EX-PM’S tribute to ‘brave, tireless fighter for justice’
Hundreds gather for funeral of former MP
FORMER Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner gave moving eulogies as hundreds gathered for the funeral of the ‘tireless’ campaigner and ‘dedicated’ Rochdale MP Sir Tony Lloyd.
Family, friends and colleagues from Parliament packed out St Hugh of Lincoln Roman Catholic Church in his home town of Stretford to pay their respects to the highly respected and popular politician, who represented three constituencies in Greater Manchester across five decades either side of a stint as the region’s mayor.
Among those who attended the requiem mass for Sir Tony, who died from blood cancer last month aged 73, was Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and former party leader and Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who was among those to give a reading.
“Tony Lloyd was the most popular, most committed and most compassionate member of Parliament you could ever meet,” he told the congregation.
“His mission was social justice, his life was given to public service, his cause was the people he represented.”
Mr Brown hailed Sir Tony’s six-year stint as chair of the parliamentary Labour party, a post he was elected to every year under three separate leaders between 2006 and 2012.
“His task was to manage what let’s say can sometimes be an unruly mob and, as Keir is finding out, quite self-opinionated,” Mr Brown quipped.
He said it was a role that needed such qualities as “the stamina and perservance of a natural conciliator”, together with “the humanity and caring qualities of a social worker” and also “the courage to tell people like me when I would be wrong - and that he had to do I would say on quite a few occasions”.
Recalling a quote from Sir Tony that “if you are not fighting for what is right and just, then what is politics for?,’ Brown said: “Fighting for Tony was not against any individual or any group, it was against poverty, inequality
and injustice wherever he saw it. That was what Tony was for, that was Tony’s life work and in the words of Abraham Lincoln he conducted himself with malice towards no-one and with charity for all.
“Tony was not only so brave and tireless in that fight for justice but also so brave and tenacious in the final fight he faced against Covid and then cancer.
“Let me just say to the family and all those closest to him, Tony will live on in the influence he has and will continue to have on all of us who he leaves behind.
“Never to be forgotten, always respected, forever loved and admired.”
Beforehand, Ms Rayner told mourners Sir Tony had lived an ‘extraordinary life’ and was ‘dedicated to political life and public service.’
“Tony was not just a politician,”
she said. “He was guided by a deep sense of duty and commitment to improving society in pursuit of his socialist principles.
“He never lost sight of his values and he also showed incredible skill in bridging divides, uniting people and trying to find common ground while making progress.
“HIS political journey started at an early age fuelled by an unwavering belief in social justice and equality.
“He devoted himself to championing the margnalised, the silent and the forgotten.
“As a member of Parliament, Tony was unwavering in standing up for his constituents, tirelessly fighting for their causes and addressing their concerns.
“His accessiblity to and
general concern for the people he represented was legendary.
“Whether it was advocating for better healthcare, people’s jobs, tackling climate change or reducing crime, Tony remained steadfast to his commitment.”
Eulogies were also given by Sir Tony’s brother, David and his daughter Alexandria.
Mr Starmer arrived at the service with Sir Tony’s successor as Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
Others present included fellow Labour MPS Yvette Cooper, Lisa Nandy, Lucy Powell, Rebecca Long-bailey and John Healey.
There were also figures from across the political divide including current Tory MP Nigel Evans, alongside a number of local councillors, including the
leader of Manchester City Council Bev Craig and the Mayors of Rochdale and Trafford Mike Holly and Dolores O’sullivan, dressed in their official regalia.
A private, family-only service followed at Manchester Crematorium.
Sir Tony, an MP for 36 years, first entered Parliament in 1983 after being elected as MP for his hometown of Stretford during that year’s general election
Following boundary changes, he stood and won election for Manchester Central during New Labour’s 1997 general election landslide.
He would go on to serve in the influential position as chair of the parliamentary Labour Party between 2006 and 2012 before standing down from Parliament to successfully contest the election for police and
crime commissioner for Greater Manchester.
After losing to Mr Burnham in his ambition to become Labour’s candidate for mayor of Greater Manchester, Sir Tony returned to the Commons as MP for Rochdale in 2017.
During his Commons career, he was a junior minister for some of former prime minister Sir Tony Blair’s first term in office.
He also held a number of key opposition roles during Jeremy Corbyn’s time as leader, including shadow housing minister and shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland.
In 2020, he was admitted to intensive care after contracting Covid-19, standing down from the shadow cabinet to focus on his recovery.
He was knighted in the Queen’s 2021 birthday honours for parliamentary services.
He continued working right up to his death.
Sir Tony died peacefully at home on January 17 after leaving hospital the week before to spend his final days with his family.
He announced that he had been receiving chemotherapy for blood cancer but the illness had “transformed into an aggressive and untreatable form of leukaemia”.
When his family announced his death, they said: “We are absolutely devastated to announce the death of Sir Tony Lloyd MP, our beloved Joe,’ ‘Dad’ and ‘Grandad.’
“He died peacefully this morning surrounded by his family, as was his wish.”
“He was working until a few days before his death as his passion was helping others.
He devoted his life to serving and making a difference to the lives of those he met including his constituents, colleagues, friends, and family.”
Labour leader Keir Starmer said his death was a “terrible loss” and said he would be remembered for his “deep commitment to Labour values and his decency”.
Mr Starmer said: “We will always be grateful for his dedication to public life, his devotion to his country and his desire to make the world a better, fairer place.
“In the Labour Party, we will honour his legacy of service to others and his commitment to justice. May he rest in peace.”