Former Labour minister George Howarth dies at the age of 77

Published: 17:03, 6 July 2026 | Updated: 17:04, 6 July 2026 Former Labour minister Sir George Howarth has died at the age of 77 The former Merseyside MP, first elected in 1986, was praised by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for 'a lifetime of public service'. A father-of-three, Sir George was previously a minister under Sir Tony Blair, serving as a parliamentary under-secretary in the Home Office from 1997 to 1999. He then did the same job in the Northern Ireland Office, after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, from 1999 to 2001. Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said Sir George's death was 'another sad loss' to the chamber, adding he had campaigned for the late MP himself in the 1986 by-election which first saw him elected. 'Tragically, George got a bad back but we did have a big majority at the end of it,' Sir Lindsay said. Sir George was initially elected with a majority of more than 6,500, later achieving 85 per cent of the vote and a majority of more than 42,000 in Knowsley at the 2017 general election. During his time in Parliament he was chosen three times as a temporary deputy speaker while new officeholders were elected, though he never stood for election to the chair himself. Sir George Howarth, who has died, served for more than four decades as an MP before his retirement in 2024 He was knighted in 2019 for services to Parliament, two years after being re-elected in Knowsley with 85 per cent of the vote In 2011 his daughter Sian died aged 24 following complications from Type 1 diabetes at the same time as the Labour party conference was being held in Liverpool. Sir George had credited his daughter with helping him prepare for a parliamentary debate on Type 1 diabetes issues, in which he urged the government to boost research. In 2016 he supported Owen Smith in his unsuccessful challenge to Jeremy Corbyn for the Labour leadership. Three years later, Sir George was knighted for services to Parliament in the 2019 Birthday Honours. He announced plans to retire at the last general election and was replaced by Anneliese Midgley. Speaking on Monday, Sir Lindsay said: 'Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Julie, and wider family and friends. 'He was a great politician and it is another sad loss to this House.'