Jack Dromey: Memorial gathering held in Erdington constituency

Hundreds of people have gathered to pay tribute to MP Jack Dromey, who died earlier this month.

The 73-year-old shadow minister and member for Erdington died suddenly in his Birmingham constituency flat on 7 January.

Members of the public and politicians gathered together in Erdington earlier to pay their respects.

The Labour leader of Birmingham City Council, Ian Ward, said Mr Dromey would be "really, really missed".

Mr Ward said: "He was a fantastic MP, he stood up for this community both in Parliament, with the city council and elsewhere."

Mr Dromey, who had held his seat since 2010, is survived by his wife, fellow Labour MP Harriet Harman, and his three children.

Born in London in 1948, Mr Dromey made his name in politics through the union movement, as a leading figure in the Transport and General Workers' Union, which later became Unite.

A minute's silence was observed in the House of Commons on 10 January to remember him, with Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle leading MPs in paying tribute.

People across Birmingham have been paying tribute to Mr Dromey, with Perry Barr's Labour MP Khalid Mahmood describing him as a "man of the people".

Jess Phillips, Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, said: "Jack described being an MP as being a vocation and these were the people who were in his flock and these were the people who mattered more to him, more than the fancy friends in Westminster or anything else."

The Conservative group leader on Birmingham City Council, Councillor Robert Alden added: "During the Covid pandemic, Jack worked cross-party with councillors in the constituency and again I think you've seen, from the comments that have been made by people, the regards with which Jack was held in."

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