Body of former Labour MP Tam Dalyell donated to science
The 84-year-old, who served at Westminster for more than four decades, died last week following a short illness.
Saturday 4 February 2017 12:54, UK
The body of the veteran Scottish politician Tam Dalyell has been left to science, his family has confirmed.
The 84-year-old, who was a Labour MP for more than 40 years, died last week following a short illness.
In a statement, his family said he had requested for his body to be left to Edinburgh University for research, followed by a private interment.
The Old Etonian was first elected to Parliament in 1962 as MP for West Lothian, and served as a parliamentary aide to the cabinet minister and diarist Richard Crossman.
He became MP for Linlithgow 21 years later and was named Father of the House - the longest continuously serving MP - in 2001.
A fierce critic of British military involvement, he was suspended from the Commons several times, twice for accusing Margaret Thatcher of lying over the Falklands conflict.
He also branded Tony Blair a war criminal over the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Following the announcement of Mr Dalyell's death on 26 January, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: "Very sad to hear of the death of former Labour MP, Tam Dalyell - a real giant of Scottish politics. My thoughts are with his family."
Jeremy Corbyn, who for many years was a fellow rebel alongside Mr Dalyell, said: "Tam was a titan of parliamentary scrutiny, fearless in pursuit of the truth. From Iraq to the miners' strike, he doggedly fought to expose official wrongdoing and cover-ups."
A private memorial service will be held in his home county of West Lothian in Scotland at the end of February, with a further service due to be held in London at a later date.