LABOUR Party veteran Sir Tony Lloyd has died aged 73, his family confirmed.
The MP for Rochdale, who had served as a politician across Greater Manchester for over 40 years, passed away “peacefully and was surrounded by his family”.
PASir Tony Lloyd has passed away[/caption]
Who was Sir Tony Lloyd?
Sir Anthony Joseph Lloyd was a British Labour Party politician and Member of Parliament.
He was born on February 25, 1950, in Stretford.
He attended Stretford Grammar School for Boys and then went on to gain a degree in mathematics from the University of Nottingham in 1972.
Lloyd then became a lecturer in Business Studies at the University of Salford before venturing into politics.
In January 2023, he revealed that he was undergoing chemotherapy after a recent cancer diagnosis.
Based on medical advice, he said he would not participate in parliamentary sessions or attend face-to-face functions to socially isolate himself.
On January 11, 2024, Lloyd announced that he had chosen to finish with hospital treatment.
In a statement, he said he had been treated for blood cancer and had received chemotherapy.
“Unfortunately this has now transformed into an aggressive and untreatable form of leukaemia,” the 73-year-old said.
He asked for “privacy for both myself and my family at this time
On January 17, 2024, Lloyd died in the early morning from his cancer.
The family described him as “our beloved ‘Joe,’ ‘Dad’ and ‘Grandad’.
In a statement posted on X, they added: “He died peacefully this morning surrounded by his family, as was his wish.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer paid tribute, writing: “The death of Sir Tony Lloyd today is a terrible loss.
“I know the entire Labour Party, and many beyond the Party, join me in sending our deepest condolences to Tony’s wife, Judith, his children, Siobhan, Angharad, Kieron and Ali, and his granddaughters, Carmen and Carys.”
How did Sir Tony Lloyd get into politics?
The Lancashire-born politician was first elected to Parliament in 1983 when he succeeded Winston Churchill.
In 1997, he switched to the Manchester Central seat during the general election.
Sir Tony served as a Foreign Office minister for two years in Sir Tony Blair‘s first New Labour government.
He was elected as Greater Manchester’s inaugural Police and Crime Commissioner in 2012 and then became the region’s interim mayor in 2015.
He stood to be Labour’s candidate for the 2017 election for Greater Manchester mayor.
He returned to the House of Commons as MP for Rochdale at the 2017 general election.
There, he went on to become shadow Northern Ireland secretary under Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
In April 2020, he was replaced by Louise Haigh after being admitted to hospital with Covid-19.
Was Sir Tony Lloyd married and does he have any children?
Lloyd married his wife Judith Tear in 1974.
Together, they had three daughters and a son.
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