Phil Woolas, a former Labour MP and government minister, has died aged 66 after a more than year-long battle with glioblastoma brain cancer.

A statement from his family and close friends announced: "Phil Woolas, former Labour MP and minister, has died aged 66. For more than a year he battled the brain cancer, glioblastoma. He leaves his wife Tracey, his sons Josh and Jed and a new grandson, and many friends and former colleagues who will all miss him greatly."

Woolas died early this morning, March 14, 2026, in the constituency he once represented.

Born on December 11, 1959, in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, Woolas attended Nelson Grammar School and studied philosophy at the Victoria University of Manchester. He joined the Labour Party at age 16 and served as president of the National Union of Students from 1984 to 1986. Before entering Parliament, he worked as a television producer for BBC's Newsnight and ITN's Channel 4 News, and later as head of communications for the GMB trade union.

Elected as MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth in Labour's 1997 landslide, Woolas held several junior ministerial roles. He served as parliamentary private secretary in 1999, a whip in 2001, Lord Commissioner of the Treasury from 2002 to 2003, and deputy leader of the House of Commons from 2003 to 2005. He was minister for social exclusion in 2005-2006, minister of state for local government until 2007, and minister of state for the environment at Defra from 2007 to 2008, overseeing climate change and energy policy. From 2008 to 2010, he was minister of state for borders and immigration.

During his time at the Home Office, Woolas faced public scrutiny when actress Joanna Lumley confronted him at a live press conference over Gurkha veterans' rights to settle in the UK. His initial proposals required 20 years of service, but following pressure, the government reduced it to four years.

Woolas's political career ended dramatically in 2010. He narrowly retained his seat by 103 votes, but an election court ruled he had made false statements about his Liberal Democrat rival, Elwyn Watkins, including misleading claims about Islamist links and foreign donations. The court voided the result under the Representation of the People Act 1983, disqualifying him from office for three years. Labour lost the subsequent by-election.

After politics, Woolas worked as a director for environmental consultancy Boothwood Partners and political lobbying firm Wellington Street Partners. He also chaired the Ace Centre, a charity in Oldham aiding disabled people with communication technology, for over 25 years.

Tributes poured in from across politics. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair described Woolas as "an outstanding member of the New Labour government." Gordon Brown also led tributes to the minister who served in both their administrations.

Woolas's death marks the end of a contentious yet influential chapter in New Labour history.