Death of Frank Field ‘a profound loss to politics and our nation’
RISHI Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer were united in tribute to former Labour minister and crossbench peer Frank Field, who has died at 81.
The Prime Minister said Lord Field – who studied at Hull University – was a “decent, moral and thoughtful man” who “made our politics better”.
Labour leader Sir Keir said his death was “a profound loss to politics and our nation”.
Lord Field of Birkenhead died in a London care home on Tuesday night following a “long battle with cancer”, and is survived by two brothers.
He revealed he was terminally ill in October 2021 and had spent time in a hospice when a statement from him was read out in the House of Lords calling for laws on assisted dying to be relaxed.
A statement from Lord Field’s family said: “Through a long battle with cancer, Frank Field remained resilient and engaged with life until the end.
“He will be enormously missed by his family and wide circle of friends.
“Frank was an extraordinary individual who spent his life fighting poverty, injustice and environmental destruction. His decency and faith in people’s self-interested altruism made a unique contribution to British politics.
“After 40 years of dedicated public service, Frank will be mourned by admirers across the political divide. But above all, he will be deeply missed by those lucky enough to have enjoyed his laughter and friendship.”
Tributes for the political veteran poured in from across different parties.
As Prime Minister, Sir Tony Blair gave Lord Field a ministerial job with a remit to “think the unthinkable” on welfare reform Sir Tony said Lord Field was an “independent thinker never constrained by conventional wisdom”.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle called Lord Field a “formidable MP” who was “neither cowed by the establishment or whips”, and was the “driving force” behind Parliament's commitment to prevent slavery and human trafficking within its supply chains.
Tory former Home Secretary Dame Priti Patel said he had an “unwavering moral compass”.
Lord Field took his seat in the upper chamber in October 2020 after being elected 10 times to represent Birkenhead between 1979 and 2019.