Tributes have been paid from across the political spectrum, following the death of former Labour leader Michael Foot aged 96.
Mr Foot served as Labour leader from 1980 to 1983 and stayed in the Commons until the 1992 election, retiring after 47 years as a Member of Parliament.
Former Labour leader Michael Foot dies
Today it would be easy to sneer at the Labour Party that Michael Foot led. Their 1983 general election manifesto, which supported unilateral nuclear disarmament, increased personal taxation and greater government interference in industry, was derided by Labour MP Gerald Kaufman, as “the longest suicide note in history” (Labour went on to suffer its biggest defeat since 1918).
And Mr Foot's supposed sartorial inelegance at the Cenotaph during the 1981 Annual Service of Remembrance, still rankles with some people (he was accused of wearing a donkey jacket at the service).
But Mr Foot came over as a man of genuine conviction and a principles - unlike today's politicians, who have prioritised their careers (and expenses) ahead of their beliefs and the needs of their constituents.
RIP.
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