Former Labor MP and minister Phil Woolas has died from brain cancer, his family and close friends announced on Saturday morning.
Woolas, 66, was elected as an MP to represent Oldham East and Saddleworth as part of Labour’s landslide victory in the 1997 general election, and remained in Westminster for the 13 years New Labor was in power.
In government, Woolas held several ministerial positions, including minister of state for local government, environment and borders and immigration, positions he held sequentially until Labour’s fall from power.
In a statement announcing his death, his family and close friends said: “For more than a year he battled glioblastoma, a brain cancer. He leaves behind his wife, Tracey, his sons, Josh and Jed, and a new grandson, and many friends and former colleagues who will miss him dearly.”
Woolas joined the Labor Party when he was 16 and was a member of the Anti-Nazi League during his youth. Between 1984 and 1986 he was president of the National Union of Students, a position held by many future politicians, including the current Labor minister Wes Streeting.
Before beginning his journalism career, Woolas worked in television, including as a producer for BBC Newsnight and Channel 4 News. He also acted as head of communications for the GMB union. After leaving politics in 2010, he set up his own political lobbying company and served as chairman of the Ace Centre, a charity based in Oldham, in his former constituency, which provided assistive technology to disabled people with communication problems.
During his last ministerial role, Woolas was criticized for his proposal that Gurkhas, soldiers from Nepal who served in the British army during major conflicts, could only settle in Britain if they met a number of conditions, such as 20 years of military service.
Following a campaign by high-profile figures, including actress Joanna Lumley, the government announced that the amount of military service required would be reduced by 80% and that Gurkhas who served four or more years in the army would be allowed to settle in the United Kingdom.
While he retained his seat in the 2010 election defeat to the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, Woolas lost it months later when a court ruled that he had made false statements against a Liberal Democrat opponent during his original election campaign.
The statement from his friends and family added: “From 2011, Phil set up and ran his own political and risk consultancy.
“For over 25 years, Phil was Chairman of The Ace Centre, an Oldham charity helping people with communication difficulties, which he led to become a leading national charity for assistive technology for people with severe disabilities.”
