Labour MP Jack Dromey Dies Aged 73
3 min read
Jack Dromey, the Labour MP and Shadow Minister, has died aged 73.
Dromey passed away suddenly in his Birmingham flat on Friday morning, his family said in a statement.
Dromey, who was elected the MP for Birmingham Erdington in 2010, was serving as Shadow Immigration Minister for Keir Starmer, and had roles in the Shadow Cabinets of previous Labour leaders Jeremy Corbyn and Ed Miliband.
He is survived by his wife, the long-serving Labour MP and ex-Cabinet minister Harriet Harman, and his three children.
In their statement, Dromey's family said he was a "much loved husband, father and grandfather" who would be "greatly missed."
His son, Joe, paid tribute to him on Twitter, writing: "We loved him so, so much. Rest in peace big man."
Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: "Deeply saddened to hear of the death of Jack Dromey MP. My thoughts are with Harriet and the family, and all those who knew him as a friend. May he rest in peace."
Labour leader Starmer said Dromey "dedicated his life to standing up for working people through the Labour movement" and was "recognised for his determination to stand up for his constituents and he was highly respected and warmly regarded across Parliament."
He added: “My thoughts and those of the whole Labour movement are with Harriet, their children and all those who knew and loved Jack.”
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons, described Dromey as a "great guy, down to earth, always positive and always looking to support and save jobs."
Hoyle said: "We are all in disbelief that the life-force that was Jack Dromey has died – this is another sad day for the House and a bad start to the year.
"I have known Jack since the mid-1980s when we fought to save the Royal Ordnance Factory in Chorley – he was national officer for the Transport and General Workers’ Union, and I was chair of economic development at Chorley Council."
He added: "At his heart he was a devoted husband, father and grandfather – so all our thoughts go to Harriet and the rest of the family at this very sad time."
Frances O'Grady, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress, tweeted: "Devastating to lose such a champion of working people. As a trade unionist, MP and shadow minister, Jack Dromey fought for a fair deal for us all."
Government minister Penny Mordaunt said "despite our political differences we got on very well and he genuinely wanted to help. Awful news today. Parliament has lost a giant."
Dromey last spoke in the House of Commons on Thursday during a debate on Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.
Prior to becoming an MP, he was Deputy General Secretary at the Transport and General Workers Union, which later became known as Unite.
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
