Patricia Hewitt was born on 2 December1948, the daughter of Sir (Cyrus) Lenox Hewitt and Alison Hope Hewitt. She was educated at the Church of England Girls’ Grammar School, Canberra, the Australian National University and; Newnham College, University of Cambridge (MA). In 1981, she married William Jack Birtles, having one son and one daugher.

She worked as a public relations officer for Age Concern, 1971-73 and as Women's Rights Officer and then General Secretary at the National Council for Civil Liberties, 1973-83, before becoming Press and Broadcasting Secretary, 1983-88, and then Policy Co-ordinator, 1988-89, to the Leader of the Labour Opposition, Neil Kinnock. Between 1989 and 1994 Patricia was the Senior Research Fellow and then Deputy Director at the Institute for Public Policy Research before becoming Head and then Director of Research at Andersen consulting, 1994-97. She was elected as MP for Leicester West in 1997 and served as Economic Secretary to HM Treasury, 1998-99, Minister of State at the Department of Trade and Industry, 1999-2001, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and Minister for Women, 2001-05, and Secretary of State for Health, 2005-07.