The two-week championships begins next week

In a letter to the All-England Lawn Tennis Club, which runs the tournament, Ms Jowell said she was deeply concerned by the gender gap.

This year the women's singles winner will get �625,000 - �30,000 less than the men's champion.

The All-England club said it would not change the prize money this year.

All other major international tennis tournaments offer equal pay.

The media attention and levels of global sponsorship are now on a par with the men's game Tessa Jowell

The total prize money awarded during the two-week championships, which gets under way next week, comes to �5,197,440 for men's events and �4,446,490 for the women.

In the letter to club chairman Tim Phillips, Ms Jowell wrote: "Women's tennis has made giant strides in recent years, becoming both highly competitive and extremely entertaining.

"Coupled with that, the media attention and levels of global sponsorship are now on a par with the men's game."

She said no other major tennis tournament pays its women's champion less than men and both the US Open and Australian Open have a clear policy of equal pay.

A spokeswoman for the club said prizes were fixed each year and the club would not change its stance. She said they had not yet received Ms Jowell's letter.

In April, Liberal Democrat culture, media and sport spokesman Don Foster wrote to the All-England Club demanding equal prizes for men and women.