David Taylor, the hard-working leftwing Labour MP and one of parliament's polymaths, had died from a heart attack.
The 63-year-old was walking with his family at Calke Abbey, in Derbyshire, on Boxing Day when he was struck down. Staff at Queens hospital, in Burton on Trent, were unable to revive him.
Taylor had said he would retire at the next election, citing the scale of the modern MP's workload as one reason. He had been MP for North West Leicestershire since 1997.
In a sign of his popularity he had been voted Commons Backbencher of the Year in the annual awards organised by Sky TV and The House magazine and decided by a ballot of all 646 MPs. It was a remarkable tribute given that his membership of the Socialist Campaign group of MPs put him well outside the mainstream of Westminster politics. The citation read: "An indefatigable campaigner, constant attender and independent–minded."
Gordon Brown paid tribute, saying: "David has been a strong campaigner and when I visited his constituency a few weeks ago I found enormous respect and admiration for what he has achieved."
Labour will try to follow precedent by refusing to hold a byelection they would be likely to lose, citing the imminence of the general election. By tradition a seat can be kept vacant for as long as six months.
