Former Labour minister Sir George Howarth has died at the age of 77. The former Merseyside MP, first elected in 1986, was honored by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for his 'lifetime of public service'.
Sir George served as a parliamentary under-secretary in the Home Office from 1997 to 1999 and then in the Northern Ireland Office from 1999 to 2001. Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle described Sir George's death as 'another sad loss' to the chamber.
Elected to Parliament in 1986, Sir George represented Knowsley and was known for his significant majorities, including achieving 85 percent of the vote in the 2017 general election. He served for more than four decades before his retirement in 2024. He was knighted in 2019 for services to Parliament.
During his tenure, Sir George was selected three times as a temporary deputy speaker. In 2011, he advocated for increased government research into Type 1 diabetes, inspired by his daughter Sian, who died that year at the age of 24 from complications related to the condition. He also supported Owen Smith in his 2016 bid for the Labour leadership.
Sir George announced his intention to retire at the last general election and was succeeded by Anneliese Midgley. Sir Lindsay Hoyle extended condolences to Sir George's wife, Julie, and his family and friends, noting his significant contributions as a politician.