A fan of the opera who now faces the music

As a single parent who once worked as a secretary, Dawn Primarolo knows only too well what it is like to struggle for cash.

So it is ironic the Paymaster General today finds her political career on the line over the fiasco that has left millions of poor families out of pocket.

Ever since Gordon Brown gave her a ministerial job in 1997, MPs have muttered that Ms Primarolo was an "surprise" choice for the high-powered world of the Treasury.

When the Chancellor promoted her to Paymaster General after Geoffrey Robinson resigned two years later, the muttering grew louder as enemies highlighted her Left-wing past and lack of economic expertise.

One critic said Mr Brown must have "panicked" because of the controversy surrounding his ally Mr Robinson. Another dubbed Ms Primarolo "Dumb Spice", claiming she was only given a job because she would carry out any order the Chancellor wanted.

Even some Labour MPs were hostile, particularly those who fought in the Eighties against the loony Left on Bristol City Council, where Ms Primarolo earned her nickname "Red Dawn" as leader.

But the Chancellor has been loyal, valuing her tenacity in the face of Tory barracking and her "impressive work-rate". Friends say he also respects the fact his minister has lived "in the real world". Brought up on a council estate, she was married at 18 and divorced by 25. She brought up her son alone as she took lowpaid jobs before remarrying.

Ms Primarolo joined Labour at 20 and turned into a classic Leftwing figure. As a single mother with a crew-cut, she refused to pay her poll tax and led delegations of women to Nicaragua.

What some MPs describe as her "chippiness" is never far away, particularly when she spits her contempt for the Tory party during Treasury questions.

She was once voted the sexiest MP, an accolade she took in good spirit. But her robotic debating style has played into the hands of Opposition critics. Her decision to keep her married name suggests she is not immune to such criticism. She admits she was reluctant to return to her maiden name, Gasson, as it was too open to ridicule for a politician.

Her monotonous delivery belies a passionate approach to politics and her personal life. She loves opera, confessing to crying whenever she hears La BohË­e.

Her Left-wing impulses are never far away, but her criticism of the first Gulf War translated into full support for Tony Blair's war on Iraq. She once said: "As a minister, I know my job is to toe the line and to defend my ministerial colleagues when they get in a mess." Today she will be hoping they return the favour.