And some of what we're doing in Government even now, some of the welfare reform programs that are helping lone mothers come into work are based on things that were very new under the Labour Government in the eighties.

She speaks French and is a keen gardener. Originally a Tory Hewitt soon became a high-profile left-winger and supporter of Tony Benn being classified by MI5 as a communist sympathiser. MI5 classified her a "Communist sympathiser" in the 1970s because of her relationship with William (Bill) Jack Birtles a lawyer.

Originally a Tory Hewitt soon became a high-profile left-winger and supporter of Tony Benn being classified by MI5 as a communist sympathiser. In 2001 Patricia Hewitt joined Blair's cabinet as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry before becoming Health Secretary in 2005 chiefly remembered for getting smoking banned in public places against heavy opposition.