Tributes pour in for veteran Labour stalwart Tony Benn

Tony Benn, the left-wing Labour campaigner and former cabinet minister, died at his home aged 88.

10:04 14 March 2014

Tributes have been pouring after Labour MP Tony Benn died following an illness.

The major left-wing figure was very nearly a deputy leader in 1981 and was renowned for his public speeches, political diaries and anti-war campaigns.

His family was first to release a statement: "We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all the NHS staff and carers who have looked after him with such kindness in hospital and at home.

"We will miss above all his love which has sustained us throughout our lives. But we are comforted by the memory of his long, full and inspiring life and so proud of his devotion to helping others as he sought to change the world for the better."

Benn was an MP for more than 50 years. He was appointed secretary of state for industry in 1974 and secretary of state for energy two years later.

When he retied from Parliament in 2001, he famously quipped he was doing so to "spend more time on politics."

Benn completed his nine-volume book of diaries recently, with the final book published in October.

Of his passing, Labour leader Ed Miliband paid tribute to the "iconic figure of our age" by stating: "He will be remembered as a champion of the powerless, a great parliamentarian and a conviction politician.

"Tony Benn spoke his mind and spoke up for his values. Whether you agreed with him or disagreed with him, everyone knew where he stood and what he stood for."

"He believed in movements and mobilised people behind him for the causes he cared about, often unfashionable ones. In a world of politics that is often too small, he thought big about our country and our world.

"Above all, as I had cause to know, he was an incredibly kind man. I did work experience with him at the age of 16. I may have been just a teenager but he treated me as an equal.

"It was the nature of the man and the principle of his politics."

He ended his tribute with: "All of my condolences go to his children Stephen, Hilary, Melissa and Joshua and his wider family. In their own ways, they are all a tribute to him as a father, a socialist, and a most decent human being."

Prime Minister David Cameron said: "I am sorry to hear that Tony Benn has died.

"He was a magnificent writer, speaker, diarist and campaigner, with a strong record of public and political service.

"There was never a dull moment listening to him, even when you disagreed with everything he said."