Former Labour minister Frank Field dies from cancer aged 81: Tributes pour in for 'formidable' ex

Tributes poured in today for former Labour minister Frank Field after his death from cancer at the age of 81.

The veteran politician, who spent 40 years as MP for Birkenhead and tried to pioneer welfare reform in the Tory Blair government had revealed a terminal diagnosis in 2021.

His achievements were hailed from figures across Westminster politics.  The Prime Minister said Lord Field 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'.

Sir Keir said: 'Frank dedicated his life to being a voice for the most vulnerable and marginalised people in the country.

'Frank was principled, courageous and independent-minded.'

Former Labour minister and crossbench peer Frank Field has died aged 81

Frank Field quite the Labour whip in 2018 after he had a row with then leader Jeremy Corbyn 

Lord Field (pictured in 1973) served as an MP for 40 years from 1979 to 2019 before joining the House of Lords in 2020

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting saying he was 'a great parliamentarian, crusader for social justice and source of wise counsel.'

'What a blessing to have known him and benefited from his advice and kindness, even as his illness gripped him,' he said.

And Tory former home secretary Priti Patel added that he was a 'kind and compassionate man and a great Parliamentarian'.

She wrote on X: 'His unwavering moral compass, commitment to working cross-party and unshakable principles defined him and will be greatly missed.'

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, said: 'As a former colleague, I watched in admiration as Frank Field navigated a career as a formidable MP, and as a minister, tasked with 'thinking the unthinkable' on social care.

'He was neither cowed by the establishment or whips - which made his campaigns against hunger and food poverty, for climate change and for the church, even more effective.

'He was the driving force behind Parliament's commitment to prevent slavery and human trafficking within our supply chains. Having worked with him on the modern slavery advisory group, and made him its chair, I was in no doubt of his commitment to save many lives nationwide from this shameful criminal activity.

'Suffice to say, he was one of a kind and he will be sorely missed.'

Lord Field joined the House of Lords in 2020 as a crossbench peer after losing his seat at the 2019 general election, having stood as an independent after quitting Labour in protest at anti-Semitism under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership.

Labour's Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield said: 'RIP dear Frank Field. He was a wonderful Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee, compassionate and incredibly kind with a great sense of humour and always a twinkle in his eye...'

In October 2021, it was revealed in the House of Lords that veteran politician has recently spent time in a hospice and that he was not well enough to attend debates.

Throughout his career, Lord Field built a reputation an one of the most effective backbenchers with curbs on EU immigration and campaigns against poverty. 

In 2018, he quit the Labour whip in Parliament after a row with then leader Jeremy Corbyn, who he said was' a force for anti-Semitism in British politics.

The Conservatives made him a non-affiliated crossbench peer by the Conservative government in 2020 after he campaigned in favour of Brexit. 

Back in October 2021, the former minister revealed he was terminally will as he urged the House of Lords to ease the law to allow assisted dying. 

At the time, Lord Field was too ill to attend Parliament as peers debated changing legislation to enable adults with no hope of recovery to legally seek assistance to end their lives. 

In a message read out in the House of Lords at the time, he admitted he had spent time in a hospice and urged them to change the law, citing a friend who had gone through the 'full horror effects' of cancer.

The news came as a shock to many in parliament at the time with Tory former housing secretary Robert Jenrick hailed him as 'one of the politicians I have most admired and respected'.

Baroness Meacher read out the message from the peer, whom she said was 'dying', in which he said: 'I changed my mind on assisted dying when an MP friend dying of cancer wanted to die early before the full horror effects set in, but was denied this opportunity.

Frank Field revealed to the House of Lords in October 2021 that he was diagnosed with a terminal illness

The veteran politician was well respected across parliament. Tory former housing secretary Robert Jenrick hailed him as 'one of the politicians I have most admired and respected'

The Conservatives made Frank Field a non-affiliated crossbench peer by the Conservative government in 2020 after he campaigned in favour of Brexit

'A major argument against the Bill is unfounded. It is thought by some the culture would change and that people would be pressured into ending their lives.

'The number of assisted deaths in the US and Australia remains very low - under 1 per cent - and a former supreme court judge of Victoria, Australia, about pressure from relatives, said it just hasn't been an issue.

'I hope the House will today vote for the Assisted Dying Bill.'

In an interview in January last year, Lord Field said it was 'a strange experience taking so long to die'.

He said: 'I'm pretty tired. It's a strange experience taking so long to die. But there we are. 

'It's affected my mouth, as you can see. It began about 10 years ago, when I was told I had prostate cancer. 

'The hospital said, we must keep a watching brief on this. And they didn't. It spread everywhere.'

Of his stay in hospice in 2021, Lord Field said he 'expected to be gone in weeks'.

He said in January last year: 'Yes, it was jolly good. They sorted out my medicines. And I wanted to go and see what the place was like. 

'I expected to be gone then, within weeks. And the doctors that spoke to me did as well. But life has gone on.'

Very good!（23）