Death announced of Sheffield MP Harry Harpham

Mr Harpham had been receiving treatment for cancer but had spoken in Parliament as recently as two weeks ago despite his illness.

The former miner who went on to become deputy leader of Sheffield City Council succeeded Lord Blunkett as Sheffield Brightside MP after the former Home Secretary stood down at the General Election last May.

Mr Corbyn said: ““The news of the death of Harry Harpham is extremely sad and I send my deepest condolences to his family.

“Harry was a proud socialist who had also been a proud miner.

Interview: Harry Harpham spoke to The Yorkshire Post’s Westminster correspondent Kate Proctor in January about his fight with cancer.

Harry Harpham’s maiden speech in the Commons

“He was dedicated to justice for working people and despite the undoubted hardship that his support for the miners’ strike would have caused him, as it did many thousands of miners, Harry recently told me he would have done it all again.

“Harry was able to use his background and experience in energy to serve Labour in the Shadow Department for Energy and Climate Change and I was proud that he agreed to serve in our team.

“To the very end he was fighting for working people in parliament. What a decent man he was and he will be sadly missed by all his friends in the Labour Party.”

Mr Harpham was elected to the Commons last May but just few months into his parliamentary career he was diagnosed with cancer, beginning treatment in November.

Speaking last month to The Yorkshire Post, Mr Harpham said: “I will be the last deep coal miner ever elected to this place, there will be no more coal miners to follow me because there will be no more pits.

“I’m very proud of where I’ve got to, because I left school without any qualifications at all.”

A statement from his office said: “A proud socialist who had campaigned against apartheid in his younger years, Harry will be greatly missed in Sheffield and in Westminster.”

His last contribution to the Commons was to challenge the Government over the loss of jobs at Sheffield Forgemasters and the problems facing the UK steel industry.

Mr Harpham is survived by his wife Gill, their five children and a grandchild.

Funeral arrangements have yet to be made.

Commons Speaker John Bercow described him as a diligent Member of Parliament who as recently as January 20 held Prime Minister David Cameron to account in the Commons.

The Speaker said the 61-year-old informed him of his illness a few weeks ago and at first fought it bravely before bearing it “with stoicism and fortitude”.

At the beginning of Friday’s Commons proceedings, Mr Bercow said: “Harry was a diligent constituency Member of Parliament, holding the executive to account on behalf of his constituents.

“Most recently, on Wednesday January 20, he asked the Prime Minister what support the Government was providing to world-class companies such as Sheffield Forgemasters.

“I must tell the House that Harry informed me a few weeks ago of his circumstances.

“Let it be recorded that he first fought bravely his illness and then bore it with stoicism and fortitude, continuing to battle on behalf of his constituents to the very end.

“Harry will be sadly missed by us all and our thoughts are with Harry’s wife Gill and the wider family at this very sad time.”

Mr Harpham was asked to stand for election after Lord Blunkett announced he was standing down, and won the seat with a majority of 13,807.

His political career began as a committed trade unionist member of the NUM who stood firm on the picket line during the miners’ strike at the Nottinghamshire pit where he worked.

After becoming an MP he was appointed a parliamentary aide to shadow energy secretary Lisa Nandy.

Mr Harpham was diagnosed with cancer after his party’s autumn conference last year and was treated in hospital a short time later.

South Yorkshire’s police and crime commissioner Dr Alan Billings said: “I was very distressed to hear that Harry had died. We knew he was ill, but the suddenness of his death has been a great shock.

“Although Harry had only been MP for Brightside and Hillsborough for a very short period, he had already been incredibly busy on behalf of constituents. He was in touch quite recently to arrange for us both to walk the beat of some city centre Police Community Support Officers, whose work he championed.

“Harry, as a former miner at Clipstone Colliery, was one of that very rare breed - a genuinely working class MP. Harry always had a friendly and cheerful smile. He will be greatly missed by his many friends both in the Labour Party and the city.”

Interview: Harry Harpham spoke to The Yorkshire Post’s Westminster correspondent Kate Proctor in January about his fight with cancer.