GLOWING tributes from Prime Minister Gordon Brown and figures in the railway industry have been made following the death of veteran Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody, who has died aged 77.

Mrs Dunwoody described as a "friend of the railway industry" was the longest serving female MP in the Commons and as chairman of the Commons transport select committee she was well known to many people in the industry.

She died on Thursday, 17 April, after being ill for about a week.

Known for her independence of spirit and passionate beliefs Mrs Dunwoody, MP for the Crewe and then Crewe and Nantwich seat since 1974, had at times in the past been a strong critic of government policies and in 2001 she survived an attempt by Labour Whips to remove her from the transport select committee.

Backbench Mps refused to support the move when it went to a vote in the Commons.
Gwyneth Dunwoody was said to have been 'born in the Labour Party'. Her father Morgan Phillips was general secretary of the Labour Party and her mother, Norah Phillips, was a life peer. Both her grandmothers were suffragettes.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown led the tributes, saying: "So many people will be sad to hear of the death of Gwyneth Dunwoody. She was always her own person, she was fiercely independent."

Her son David described her as a wonderful mother and grandmother. "She was a woman who stood up and said what she believed to be true."

From the railway industry ASLEF general secretary Keith Norman expressed his "deep sorrow and regret" at her death.

"She was a great friend of the union, a first-class representative for her constituents and someone with a genuine commitment to public transport.
"She was a larger-than-life figure - a massive presence," Keith said. "If Gwyneth was in the room, you knew it.

"We were proud to have Gwyneth as a member of ASLEF's parliamentary group. She was a marvellous spokesperson not only for ASLEF, but for everyone in the rail industry.

"As the chair of the transport committee she never shied away from holding the government to account if she thought they were wrong. She was ferociously independent.

"The House of Commons has lost one of its finest Parliamentarians and the rail unions one of our closest allies.

"She was always ready to fight ASLEF's corner and to represent the voice of train drivers. We offer our sincere condolences to Gwyneth's family. She will be sorely missed."

Keith Heller, chief executive of freight company EWS, said:  "Mrs Dunwoody was an outstanding Member of Parliament.
 
"As chair of the transport select committee she made a major contribution to the development of this sector. 

"Her questioning of those accountable helped to improve every mode of transport, particularly rail.  Her talent was to ask the questions to which the public wanted answers.  This made her a leading Parliamentarian. 

"She was a friend of the railway industry, a great supporter of rail freight and everybody respected her. She will be sadly missed and I pass my sincere condolences to Mrs Dunwoody's family and friends."

Mrs Dunwoody first entered Parliament in 1966 when she was elected MP for Exeter. From 1967 she was a minister in the former Board of Trade, before losing her seat in 1970. She rejoined the Commons in 1974 as MP of railway town Crewe - which became Crewe and Nantwich in a 1983 boundary change.

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