Elected MP for West Bromwich East at the 2001 general election, Watson was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence from May to September 2006 and Minister for Digital Engagement and Civil Service Issues at the Cabinet Office from 2008 to 2009. In October 2011, Ed Miliband appointed him as Deputy Chair of the National Executive Committee and the Labour Party's Campaign Coordinator for the 2015 general election. He resigned from both roles in July 2013 following a controversy over the selection of a new parliamentary candidate for Falkirk to replace Eric Joyce.