Tributes to MP with ‘a sense of joy’

The Labour MP for Inverclyde died last week at the age of 44 after becoming ill with acute pancreatitis.

He leaves behind his partner Dermot, father John and brother Billy.

The funeral service took place at St Patrick’s Church in Greenock.

Labour leader Ed Miliband and Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray were in attendance, along with former Chancellor Alistair Darling, ex-Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy and Shadow Scottish Secretary Ann McKechin.

Mr Miliband said: “I think we can see from the great turnout from people here in Greenock, and people from across the political spectrum, the esteem in which David was held.

“It is a tragic loss at such a young age, a tragedy for his family, a bad loss for the Labour Party and he will be very badly missed.

“His blend of principle, warmth and passion for the issues he cared about was a very unusual one.

“He was a pioneer, the first former Catholic priest to sit in Parliament – a law was changed to make it possible for him to enter Parliament.

“He brought a sense of joy and optimism and those things are sometimes in short supply in politics and so it’ll be badly missed.”

Mr Cairns’s death sparks a by-election in Inverclyde where he had a majority of 14,426 in last year’s General Election.