The Chair of Cleveland Police Authority said today he was ‘shocked and saddened—as will be every other of his constituents’ at the sudden death of the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Ashok Kumar.
Councillor Dave McLuckie, who has worked closely with the MP over many years, paid tribute to ‘a man who fought tirelessly to improve the quality of life for the people he was so proud to represent.’
Said Councillor McLuckie “It is a tragedy that someone who had given so much to our area—and had so much more to give—should die at such a relatively early age. I had worked with Ashok on so many different issues—both in his dealings with the local authority and the police—and I always knew that his first priority was the interests of those people he was so proud to represent.
“The fact that, having won his seat in Parliament in a hard-fought by-election only to lose it in the following year’s general Election, Ashok stayed the course and regained it five years later, demonstrates his commitment and conviction.
“Across East Cleveland and the rest of Teesside there will be a genuine sadness that we have lost someone who always championed our area and its needs. I was proud to have him as my MP.”