Former Labour minister and lifelong pensions and anti-poverty campaigner Frank Field, Lord Field of Birkenhead, has died at 81 after a long battle against prostate cancer.

Mr Field was known for his fierce but intelligent and radical comments and proposals on pensions and welfare.

In the pensions sector he was best known as chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee from 2015 and 2019. In 1999 he helped set up the Pension Reform Group which called for a universal protected pension.

He was known to favour substantial welfare reform but often found himself at odds with his own party on this.

In a statement today his family said: “‘It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Frank Field, Lord Field of Birkenhead. Through a long battle with cancer, Frank Field remained resilient and engaged with life until the end. He will be enormously missed by his family and wide circle of friends.

“Frank was an extraordinary individual who spent his life fighting poverty, injustice and environmental destruction. His decency and faith in people’s altruism made a unique contribution to British politics. After 40 years of dedicated public service Frank will be mourned by admirers across the political divide. But above all he will be deeply missed by those lucky enough to have enjoyed his laughter and friendship.”

Lord Field had a very long career in politics, representing Birkenhead for 40 years and becoming a minister for welfare reform in the Labour government under Tony Blair.

He was born in Edmonton, Middlesex, with his father a factory labourer and his mother a primary school welfare worker at Belmont Primary School in Chiswick. He was educated at St Clement Danes Grammar School, then in Hammersmith, before studying economics at the University of Hull.

He was director of the Child Poverty Action Group from 1969 to 1979 and the Low Pay Unit from 1974 to 1980.

After leaving the House of Commons in 2018 he was made a Lord in 2020 and sat in the House of Lords as a crossbencher. In recent times he had spent periods in a hospice fighting terminal illness.

Tributes have flood in today to the politician.

Former Pensions Minister Sir Steve Webb, a partner at pension consultants LCP, said: “The world of Parliament, pensions and public life is lessened today by the loss of Frank Field.  I first met Frank more than 30 years ago when I was a young economist and his support and engagement first got me involved in the world of Westminster. 

"Although Frank was passionate about all the causes he believed in, he was not a ‘tribal’ politician and was willing to work with people of all parties in support of causes that he believed in. Frank set the gold standard for how to run an all-party Select Committee. As Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee he used his position to hold the powerful to account and was particularly effective in support of members of the BHS pension scheme.    

“Frank had that rare combination of compassion, anger about injustice and deep policy expertise which made him such an effective campaigner. His campaigning spanned early work with the Child Poverty Action Group to working for pensions justice on a range of issues in Parliament. He was valued around the House of Commons and his contributions were always listened to with respect. He will be much missed”.