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MP Gwyneth Dunwoody dies aged 77 MP Gwyneth Dunwoody dies aged 77
(39 minutes later)
Veteran Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody - the longest-serving female MP in Parliament - has died at the age of 77. Veteran Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody, the longest-serving female MP in Parliament, has died at the age of 77.
Mrs Dunwoody, MP for Crewe and Nantwich since 1974, had been ill for the past week, her son said.Mrs Dunwoody, MP for Crewe and Nantwich since 1974, had been ill for the past week, her son said.
Gordon Brown described her as "politics at its best" and said she would be sadly missed. Prime Minister Gordon Brown described her as "politics at its best" and said she would be sadly missed.
As well as chairing the transport select committee, Ms Dunwoody was known as a prominent and much admired fighter for backbenchers' rights. As well as chairing the transport select committee, Ms Dunwoody was known as a prominent and much-admired fighter for backbenchers' rights.
Leading the tributes, the prime minister said: "So many people will be so sad to hear of the death of Gwyneth Dunwoody.Leading the tributes, the prime minister said: "So many people will be so sad to hear of the death of Gwyneth Dunwoody.
"She was always her own person. She was fiercely independent.""She was always her own person. She was fiercely independent."
'Wonderful mother'
Ms Dunwoody's son David described his mother as a wonderful mother and grandmother.
He told the BBC that she had died "in a gentle and calm way" on Thursday evening after being ill for about a week.
She was an independent-minded woman who always spoke her mind and will be badly missed Tony BennShe was an independent-minded woman who always spoke her mind and will be badly missed Tony Benn
'Wonderful mother'
Ms Dunwoody's son David described her as a wonderful mother and grandmother.
He told the BBC she had died "in a gentle and calm way" on Thursday evening after being ill for about a week.
He said: "She was a women who stood up and said what she believed was true. She defended people who didn't have anyone else to defend them.He said: "She was a women who stood up and said what she believed was true. She defended people who didn't have anyone else to defend them.
"Everybody who knew her knew she believed passionately in everything that she did.""Everybody who knew her knew she believed passionately in everything that she did."
Former Labour MP Tony Benn said he was shocked by the news.Former Labour MP Tony Benn said he was shocked by the news.
He said: "She was an independent-minded woman who always spoke her mind and will be badly missed.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.""She was listened to with great attention from the House itself."
Great sadness
From the Conservatives, party chairman Caroline Spelman said: "Gwyneth Dunwoody's passing is a moment of great sadness for parliamentary democracy.
"To many, Gwyneth was a kindly matriarch in the House and her warm personality and powerful rhetoric will be sorely missed."
Ms Dunwoody joined the Labour Party in 1946 and first entered Parliament as the MP for Exeter in 1966. She came from a politically active family: both her grandmothers were suffragettes and her father Morgan Phillips was General Secretary of the Labour Party.
Her mother was a minister in the House of Lords and later became Lord Lieutenant of London.
From 1967 she was a minister on the former Board of Trade, before losing her seat in 1970. She was elected MP for Crewe in 1974 - which became Crewe and Nantwich in a 1983 boundary change.
She was also a member of the European Parliament from 1974 to 1979.
Thorn in side
Always an independent figure, Mrs Dunwoody was frequently a thorn in the Government's side.
In 2001 she survived an attempt by Labour whips to remove her from the transport select committee - which under her chairmanship often produced highly critical reports.
Backbench Labour MPs refused to support the move when it went to a vote in the Commons.
The Labour MP, Stephen Pound, told the BBC: "The House rose as one to save our Gwyneth."
He said she was an "extraordinary person" and her views always deserved attention.