Former Labour minister Phil Woolas dies aged 66
Former Labour minister Phil Woolas dies aged 66
A retired Labour minister, known for a high-profile debate with Joanna Lumley during a live television appearance, has passed away at the age of 66 due to brain cancer.
Phil Woolas represented Oldham East and Saddleworth in Parliament from 1997 to 2010, serving in various ministerial roles under Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. His tenure included positions such as deputy Commons leader and environment minister, before he took on the immigration portfolio in 2008.
His political journey was marked by controversy when a court found him guilty of violating electoral laws. The ruling stated that Woolas had knowingly made false claims about his Liberal Democrat rival during the campaign, leading to a rerun of the election.
The heated exchange with Lumley occurred in 2009 as she opposed plans by Brown’s administration to limit the residency rights of retired Gurkhas. At the time, Woolas was the Home Office’s immigration minister, while Lumley led the Gurkhas Justice Campaign against his proposals.
In a memorable confrontation, the pair met live on Sky News. Lumley, advocating for Gurkha rights, appeared to convince Woolas to acknowledge the need for revised guidelines. “I have met Mr Woolas now and I am reassured again. Because I know we are going to assist Mr Woolas in making the strongest guidelines possible,” she declared during the broadcast.
“Phil was an outstanding member of the New Labour government, a greatly respected and admired colleague, and a source of both humour and rich political insight to all lucky enough to know him,” said Sir Tony Blair, who paid tribute to Woolas after his passing.
Blair highlighted Woolas’s contributions to modernizing the Labour movement during the 1980s and 1990s. A close friend, Defence Secretary John Healey, added: “No-one played a significant role in all these areas—except Phil.”
Before his parliamentary career, Woolas was a union communications head and orchestrated a bold protest stunt in 1996. The GMB union brought a live pig to a British Gas AGM to criticize the 75% pay increase for its CEO, Cedric Brown, with the pig symbolizing “snouts in the trough.”
Woolas’s career also included a brief stint as a TV producer. After losing the Littleborough and Saddleworth by-election in 1995, he secured a seat in the 1997 Labour landslide and began his ministerial role in 2003. Despite his loyalty to Labour, he was often vocal and provocative, traits that culminated in his 2010 election defeat by just 103 votes.
Woolas, who was served with an election petition by Lib Dem opponent Elwyn Watkins, lost the case in a historic court. The judge’s decision to order a rerun underscored his actions as a breach of election law.
Reflecting on the incident, Woolas remarked: “Those who stand for election and participate in the democratic process must be prepared to have their political conduct and motives subjected to searching, scrutiny and inquiry. They must accept that their politics will be examined.”
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