Former Norwich North MP Ian Gibson dies aged 82 - BBC News
Dr Gibson served as the MP for Norwich North from 1997 to 2009 when he was forced to resign.
Dr Ian Gibson with Norwich South Labour MP Clive Lewis during the 2019 election

Tributes have been paid to former MP Dr Ian Gibson, who died aged 82 on Friday.

Dr Gibson represented the Norwich North constituency for Labour from 1997 to 2009.

Former colleague and ex-cabinet minister Charles Clarke said he would be "much missed".

Current Labour MP for Norwich South, Clive Lewis, said: "He was admired for his humour, cutting wit, but also his steadfast political conviction as a socialist."

Mr Lewis said he left behind "a legacy of someone always prepared to speak up for our city and those without a voice".

Mike Stonard, president of Norwich Labour Party, said his friend was a "tenacious, committed campaigner and consistent advocate for his constituents".

Dr Ian Gibson was MP for Norwich North from 1997 to 2009

Dr Gibson's career as an MP came to an end in 2009 following controversy over his expenses.

Mr Clarke, who served as Norwich South MP from 1997 until 2010, said Mr Gibson "brought to politics a real understanding of science and its contribution to our civilisation."

Dr Gibson was dean of biology at the University of East Anglia before his first election in 1997.

He used his scientific knowledge to good effect with contributions to debates on medical and biological matters, such as on Gulf War Syndrome, which he urged the government to recognise.

His expertise was rewarded with a place on the Commons' Science and Technology Select Committee, and in 2001 MPs defied the whips' choice to elect him as its chairman.

Dr Gibson was forced to leave the Labour Party after the expenses scandal.

He was said to have claimed for a flat which one of his daughters lived in rent-free with her partner.

The Labour Party panel investigating the claims was described as a "kangaroo court" by the then Norwich party chairman.

Retiring from politics, Dr Gibson, who was originally from Dumfries, continued to live in Norwich.

A passionate campaigner for causes he believed in, he was also well known for his love of football and Norwich City.

He had flirted with professional football while at university in Edinburgh and after his move to Norfolk, he played for Wymondham Town and later served as as the non-league club's president.

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In later life he became a member of the Norwich theatre group, The Common Lot.

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Tributes to Dr Gibson have come from across the political spectrum.

On Twitter, Brian Watkins, Liberal Democrat county councillor for Eaton, said: "I join with so many others in mourning the death of Dr Ian Gibson. He was a true champion of Norwich, a forceful and passionate campaigner, and he will be greatly missed by so many of us."

Compared with many of his contemporaries, Dr Ian Gibson was not an MP for very long, but in the 12 years that he represented Norwich North he stood out as a strong-willed politician who cared passionately for his constituency.

Whether fighting for under-privileged people, arguing for more science funding, or campaigning against university tuition fees, he always came across as someone who knew his stuff and genuinely cared. He argued succinctly and with humour. When he spoke in Parliament, MPs would listen, and ministers would take his calls.

His stance on issues like tuition fees often put him at odds with the then Labour government, much to the frustration of his friend, neighbour and cabinet minister Charles Clarke who would often plead with him, in vain, to toe the party line.

It was one reason why he had little support from the party leadership when he became embroiled in the expenses scandal.

But even after his resignation, he continued to support local causes and environmental issues. He briefly flirted with the Greens.

He became disillusioned with Labour under Jeremy Corbyn saying he lacked "leadership and style".

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