Phil Woolas, former Labour minister, dies of brain cancer aged 66
The former Labour MP minister Phil Woolas has died of brain cancer, his family and close friends have announced,Woolas, 66, was elected to parliament to represent Oldham East and Saddleworth as part of Labour’s landslide victory in the 1997 general election,He remained in Westminster for New Labour’s entire 13-year stretch in power,In government, Woolas held several ministerial roles, including being the minister of state for local government, the environment, and borders and immigration, positions that he held sequentially until Labour’s fall from power,In a statement announcing his death on Saturday, his family and close friends said: “For more than a year he battled the brain cancer glioblastoma.
He leaves his wife, Tracey, his sons, Josh and Jed, and a new grandson, and many friends and former colleagues who will all miss him greatly.”Tributes were also paid to Woolas by the two prime ministers he served under as an MP.Tony Blair described him as “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”.“I remember and deeply appreciate his support to me over the years, through the good times and the bad,” said Blair.“My deepest condolences to the wonderful Tracey and to their sons, Josh and Jed, and all their wider family.
”Gordon Brown said: “Phil Woolas was a brilliant MP, a highly effective minister and a very generous and popular friend who fought a brave struggle against an incurable cancer and will be sorely missed,“My thoughts are with his devoted wife Tracey and the whole family,”Woolas joined the Labour party when he was 16, and was a member of the Anti-Nazi League during his youth,Between 1984 and 1986 he was the president of the National Union of Students, a position held by many future politicians, including current the Labour health secretary, Wes Streeting,Prior to becoming an MP, Woolas worked in television, including as a producer for BBC Newsnight and Channel 4 News.
He also acted as the head of communications at the trade union GMB.After leaving politics in 2010, he set up his own political lobbying firm, and served as the chair of the Ace Centre, a charity based in Oldham that provided assistive technology for disabled people with communication issues.During his final ministerial position, Woolas was criticised for his proposal that Gurkhas, soldiers from Nepal who served in the British army during major conflicts, would only be able to settle in Britain if they met a number of conditions, such as 20 years of military service.After a campaign by high profile figures, including the actor Joanna Lumley, the government announced that Gurkhas who served four or more years in the army would be allowed to settle in the UK.While he retained his seat in the 2010 electoral 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 the election campaign.
Labour retained the seat in the subsequent by-election,
Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper: ‘Making decisions based on what the US do or say doesn’t feel like sensible foreign policy’
Firing Peter Mandelson, convening with Marco Rubio – then handling the fallout of conflict in the Middle East… it’s been a busy time for the secretary of state, and our writer has had a ringside seatBefore Yvette Cooper joins me in a plush side room at the Foreign Office, an aide comes in and draws the heavy curtains. Outside is Horse Guards Parade. I can see a strip of Downing Street, a patch of the No 10 garden, daffodils in bloom. I say that it’s a shame to block the light on such a beautiful spring afternoon. The aide coughs, embarrassed, and explains that it’s actually for security
‘Could be the making of him’: Starmer’s allies praise stance on Trump and Iran
It is not often that Keir Starmer’s allies believe he has Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch on the run – but on Iran, they think he is on the right side of history and public opinion.“It could be the making of him,” said Emily Thornberry, the Labour chair of the foreign affairs committee, who was first out of the blocks to say she thought Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran were illegal. “You’ve not had a British prime minister say no to an American president since Vietnam. This is a big deal.”Since the drawn-out disasters of Iraq and Afghanistan, the prospect of helping the US attempt to facilitate regime change in another foreign country has been deeply unpopular with the public
Rachel Reeves to set out extra support for UK households facing surge in heating oil costs
Rachel Reeves will set out extra support next week for households across the UK facing a surge in the cost of heating oil due to the conflict in the Middle East.The chancellor is expected to set out plans to assist those on low incomes or with other vulnerabilities, particularly in rural areas. The help will be delivered in England via councils using the new crisis and resilience fund.While the amounts involved have not yet been set out, it is understood that ministers could provide extra support to this fund if needed. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, devolved governments will receive money to deliver the help
Starmer says government will step in if fuel companies rip off customers as trade body U-turns on decision not to meet Reeves – as it happened
The PA news agency has reported that the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) will attend the meeting with chancellor Rachel Reeves today, shortly after it said it had withdrawn earlier this afternoon.The PRA has deleted a series of posts on X in which it said it had pulled out over concerns that “inflammatory language” from ministers had led to retail staff being abused by the public.That’s all from us on the UK politics live blog, thanks for following along. Here is a recap of today’s developments:Prime minister Keir Starmer said the government “will step in” if fuel companies “try to rip off customers”. He issued the statement ahead of a Downing Street meeting between chancellor Rachel Reeves and petrol retailers to warn against profiteering amid the Iran war
Starmer may face more resignations after release of Mandelson WhatsApp messages, say sources
Keir Starmer could suffer further resignations when ministerial WhatsApp messages are published in the next tranche of the Peter Mandelson files, senior government sources have told the Guardian.With officials bracing for the subsequent releases – expected to include informal communications alongside formal messages like those in the first batch – Starmer apologised again on Thursday over his handling of Mandelson’s appointment, saying: “It was me that made a mistake, and it’s me that makes the apology to the victims of [Jeffrey] Epstein, and I do that.”The disclosures are not expected to be released for several weeks and are still to be fully collated. They will then be examined by the intelligence and security committee of MPs and peers, which will judge which are safe to release on national security grounds.The releases were forced by a parliamentary motion passed by the Conservatives after Mandelson was sacked just nine months into his job as US ambassador after new details emerged about his ties to Epstein
In linking Iran to Russia, Healey could be laying ground for hard choices ahead
After a week or so of wearing media coverage about the deterioration of the Anglo-American relationship and the belated decision to deploy Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon to Cyprus, it was time to move the conversation on.On a visit to the UK’s permanent military headquarters in Northwood, north-west London, the defence secretary, John Healey, asked two senior British military officers if there was “any sign of a link between Russia and Iran” in the sprawling conflict that has suddenly engulfed the Middle East.It was obvious Healey knew what answer he was going to get. The night before, it emerged, an unspecified number of drones had struck a coalition base, used by British and other anti-Islamic State forces, in Erbil, northern Iraq. Though there are no reports of serious casualties, it was a relatively rare hit on a western target
Apple cuts China App Store commission fees after government pressure
Anthropic-Pentagon battle shows how big tech has reversed course on AI and war
AI toys for young children must be more tightly regulated, say researchers
‘IG is a drug’: jury to deliberate as US trial over social media addiction wraps up
Google’s former Europe boss close to becoming next head of BBC, sources say
Lincolnshire council approves AI datacentre despite emissions warnings