NI Politicians Pay Tribute To Tony Benn

Some Northern Ireland politicians have expressed sadness at the news that former Labour MP and left-wing campaigner Tony Benn has died at the age of 88.

Mr Benn became an MP in November 1950, serving under Harold Wilson and James Callaghan.

He became a major figure among the more left wing members of the party and narrowly missed out on the deputy leadership in 1981.

He was a popular anti-war campaigner and a vocal supporter of left-wing and working class movements.

Deputy First Minister Marting McGuinness took to Twitter this morning to express his sadness. "So sad. Our dear friend Tony Benn has died. He was a wonderful politician, a gentle soul, a peacemaker. The Irish People had no truer friend," the Sinn Féin politician tweeted.

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams said: "It was with a great sadness that I learned of Tony Benn's passing this morning. Tony was a true friend of the Irish people.

"A principled politician and activist, he spoke up passionately for the idea of a united Ireland. He remained an avid supporter of Irish freedom throughout his life. Tony was a champion of the downtrodden and the voiceless in Britain, in Ireland and throughout the world.

"I met Tony many times over the years. He was a thoughtful and highly intelligent human being and a genuinely nice man, whom I will greatly miss."

SDLP Foyle MP Mark Durkan said Tony Benn was "passionate in his politics, compassionate in his outlook and compelling in debate.

"For him politics was a battle of ideas, not a contest of image," he said.

"He was always ready to argue issues on the basis of the interests at play and the rights at stake. Articulate in his own ideology, he also appreciated when others argued in terms of clear ideas – even when he disagreed with them.

"He was no longer an MP when I entered the Commons, but you always noticed the mood and the word that spread among parliamentary staff when he came into the House. It was clear that they all had lots of reasons to hold him in special regard and it was also clear that they enjoyed mutual esteem from this pillar of parliament and champion of workers."

(IT)