Field has been described as someone who had an “unwavering moral compass”.
Tributes from across the political divide have been paid to the former Labour minister and welfare campaigner Frank Field, who has died at the age of 81.
Field, who served as Labour MP for Birkenhead, Wirral, died after an illness, his family announced earlier today.
The former MP was known for his passionate campaigns on tackling poverty and championing social justice. He had been a director at the Child Poverty Action group in the 1970s. He had also served as minister for welfare reform at the start of Tony Blair’s first term in office as Prime Minister.
In 2021, he revealed he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer when his speech was read out in the House of Lords to support a change in the law on assisted dying.
Field has been described as “a man of often uncomfortable principle” with an “unwavering moral compass”.
Tony Blair under whose government Field served as welfare reform minister, said: “Frank had integrity, intelligence and deep commitment to the causes he believed in. He was an independent thinker never constrained by conventional wisdom, but always pushing at the frontier of new ideas.
“Even when we disagreed, I had the utmost respect for him as a colleague and a character. Whether in his work on child poverty or in his time devoted to the reform of our welfare system, he stood up and stood out for the passion and insight he brought to any subject.”
David Miliband posted on X: “Frank Field brought moral passion and an inquiring mind to politics. I was deputed to “keep him engaged” when we were in Opposition 1994-97 and I always learnt something from our conversations. The tributes from across the political spectrum speak to his kindness as well as his eclecticism.”
Labour leader Sir Keir said his death was “a profound loss to politics and our nation”. He added: “Frank dedicated his life to being a voice for the most vulnerable and marginalised people in the country.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Frank Field was a decent, moral, and thoughtful man. He was a great parliamentarian – he made our politics better and raised the level of national debate in this country.
“My thoughts and prayers are with his family today.”
The Child Poverty Action Group paid tribute to Frank Field, as a ‘steadfast, highly successful and diligent campaigner against child poverty’, and added: “It is largely down to Frank that we have child benefit today – a truly towering achievement.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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