POLITICAL colleagues and rivals have paid warm tributes to a well-respected former North East MP who has passed away at the age of 82.
Jack Thompson was MP for the rock-solid Labour seat of Wansbeck in Northumberland from 1983 until he stood down before the 1997 general election.
Members of Northumberland County Council observed a minute’s silence in memory of Mr Thompson yesterday, who died in Wansbeck General Hospital, Ashington, last week following a short illness.
He was a member of the county council from 1973 to 1985 and was leader of its Labour administration from 1981 to 1983 before being elected to Parliament.
Father-of-two Mr Thompson, who lived in North Seaton, Ashington, with his wife Margaret, worked as an electrical engineer in local pits before pursuing his career in politics.
He succeeded George Grant as Wansbeck MP when Labour easily held the seat in 1983, and successfully stood for re-election twice in 1987 and 1992, when he had a majority of 18,174 over his Conservative rival.
During his time in Parliament Mr Thompson was a member of the Council of Europe and was chairman of the Northern Group of Labour MPs.
