Ex-Labour minister Phil Woolas who was confronted by Joanna Lumley on live TV dies from brain cancer aged 66

The former Labor Secretary, who famously appeared live on television with Joanna Lumley, has died of brain cancer aged 66.

Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown today paid tribute to Phil Woolas, who passed away on Saturday after a courageous fight against the disease.

The former Oldham East and Saddleworth MP served as a minister in both the Blair and Brown governments.

And today Sir Tony hailed him as a ‘highly respected and admired colleague’.

Mr Brown said: ‘Phil Woolas was a brilliant MP, a hugely effective minister and a very generous and popular friend who fought a brave battle against an incurable cancer and he will be greatly missed.’

In 2009, while serving as Immigration Minister, national treasure Ms Lumley confronted the Brown government live on television over plans to restrict the rights of retired Gurkhas to settle in the UK.

At the time, Ms Lumley was leading the Gurkhas Campaign for Justice, which was fighting against the Government’s plans.

While serving as Immigration Minister in 2009, Mr Woolas (right) confronted Joanna Lumley (left) on television over the Brown government’s plans to restrict the rights of retired Gurkhas to settle in the UK.

But after the confrontation he said: ‘I have just met Mr Woolas and I am relieved again; because I know we will assist Mr. Woolas in establishing the strongest possible guidelines.’

Former NUS president and TV producer Mr Woolas, who was first elected in the Blair landslide in 1997, represented his seat of Oldham for 13 years.

He won the seat again in the 2010 general election, but in an extraordinary legal battle a rarely-convened election tribunal ruled he had lied about his Liberal Democrat opponent and his victory was declared invalid.

Mr Woolas admitted one of the election leaflets was ‘too close to the wind’ but insisted he did not believe he had misled anyone.

In the statement attributed to his family and close friends, announcing his death yesterday, it was stated that he was ‘fighting brain cancer, glioblastoma’.

It said: ‘Former Labor MP and minister Phil Woolas has died aged 66.

‘He battled glioblastoma, a brain cancer, for over a year.

‘He leaves behind his wife Tracey, sons Josh and Jed, his new grandchild and many friends and former colleagues who will miss him greatly.

‘Phil was NUS president, TV producer and GMB union communications director before entering Parliament.

‘He was MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth from 1997 to 2010 and was a minister in both the Tony Blair and Gordon Brown governments; Appointed in the order of: whip, deputy speaker of the House of Commons, local government minister, environment minister and immigration minister.’

After his political career ended, he founded and managed his own political and risk consultancy in 2011.

His family added that he had been chairman of Oldham charity The Ace Centre, which helped people with communication difficulties, for more than 25 years.

The Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, also paid tribute to Mr Woolas and expressed his condolences to his family.