A LABOUR MP has died suddenly at the age of 73.

Jack Dromey died in his flat in his consituency of Birmingham Erdington this morning, a statement from the shadow minister’s family said.

Mr Dromey, married to Labour party grandee Harriet Harman, was understood to have died from natural causes.

He has served as an MP for the area since 2010, and was a Labour party treasurer prior to his election. 

A statement issued on behalf of Mr Dromey’s family by the Labour Party said: “Jack Dromey MP died suddenly this morning aged 73 in his flat in Erdington.

“He had been a dedicated Member of Parliament for Birmingham Erdington since 2010.

“He was a much loved husband, father and grandfather, and he will be greatly missed.”

Mr Dromey's son Joe, a Labour councillor in London, tweeted a tribute to his father this afternoon.

He wrote: "Our dad - Jack - died suddenly today.

"We loved him so, so much.

"Rest in peace big man x"

 

Keir Starmer, Labour Leader, paid tribute to his colleague, saying he was a dedicated servant of the party for decades.

He said: “The proud son of Irish parents, Jack Dromey dedicated his life to standing up for working people through the Labour movement, becoming Deputy General Secretary of the UK’s largest trade union and then a Labour MP.

“From supporting the strike at the Grunwick film processing laboratory, when he met Harriet, through to being elected to represent Birmingham Erdington in 2010, Jack lived his commitment to social justice every day.

“Jack was recognised for his determination to stand up for his constituents and he was highly respected and warmly regarded across Parliament.

“My thoughts and those of the whole Labour movement are with Harriet, their children and all those who knew and loved Jack.”

Prior to his election, the MP was a staunch campaigner and was involved in the movement to save the Rosyth dockyard from closure when he was the deputy General Secretary for the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU).

In 2014, writing for Labourlist, Mr Dromey said it was two unions that saved Rosyth - that between England and Scotland, as well as the trade unions.

He wrote: "The great battle to save Rosyth was a classic example of why the Union between England and Scotland matters.

"I was spokesman for the defence unions at the time. I remember addressing meetings of 9,000 workers in Plymouth and 3,000 in Rosyth, and the solidarity between Devonport and Rosyth workers was remarkable.

"They would not let their colleagues in Scotland down and the Scottish workers backed the southern yards to the hilt.

"But it was two Unions that saved Rosyth. It wasn’t just a trade union in action it was the Union between England and Scotland in action, because Scottish workers knew that without defence contract from the UK their days were numbered."