Gwyneth Dunwoody: The Times obituary

Gwyneth Dunwoody, the longest-serving female member of Parliament, died last night at the age of 77.

The Labour MP, a stalwart with a reputation for speaking her mind, was known for being a fierce and independent advocate of investment in public transport.

Her death leaves the Labour Party facing a by-election in Crewe and Nantwich at a time when Gordon Brown, faced with disastrous figures in the opinion polls, can ill afford it.

Ms Dunwoody held her seat with a majority of 7,078. If the Labour Party were to lose such a safe seat it would further undermine Mr Brown’s leadership.

The Prime Minister led the tributes to Ms Dunwoody, saying she would be sadly missed. “She was always her own person. She was fiercely independent. She was politics at its best — a great parliamentarian.”

David Dunwoody, one of the divorcée’s three children, said his mother had been ill for about a week and died in hospital “in a gentle and calm way”. He said she was a believer in “peaceful persuasion” and believed passionately in everything she did. She was a woman who stood up and said what she believed was true and defended those who did not have many people to defend them,” he told the BBC. “And she stood up for her principles. She was a wonderful woman.”

One of the most senior backbenchers in Parliament and the chairwoman of the powerful Transport Select Committee, Ms Dunwoody had been a loyal member of the Labour Party since she joined it in 1946.

She gained headlines around the world in 1998 when she urged the return of the original Winnie the Pooh toys from New York to the British Museum after she said that she “detected sadness” in their display behind bulletproof glass. She clashed with Rudolph Giuliani, the Mayor of New York, and even tried to involve Tony Blair.

She was a member of an established political dynasty — her father, Morgan Phillips, was general secretary of the Labour Party, and her mother, Norah Phillips, was a life peer.

A Labour Party spokeswoman said: “Gwyneth was a stalwart Labour MP much loved by not only her family and friends, but also by her constituents and the wider Labour movement.”

Caroline Spelman, the Conservative Party chairman, said: “Gwyneth Dunwoody’s passing is a moment of great sadness for parliamentary democracy. The longest-serving female MP’s independence of mind was greatly respected across all parties in Parliament. To many, Gwyneth was a kindly matriarch in the House and her warm personality and powerful rhetoric will be sorely missed.”

Mandy Park, who served as Ms Dunwoody’s constituency chairwoman for 15 years until 2005, said: “She was a marvellous constituency MP and she will be sadly missed by everyone.”

Harriet Harman, deputy leader of the Labour Party and leader of the House of Commons, said: “Gwyneth is a great loss. She was an outstanding politician and a champion in the fight for social justice.

“She was a strong parliamentarian and a committed campaigner who was admired and feared in equal measure. I will sorely miss her. We shall not see her like again.”

Tony Benn, the former Labour minister, said that he was shocked by the news.

He said: “She was an independent-minded woman who always spoke her mind and will be badly missed. She was a very remarkable woman and a very powerful Member of Parliament.

“She was very strong on certain questions. She took a very independent stance on the European Union and was respected by the House. She was listened to with great attention from the House itself.”

On Sunday a YouGov survey suggested that Mr Brown’s personal ratings had fallen farther and faster than any British leader since Neville Chamberlain in the 1930s. The poll placed Labour at 28 per cent, trailing the Conservatives on 44 per cent.

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