Former Labor Minister and multinational MP Frank Field has died at the age of 81, his family has announced.
“He will be missed by his fans across the political spectrum, but most of all by those who were lucky enough to enjoy his laughter and friendship,” the statement said.
Lord Field spent 40 years as a Birkenhead MP and was a leading voice on welfare reform for much of his career.
He served as a minister under Tony Blair’s government and joined the House of Lords in 2020.
A statement from Mr Birkenhead’s family, Lord Field, from his parliamentary office said that Mr Birkenhead had died after a battle with illness.
“Frank was an extraordinary man who spent his life fighting poverty, injustice and environmental destruction,” the statement said.
“His common sense and faith in the self-serving altruism of people made him an unparalleled contribution to British politics.”
The politician announced in 2021 that he was suffering from a terminal illness. He died on Tuesday night in a London care home.
Lord Field briefly served as Secretary of State for Welfare Reform during Tony Blair’s first term.
Sir Tony paid tribute to him, saying: “Frank was a man of integrity, intelligence and a deep commitment to the causes he believed in.
“He was an independent thinker, unfettered by conventional wisdom, and always pushing to the forefront of new ideas.
“Even though we disagreed, I had the utmost respect for him as a colleague and as a person.”
Labor MP Harriet Harman, who served as Secretary of State for Social Security when Lord Field was Minister for Social Security, said Lord Field was “a smart, tenacious and caring person”.
“Frank’s core belief was that poverty was never acceptable and could be ended,” she added.
Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting described him as “a great MP, champion of social justice and source of wise advice”.
“How lucky I was to have known him and benefited from his advice and kindness despite his illness,” he said.
Dame Angela Eagle, the councilor for the neighboring Wallasey constituency, said on social media: ‘Very sad news. He is a great advocate for Head’s district.”
Lord Field had campaigned for the eradication of poverty and curbs on EU immigration, and had built a reputation as one of the most effective patrons in the House of Commons.
He left the Labor Party group in parliament in 2018, saying Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership had become “an anti-Semitic force in British politics”.
In the 2019 general election, he stood as an independent candidate in Birkenhead and came second with 17% of the vote.
He was appointed as an independent non-bench MP by the Conservative government in 2020 after campaigning in favor of leaving the EU.
The veteran politician was appointed a member of the Companions of Honor in 2021, which he described at the time as a “great privilege”.
