11/08/2005

Labour to hold memorial for Robin Cook

The Labour Party are to organise a memorial event in remembrance of former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook who died last weekend.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said that the memorial would give those who knew Mr Cook the opportunity to “remember and celebrate his work for the party and the country.”

Mr Cook, the MP for Livingston, collapsed last Saturday while walking with his wife, Gaynor, in the Scottish Highlands.

A post-mortem revealed that the 59-year-old died of hypertensive heart disease.

Announcing the memorial event on Thursday, Mr Prescott said: “Robin’s death has shocked and saddened Labour party members and supporters at home and abroad. Because Robin had been an MP for over 30 years and had worked so extensively with sister parties in Europe, many people have contacted the party in recent days to share their memories of him and pay tribute to his achievements.

“There will be many tributes paid to Robin in the coming months. It is important that such an important figure in the Labour movement is officially remembered by the party to which he contributed so much.”

Robin Cook’s funeral will take place on Friday at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh.

(KMcA/SP)

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