Jowell had overseen the project since the bid was launched in 2002.

Indeed, it is unlikely that the bid would even have got off the drawing board if it had not been for Jowell in her then role as the Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

She fought fiercely against skepticism in the Cabinet - led by Brown, who was then Chancellor of the Exchequer - that Britain could afford a bid at a time when they had just launched an invasion of Iraq.

Jowell, a close friend of Tony Blair's, was demoted by Brown when he took over as Prime Minister in June 2007 but she retained her role as Olympics Minister.

Brown brought her back into the Cabinet in the 2009 reshuffle when he appointed her as the Minister for the Cabinet Office, a role she combined with her Olympics portfolio.

Cameron is expected to appoint Hugh Robertson, the MP for Faversham and Mid Kent, who has been the Shadow Sports and Olympics Minister, as Jowell's replacement.

Brown resigned after it became clear that the Conservatives had agreed a deal with the Liberal Democrats to form a coalition Government.

Jowell, 62, has previously been linked with roles at the Olympic Delivery Authority and LOCOG if Labour lost power.

But any position she is given would need to be strictly non-political.

Sebastian Coe, the chairman of London 2012, had promised that preparations for the Games would not be affected by the General Election.

He claimed that strong cross-party support for the Olympics and Paralympics would ensure that it would not get dragged into the political arena.

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