David Bleakley, 92, former chairman of Northern Ireland Labour Party

Former Northern Ireland politician David Bleakley has died peacefully aged 92.

Tributes to Mr Bleakley were led by former chairman of the Northern Ireland Labour Party (NILP), Brian Garrett.

Mr Bleakley was born in Strandtown in 1925 and worked in the Harland & Wolff shipyards, where he became involved with the trade union.

He studied economics at Oxford University’s Ruskin College and later attended Queen’s University in Belfast.

He then became head of economics and political studies at Methodist College from 1969 to 1979.

He joined NILP and was elected to Stormont from 1958 to 1965.

After the Parliament of Northern Ireland was abolished, Mr Bleakley was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly and its successor, the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention.

In 1992, after the NILP was dissolved, he joined the Alliance Party and was an adviser during the all-party talks.

In 1998 he joined the Labour Party of Northern Ireland and stood in Belfast East in the Assembly election, but was unsuccessful.

Mr Garrett described Mr Bleakley as “quite an orator” and a “very moral man”.

“He was very personal about the need for change in Northern Ireland,” he said.

“Although the title of leader was never conferred on him, he was regarded as a leader.

“He was very affected by the Labour government of the 1940s and I admired his courage – he was very loyal to the Labour Party.”

Mr Bleakley is survived by his sons Brian, Desmond and Peter.