Ann Clwyd: Former Labour MP for Cynon Valley dies

Former Labour MP Ann Clwyd has died astatine the property of 86.

She represented the Cynon Valley constituency for 35 years, and became the oldest pistillate to beryllium successful the House of Commons earlier lasting down successful 2019.

The erstwhile BBC writer served arsenic an MEP earlier she was archetypal elected arsenic an MP successful a 1984 by-election.

She held galore governmental posts including shadiness caput of authorities for Wales, and chairwoman of the Parliamentary Labour Party.

In 1994, she staged a sit-in astatine Tower Colliery, adjacent Hirwaun, Rhondda Cynon Taf, successful protestation astatine British Coal's determination to adjacent the pit.

The miners were fixed the go-ahead to re-open the colliery the pursuing year, aft pooling their redundancy wealth to instrumentality it over. It continued producing ember until 2008.

She was Tony Blair's peculiar envoy successful Iraq and she campaigned connected the NHS pursuing the decease of her hubby Owen Roberts successful 2012.

Cardiff Central Labour MP Jo Stevens tweeted that Ms Clwyd "was a trailblazer for women, not conscionable successful Wales but crossed the UK and abroad".

She said Ms Clwyd was "determined, passionate, fierce and stood her ground".

"Ann was besides precise kind, comic and loyal to her galore friends and constituents," she added.

"I'll miss her. She was 1 of a kind."

Andrew RT Davies, Welsh Conservative Senedd radical leader, said helium was "saddened to perceive of the passing of Ann Clwyd".

"A formidable figure, she ne'er shied distant from warring for her beliefs, lasting connected rule nary substance who that whitethorn person upset," helium tweeted.

"She was a passionate servant of the radical of the Cynon Valley and volition beryllium profoundly missed."

Welsh Health Minister Eluned Morgan said Ms Clwyd was a "pioneer and the lone governmental pistillate relation exemplary for women successful Wales implicit a agelong period".

"She was a existent extremist and was inspired by her aboriginal years serving arsenic a Euro MP earlier going connected to marque a important interaction successful Westminster," she tweeted.

Councillor Andrew Morgan, Labour person of Rhondda Cynon Taf council, said Ms Clwyd was "as crisp arsenic ever" erstwhile they past met earlier Christmas.

"Very atrocious to perceive Ann Clwyd has passed distant implicit night," helium tweeted.

"Ann was hugely supportive of myself since I entered politics. I considered Ann a bully person and idiosyncratic who was passionate to assistance others."

Beth Winter, who took implicit Ms Clwyd arsenic Labour MP for Cynon Valley, said her "thoughts are with her household and friends astatine this hard time".

"Her enactment implicit truthful galore years for women's rights, planetary justness and the miners volition beryllium remembered," she wrote.

In a tweet, Carwyn Jones, erstwhile archetypal curate and Member of the Senedd said: "Ann served her constituency faithfully for truthful galore years. My thoughts are precise overmuch with her family."

Analysis, by BBC Wales Political Editor Gareth Lewis

They don't marque them similar that immoderate more.

A condemnation person who managed to basal up for those adjacent to location and those abroad; to emergence to positions of seniority successful her party, but not fto that get successful the mode of what she thought was right.

Despite the scrapes and the high-profile interests further afield, to idiosyncratic with Cynon Valley heritage, location seemed closest to her heart:

And connected a idiosyncratic level she was large amusive to interrogation - woe betide you if you weren't wholly connected your game.