Jeremy Heywood RIP

Tributes have been paid from all over the political spectrum to Lord Heywood, who retired last month on health grounds as Cabinet Secretary and died yesterday of cancer at the age of 56.

He had been at the heart of government under four prime ministers - Blair, Brown, Cameron and May.

The present Prime Minister Theresa May said,

“He worked tirelessly to serve our country in the finest traditions of the civil service and he is a huge loss to British public life. I will always be grateful for the support which he gave me personally and will remember his achievements across his career as we regret that he did not have the chance to offer his talents for longer in retirement.” 

Heywood's successor as cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill, said his predecessor was “the exemplary public servant” and described his sense of personal loss. “We will miss him more than we can say, and will be the poorer without his advice, leadership and extraordinary insight,” he said.

Among one of the most moving reactions came from the Labour MP Yvette Cooper, a former Treasury minister, who paid a tearful tribute to Heywood on Sky News as the news of his death broke on Sunday.

“People will not be aware of quite how many remarkable things he did to steady crises, deal with some of the most difficult problems and as a very honourable public servant, to hold people together and to make sure the government frankly did not do stupid things on many occasions,” she said. “His contribution to public life for all governments, whatever your politics, was immense, and we owe him a debt of gratitude”

Rest in Peace.

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