Former BBC Newsnight and Channel 4 News producer Phil Woolas, who later became a Labour minister under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, has died aged 66 after a battle with brain cancer.
Tributes have been paid to the former Oldham East and Saddleworth MP, with Blair describing him as an “outstanding member of the New Labour government” and a colleague admired for his humour and political insight.
A statement from his family and close friends confirmed that Woolas died in the early hours of Saturday after fighting glioblastoma for more than a year.
The statement said: “Phil Woolas, former Labour MP and minister, has died aged 66. 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.
“Before entering Parliament, Phil was NUS president, TV producer and GMB union communications director. He served as MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth from 1997 to 2010, and a minister in both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s governments – appointed successively: whip, deputy leader of the Commons, local government minister, environment minister and immigration minister.”
Born in Scunthorpe in 1959, Woolas moved to the North West as a child and grew up in Burnley, attending Nelson Grammar School before studying philosophy at the University of Manchester.
While at university he became active in student politics and went on to serve as president of the National Union of Students from 1984 to 1986.
Before entering Parliament he built a career in media and communications, working as a television producer on BBC Newsnight between 1988 and 1990 and later at ITN’s Channel 4 News. He later became head of communications at the GMB trade union, a role he held from 1991 until his election to Parliament.
Woolas was first elected as Labour MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth in the 1997 general election. During his parliamentary career he rose through government ranks, serving as a whip from 2001 and later as Deputy Leader of the House of Commons.
Between 2003 and 2007 he was Minister of State for Local Government, before moving to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in 2007 as Environment Minister with responsibility for climate change, energy and sustainable development.
In 2008 he was appointed Minister of State for Borders and Immigration, serving jointly at the Home Office and HM Treasury.
His time at the Home Office included a widely reported confrontation with actor Joanna Lumley during a press conference over the rights of Gurkhas to settle in the UK.
Following Labour’s defeat at the 2010 general election, Woolas briefly held the shadow immigration brief under Ed Miliband.
However, his parliamentary career ended in controversy later that year when an election court ruled he had breached campaign rules during the 2010 general election contest in Oldham East and Saddleworth.
After leaving Parliament in 2011, Woolas moved into consultancy, establishing his own political and risk advisory work and becoming involved in environmental consultancy.
The statement from his family and friends added: “From 2011 onwards, Phil set up and ran his own political and risk consultancy. For more than 25 years, Phil was the chair of The Ace Centre, an Oldham charity helping people with communication difficulties, that he led to become a national charity leader in assistive technology for severely disabled people.”
Paying tribute, former prime minister Tony Blair said: “Phil was 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. My deepest condolences to the wonderful Tracey and to their sons, Josh and Jed, and all their wider family.”
