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.[3]
Jim Dowd was appointed 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,[5] since when he was a member of the Health Select Committee and maintained a voting record strongly in line with government policies.[6] In June 2012, Dowd joined the Science and Technology Select Committee.
On 20 January 2014, Dowd made a speech in the House of Commons during a debate on the Intellectual Property Bill, stating that he had asked for Worcester Sauce whilst eating a meal at the Hare and Billet pub in Blackheath and that he was provided with Henderson's Relish.[9] Dowd used Henderson's as an example of "parasitic packaging", implying in the debate that it was attempting to pass itself off as Lea and Perrins.[10]
Henderson's Relish
Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
Henderson's Relish is well known within Sheffield and parts of Yorkshire and has been manufactured there for over 100 years. Dowd upset supporters of the sauce; the Sheffield Central member of parliament, Paul Blomfield, offered to bring a bottle to Parliament and invite Dowd for a meal with him using it – an invitation accepted by Dowd.[11]
The Hare and Billet
Simon Freeman – the managing director of Henderson's – jokingly stated that he would order "an internal investigation to find out how it got out of Yorkshire";[12] a local newspaper, the Sheffield Star, launched a Twitter campaign with the hashtag #Hendogate to defend Henderson's, attracting support locally.[13] Dowd later stated his "amazement" at the backlash his comments had caused, which he said included threats of violence.[14] The assistant manager of the Hare and Billet – Adam Beaston – claimed that Dowd branded Henderson's a "blatant copy" of Lea and Perrins at the time but that he warned the MP that such a view would be "blasphemy in Sheffield".[15]
Personal life
Dowd lists his interests as music, theatre and reading, and enjoys travelling in Cornwall. In 1998, he began a relationship with Janet Anderson, a fellow Labour MP. The couple married in 2016 and remained together until her death in 2023.[16]
^ ab"About Me". Jim Dowd.org. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
^Westminster, Department of the Official Report (Hansard), House of Commons. "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 10 Jun 1992". www.publications.parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
