Remembering a man of ‘great integrity and kindness’

THE sad death of Sir Tony Lloyd, who served Rochdale with such distinction as our Member of Parliament, means the borough has lost an outstanding public servant, a powerful voice for the powerless and a tireless campaigner for a fairer, more tolerant, and equal society.

As leader of the council, I saw at first hand Tony’s many qualities, which were widely respected and admired across the political divide and by those who came into contact with him.

He had the great ability to bring people together and was rightly seen as a unifying figure.

For generations, he was a trusted voice across Greater

Manchester, first as MP for Stretford, then Manchester Central and, since 2017, as MP for Rochdale.

A man of great integrity and kindness, Tony was a champion of those without a voice, a campaigner for peace at home and abroad and someone who always said what he meant and meant what he said.

Inside him burnt the flame of hope that we could build a better society.

That was what moved him and inspired him into politics.

His views remained consistent throughout nearly 50 years of elected service.

I could always tell that people felt Tony was on their side.

One of us, a proud Northerner who never forgot his roots. He always saw himself as Rochdale’s representative in parliament, and not parliament’s representative in Rochdale.

This was underlined by the issues he raised on behalf of residents.

He was always in touch with public sentiment, through regular door knocking, community visits, frequent surgeries and, through good times and bad, as a loyal supporter of Manchester United.

A Red to the core.

Whether it was campaigning against war, speaking out on the cost of living crisis, calling for peace, fighting for better housing or urging for action on climate change, I always felt

Tony was on the right side of the argument.

Put simply, he was just a very good public representative.

Across the council and throughout the community, there is a deep sense of loss.

I was lucky enough to count myself amongst that group, as I knew Tony for a long time and will be forever grateful for his comradeship and advice, which was always invaluable to me.

This week I visited Rochdale Town Hall, which will shortly re-open to the public after a stunning restoration.

Tony was always a big supporter of the project, and I know how much he would have been looking forward to the re-opening of such an iconic northern building.

He was never happier than attending events in the town he represented.

In that sense, he never forgot his roots or where he came from.

Our country has lost a great politician and campaigner for social justice, who was also a humble, kind and dedicated family man.

A light has gone out across our community and life will be all the poorer without Tony at its heart.

We will all miss Tony the politician, but we will mourn the loss of Tony the man even more.

He was a good man, who did good things. May he rest in peace.