Sir Lindsay Hoyle has led tributes to his father, the former Labour MP and 'truly dedicated parliamentarian' Lord Doug Hoyle, who has died aged 98. The veteran politician served as MP for Nelson and Colne from 1974 to 1979 and for Warrington from 1981 to 1997 before being ennobled as Lord Hoyle.
Announcing his father's death, the Commons Speaker said he had been 'a force to be reckoned with'. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer described him as 'a tenacious campaigner'. Lord Hoyle first ran for office in Clitheroe in 1964, before narrowly winning Nelson and Colne in October 1974 after two previous defeats.
He lost his seat in 1979 but returned to Parliament as Warrington's MP two years later, representing the Cheshire town for 16 years. After being made a life peer in 1997, he chaired Warrington Wolves rugby league side from 1999 to 2009.
Sir Lindsay said: 'There are few people who get to my age with their father still around, but I have been one of the lucky ones. His death has left me bereft; I have lost my dad, my inspiration.' He added that his father 'loved his sport' and had held his position as Wolves chairman 'with great passion and honour'.
Alongside his parliamentary service, Lord Hoyle chaired the Parliamentary Labour Party and two trade unions. Sir Keir Starmer noted his roles as a trade unionist, co-founder of Labour Friends of Israel, and a 'Warrington Wolves fanatic', saying: 'Above everything, he was a family man.'
