SENIOR Labour figures turned out in force for the funeral of their colleague Paul Goggins today.
Party leader Ed Miliband paid his respects to the late MP at St John’s Catholic Cathedral in Salford along with fellow shadow cabinet figures Ed Balls, Yvette Cooper and Andy Burnham.
Mr Goggins, 60, passed away last week after collapsing while out running with his son on December 30.
Joining MPs from all sides of the Commons at the service were other senior Labour figures David Blunkett, Alan Johnson and Jack Straw.
Well-known Irish businessman John Kennedy and SDLP MP Mark Durkan were also among more than 1,000 mourners who packed into the church.
Speaking before the service, Mr Burnham described his friend and colleague as someone who “did not cosy up to the rich and the powerful”.
“He used what power he had in the service of those with none,” the shadow health secretary added.
Mr Miliband said Mr Goggins was “one of our own and one of our best”.
“Paul was a family man, a man of deep faith and one of the kindest, most decent people I have ever had the privilege of meeting,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mr Durkan paid tribute to Mr Goggins’ work at the Northern Ireland Office, where he was a minister between 2006 and 2010.
“If every MP from different parties had been asked to have a list of their three nicest and wisest MPs, Paul Goggins would be on every one of them, except his own,” he said.
Labour party leader Ed Miliband attended the funeral of his colleague“He was a true gentleman and a very special and caring person. He was sound on issues, good with ideas and true to his ideals.
“As NIO Minister he showed a genuine interest and a real empathy for those his decisions might affect.”
Mr Goggins, who served on the All Party Group for the Irish in Britain, had represented the Manchester constituency of Wythenshawe and Sale East since entering Parliament in 1997.
The father-of-three, who once studied to become a Catholic priest, had also been an unpaid board member of Cafod between 1998 and 2003.
Paying tribute to Mr Goggins, Cafod director and long-time friend Chris Bain said: “With Paul you got what you saw and heard: there were no sides to him. He immediately inspired trust.
“His company was engaging and affirming, with a loud spontaneous laugh that was infectious.”
He added: “I shall miss Paul terribly, quite simply he was one of the finest and warmest men I knew and I am blessed to have been his friend.”
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Photos: Danny Claffey
