John will be remembered as a great Parliamentarian and a dedicated Constituency MP. He was a gentle and decent man and a real source of help and advice to me when I was selected as the Conservative candidate for Stratford on Avon and later when I was elected as the MP. I think all those who met John will remember has as a personable and intelligent man. He served with distinction during his time in parliament, occupying the positions of Economic Secretary to the Treasury and Shadow Secretary of State for Health, Defence and Foreign Affairs during his 22 years as an MP. The deep affection in which he is held by all those who knew and worked with him in both the Constituency and Westminster says a huge amount about the man that he was, and I know he will be sorely missed. Most of all I want to pass on my deep condolences to his wife Jane and his Children Tom and Rose; he loved them dearly and was a man whose family was always his priority. No words of mine can make up of their loss, but British politics and Stratford on Avon will forever remember him for his outstanding service to his country and his constituents.