Stephen Timms

The Right Honourable Sir Stephen Timms MP
Official portrait, 2024
Minister of State for Equalities
Incumbent
Assumed office 20 July 2026
Prime Minister	Andy Burnham
Preceded by	The Baroness Smith of Malvern
Minister of State for Social Security and Disability
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 July 2024
Prime Minister	Keir Starmer Andy Burnham
Preceded by	Mims Davies
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In office 5 May 2006 – 28 June 2007
Chancellor	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Des Browne
Succeeded by	Andy Burnham
Shadow portfolios Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Acting 8 June 2015 – 13 September 2015 Leader Harriet Harman (Acting) Preceded by Rachel Reeves Succeeded by Owen Smith Shadow Minister for Employment In office 8 October 2010 – 13 September 2015 Leader Ed Miliband Harriet Harman (Acting) Preceded by Jim Knight Succeeded by Emily Thornberry Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury In office 12 May 2010 – 8 October 2010 Leader Harriet Harman (Acting) Preceded by Mark Hoban Succeeded by Chris Leslie
Junior ministerial offices Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital Britain In office 6 August 2009 – 11 May 2010 Prime Minister Gordon Brown Preceded by Position established Succeeded by Position abolished Financial Secretary to the Treasury In office 5 October 2008 – 11 May 2010 Prime Minister Gordon Brown Preceded by Jane Kennedy Succeeded by Mark Hoban In office 12 September 2004 – 6 May 2005 Prime Minister Tony Blair Preceded by Ruth Kelly Succeeded by John Healey In office 29 July 1999 – 8 June 2001 Prime Minister Tony Blair Preceded by Barbara Roche Succeeded by Paul Boateng Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform In office 25 January 2008 – 3 October 2008 Prime Minister Gordon Brown Preceded by Caroline Flint Succeeded by Tony McNulty Minister of State for Competitiveness In office 2 July 2007 – 25 January 2008 Prime Minister Gordon Brown Preceded by Position re-established Succeeded by The Baroness Vadera In office 29 May 2002 – 9 September 2004 Prime Minister Tony Blair Preceded by Douglas Alexander Succeeded by Position abolished Minister of State for Pensions In office 6 May 2005 – 5 May 2006 Prime Minister Tony Blair Preceded by Malcolm Wicks Succeeded by James Purnell In office 23 December 1998 – 29 July 1999 Prime Minister Tony Blair Preceded by John Denham Succeeded by Jeff Rooker Minister of State for Schools In office 11 June 2001 – 24 October 2002 Prime Minister Tony Blair Preceded by Estelle Morris Succeeded by David Miliband
Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee
In office 29 January 2020 – 30 May 2024
Preceded by	Frank Field
Succeeded by	Debbie Abrahams
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Member of Parliament for East Ham Newham North East (1994–1997)
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 June 1994
Preceded by	Ron Leighton
Majority	12,863 (33.9%)
Personal details
Born	Stephen Creswell Timms (1955-07-29) 29 July 1955 Oldham, Lancashire, England
Party	Labour
Spouse	Hui-Leng Lim ​ (m. 1986)​
Education	Emmanuel College, Cambridge (BA)
Website	www.stephentimms.org.uk

Sir Stephen Creswell Timms (born 29 July 1955) is a British politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for East Ham, formerly Newham North East, since 1994. A member of the Labour Party, he has served as Minister of State for Social Security and Disability since July 2024.

Timms served in the New Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown under several portfolios. He served for three periods as Financial Secretary to the Treasury; from 1999 to 2001, 2004 to 2005, and 2008 to 2010. As Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Timms attended Cabinet from 2006 to 2007.

In May 2010, Timms survived an attempted murder by Islamist terrorist Roshonara Choudhry who stabbed him twice in the abdomen at his constituency surgery. Choudhry was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Timms served on the Official Opposition frontbench as Shadow Minister for Employment, and later served in the Shadow cabinet as Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. He returned to the backbenches in September 2015.