for the Labour Party. Later, he worked in marketing and advertising.

He then studied at the University of Hull. There, he was very active in student politics. He was even elected President of the Students' Union in 1992. From 1992 to 1993, he led the National Organisation of Labour Students.

In 1993, he returned to work for the Labour Party. He helped with the party's campaign for the 1997 United Kingdom general election. After that, he worked as a political officer for a large engineering and electrical union.

Becoming an MP and Early Roles

Tom Watson became an MP for West Bromwich East in the 2001 United Kingdom general election. Early in his time as an MP, he worked on the Home Affairs Select Committee. He also started a campaign to stop album sales of a convicted musician.

In 2002, he proposed a new law to change organ donation rules. In 2003, he voted in favour of the Iraq War.

He won an award in 2004 for being one of the first MPs to use a blog. This helped people learn more about politics. He also managed a Labour Party election campaign in 2004.

Working in Government

In September 2004, Tom Watson became an assistant government whip. Whips help make sure MPs vote the way their party wants. In May 2006, he became the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Veterans. In this role, he helped ensure soldiers from the First World War who were unfairly punished received pardons.

On 6 September 2006, he resigned from his government job. He called for the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, to resign. Blair said Watson's actions were "disloyal."

Watson in 2009

Watson returned to government in July 2007 when Gordon Brown became Prime Minister. From 2008 to 2009, he was the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office. He focused on digital issues and making government information more open to the public.

In 2009, a newspaper had to apologize and pay him damages for falsely claiming he was involved in a plot against another party.

He was part of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee from 2009 to 2012. He spoke out against the Digital Economy Act 2010.

Parliamentary Expenses

In 2009, details about MPs' expenses were made public. Tom Watson, like many other MPs, had claimed expenses for things like food and a shared flat. He stated that all his claims followed the rules at the time. He also said he understood why the public wanted the system to change.

Working in Opposition

In October 2011, Tom Watson was promoted to be the Labour Party's National Campaign Coordinator. He also became the Deputy Chair of the Labour Party. He resigned from these roles in July 2013.

In 2013, Watson supported a campaign for a public vote on whether Britain should stay in the European Union.

Media and Investigations

Tom Watson was very involved in the News International phone hacking scandal. He helped bring to light how some newspapers had illegally accessed people's voicemails. As part of a special committee, he questioned important people from the newspaper company.

He also co-wrote a book called Dial M for Murdoch: News Corporation and the Corruption of Britain. This book looked at the relationship between Rupert Murdoch's newspapers and British politicians and police.

Calling for Investigations

In 2012, Tom Watson asked the police to look into old claims of serious wrongdoing. He had received information from a doctor about these claims. The police started an investigation called Operation Fairbank.

Later, in 2015, Watson faced criticism. This was after it was revealed that the police had investigated claims against a former politician, Leon Brittan, based on information Watson had passed on. The police later apologized because Brittan's family was not told the case was dropped before he passed away.

The person who made the main claims, Carl Beech, was later found guilty of making up stories about a group of powerful people. After this, Tom Watson was criticized by some of the people who had been falsely accused. They said he had put pressure on the police and should apologize.

A report in 2019, called the Henriques report, also mentioned Watson. It said his interest in the investigations created extra pressure on the police officers.

Deputy Leader of the Labour Party

Watson and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn at the 2016 Labour Party Conference

After the Labour Party lost the 2015 general election, Tom Watson announced he would run for Deputy Leader. He quickly became a favourite. On 12 September 2015, he was elected Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. This happened at the same time Jeremy Corbyn became the new leader. Watson was also made the Labour Party Chair.

In 2016, Watson did not vote on a motion to stop UK support for military action in Yemen. This action had led to many civilian casualties.

In October 2017, Watson announced he went on a hunger strike. This was to support two prisoners at Guantánamo Bay who were also on hunger strike.

As the Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, he called for more checks on a planned takeover of Sky UK. He also supported the TV licence fee and proposed fairer train tickets for football fans. In 2017, he announced Labour would review how the NHS treats gambling problems.

In 2019, after some Labour MPs left the party, Watson started a group called the Future Britain Group.

He faced criticism in July 2019 from Labour's General Secretary, Jennie Formby. She said he was being irresponsible by criticizing how Labour handled claims of unfair treatment.

In September 2019, Watson gave a speech urging Labour to become a party that fully supported staying in the European Union. He believed this would help win back voters. However, Jeremy Corbyn disagreed.

Resignation from Parliament

On 6 November 2019, Tom Watson announced he would not run for re-election as an MP. He also said he would step down as Deputy Leader. He stated his decision was "personal, not political." He wanted to continue campaigning on health issues.

He later explained that the constant pressure and hostility he faced, including a death threat, led to his decision. His former constituency, West Bromwich East, was won by the Conservative Party for the first time since 1974.

Life After Parliament

In March 2020, Tom Watson became the chair of UK Music, an organization that represents the music industry.

In 2020, he took part in an ITV reality TV show called Don't Rock The Boat.

In September 2020, Watson became a senior adviser on problem gambling for Flutter Entertainment. This company runs several UK gambling businesses. He had previously been critical of the gambling industry.

He wrote a book about his personal health journey called "Downsizing" (2020). He also presented a two-part TV show called "Giving Up Sugar for Good" (2021). In the show, he shared how he lost a lot of weight and put his type 2 diabetes into remission by changing his diet.

In January 2025, Watson reached a settlement with News Group Newspapers. He received money and an apology for his private life being unfairly looked into by the News of the World newspaper. This happened while he was investigating Rupert Murdoch's newspapers.

Becoming a Peer

In January 2020, it was reported that Tom Watson was nominated to become a peer. This means he would become a member of the House of Lords. However, his nomination was initially rejected.

In August 2020, it was reported that he would be nominated again by the new Labour leader, Keir Starmer.

On 14 October 2022, it was announced that Tom Watson would receive a life peerage. On 21 November 2022, he officially became Baron Watson of Wyre Forest.

Personal Life

Tom Watson married Siobhan Corby in 2000. They had two children before they separated in 2012. He later had a relationship with Stephanie Peacock, who also became a Labour MP.

In September 2018, Watson shared that he had been diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. However, he said he had "reversed" the condition through diet and exercise. He lost a lot of weight between 2017 and 2018. He mentioned that he had struggled with his weight since his early twenties.

Watson enjoys playing video games. He even reviews games for magazines like New Statesman. He finds gaming relaxing and said he spent a lot of time playing Portal 2 while preparing for important interviews.