Tony Banks

Tony Banks, the former Labour UK sports minister has died in Florida having suffered a massive stroke, aged 62. He was a well-known Chelsea fan, so it’s not entirely bad news.

Courtesy of the London Times, here are a couple of his colourful contributions:

Of Margaret Thatcher: “she has the sensitivity of a sex-starved boa-constrictor”.
Of John Major: ‘He’s so unpopular, if he became a funeral director people would stop dying’
Of William Hague during the 1997 Labour Party conference: ‘Foetus’

During a Commons debate: “Mr Speaker, will you confirm that you actually have the power to order the fat bounder to be dragged from the Chamber.” When the Speaker intervened he went on: “Well in that case, corpulent gentleman.”

‘Living proof that a pig’s bladder on the end of a stick can be elected to Parliament’ referring to the Tory MP Terry Dicks

"Woolly-hatted, muesli-eating, Tory lick-spittles’ referring to the Liberal Democrats

‘Some people say Gordon Brown and Peter Mandelson don’t get on. I asked Gordon about this and he said he didn’t know because he hadn’t spoken to Peter for 18 months’