Former Labour minister and crossbench peer Frank Field has died aged 81, his family has announced.
A statement from Field’s family, issued by his parliamentary office, said he had passed away at 81 following a period of illness.
The statement added: “He will be mourned by admirers across politics but above all he will be greatly missed by those lucky enough to have enjoyed his laughter and friendship.”
Field disclosed he was terminally ill in October 2020 and had spent time in a hospice.
A statement from his family added: “Through a long battle with cancer, Frank Field remained resilient and engaged with life until the end. He will be enormously missed by his family and wide circle of friends.”
Field was director of the Child Poverty Action Group between 1969 and 1979 and was then MP for Birkenhead from 1979 to 2019, first as a Labour MP then, towards the end of his career, as an independent.
Field served as minister for welfare reform in Tony Blair's first government in 1997 with the remit of "thinking the unthinkable". But he fell out with his fellow ministers and resigned a little over a year later.
He chaired the work and pensions committee from 2015 but lost this role when he lost his Birkenhead seat at the 2019 general election after more than four decades as an MP.
He had resigned the Labour party whip in August 2018 citing an "appalling culture" in its ranks and stood as a candidate for the newly-formed Birkenhead Social Justice Party.
As chairman of the committee, he launched a number of inquiries into defined benefit schemes and The Pensions Regulator’s powers.
He was also at the forefront of lobbying the Financial Conduct Authority to ban contingent charging on defined benefit transfers.
He was made a peer in August 2020 and he sat in the House of Lords as a crossbencher.
Former pensions minister Steve Webb took to social media to say: “Very sorry to read of the death of Frank Field. He will be remembered for many things but as well as encouraging me early in my career I think of his work in defence of BHS pension scheme members which made a huge difference.”
Likewise, Labour MP Angela Eagle said in a post on X: “Very sad news. Always supportive of me as his Parliamentary neighbour, brimming with ideas to make society better - a great champion of his Birkenhead constituents: RIP Frank.”
amy.austin@ft.com
