Tributes paid to ex-minister Brokenshire
Boris Johnson has paid tribute to James Brokenshire as the "nicest, kindest and most unassuming of politicians" after the death of the former Government minister aged 53.
Mr Brokenshire, who served as Northern Ireland secretary and security minister, had been suffering from lung cancer and died on Thursday evening, his family said.
The Prime Minister said he was "desperately sad" to hear the news.
Mr Johnson said on Twitter: "He served with particular distinction in the Home Office and as Security Minister. If the government needed something done well and speedily – and sensibly explained – James was the man to do it.
"I worked with him for many years in London and I know how much he cared for the interests of his Bexley constituents.
"His fight against cancer was heroic, and it is a measure of his resolve that he came back from a first bout with the disease to serve in government again. He will be missed by all who knew him. Our thoughts are with Cathy and his family."
Mr Brokenshire, the Conservative MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup, announced he had been diagnosed with lung cancer in 2018 and he underwent surgery to remove the upper lobe of his right lung.
At the time, non-smoker Mr Brokenshire described how he was prompted to see his GP after coughing up a small amount of blood.
He became vocal over calls for a national screening programme for lung cancer.
In January, he suffered a recurrence of a tumour in his lung and later said the "somewhat troublesome" lung had been removed by surgeons.
But in August he confirmed his lung cancer had "progressed"
and he was starting a new line of treatment.
Mr Brokenshire's family said he had been in hospital since Sunday and his condition had rapidly deteriorated.
They said: "James was not only a brilliant Government minister as both security and immigration minister at the Home Office and Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office and Ministry for Housing, Communities & Local Government, but a dedicated constituency MP, first for Hornchurchfrom2005to2010
and then for Old Bexley & Sidcup for the past 11 years.
"But most importantly he was a loving father to his three children, a devoted husband to Cathy and a faithful friend to so many.
"We would like to thank all the NHS staff, particularly those at Guy's & St Thomas' in London, who cared for James with such warmth, diligence and professionalism over the past three-and-a-half years."
Mr Brokenshire resigned as security minister in July after telling Mr Johnson that his
recovery from surgery was taking "longer than expected".
When his cancer progressed, he said he was "keeping upbeat" over his condition but "needed space to focus on treatment".
Former prime minister David Cameron said Mr Brokenshire had been a "hardworking and dedicated MP but, more than that, he was a thoroughly decent and lovely man, and devoted to his family".