Phil Woolas, former Labour minister, dies of brain cancer aged 66

Former Oldham East and Saddleworth MP remained in Westminster for New Labour’s entire 13 years in power

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.