TRIBUTES have been paid to 'political giant' and former Otley Parliamentary hopeful Denis Healey.

The Labour peer died at his Sussex home last Saturday, October 3, aged 98, after a short illness.

Lord Healey served as Secretary of State for Defence from 1964 to 1970, and was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1974 to 1979.

An MP for 40 years, from 1952 until 1992, he also became Labour's deputy leader in 1980.

He entered politics after fighting with the Royal Engineers - with whom he achieved the rank of major - during the Second World War.

And it was the Conservative-held seat of Pudsey and Otley where, in the words of former Labour MEP for Leeds Michael McGowan, Healey "cut his Parliamentary teeth" in 1945.

After making a strongly left-wing speech to the Labour Party conference before that year's General Election, he doubled the party's vote in the constituency - only to still lose by 1,651 votes.

Mr McGowan said: "Denis Healey was built like an ox, had a razor sharp mind, was often brusque, and was always independent minded.

"A former communist who became the hammer of the left, he was an expert on international affairs, had a distinguished military record, and was critical of the invasion of Iraq and of Trident.

"Denis cut his Parliamentary teeth in Pudsey and Otley in 1945 following a rather unusual selection.

"He was chosen as Labour candidate in his absence, on the basis of a photo of Major Healey in uniform, as he was away with the forces in Italy, and a speech by a friend of his father's from Keighley.

"He came second to Sir Malcolm Stoddart-Scott (Conservative) who won the seat.

"At the 1966 General Election he was then Labour MP for Leeds East and I had been selected as Parliamentary Labour candidate for Ripon, which included Otley. I was up against the same Stoddart-Scott, and also came second.

"Denis returned to Otley during that time to support my campaign and met his former agent, Jack Prichard of Leeds, and political organiser Ethel Green, of Bramhope, from his 1945 General Election campaign."

Former Otley Town Council chairman John Eveleigh, of Otley Labour Party, said: "It is an often overused phrase when a politician passes away, but in every sense Denis Healey was a political giant.

"I met him on a few occasions and was always struck by his great sense of humour.

"Denis came very close to taking the then Otley seat in the General Election of 1945 - slashing a massive Tory majority - and he did maintain a connection to the town, and came across to various functions in the local Labour Party

during the sixties, seventies and eighties.

"There are still a number of members who affectionately remember those occasions."

MP Kris Hopkins, (Con, Keighley and Ilkley) added: "I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Lord Healey last weekend.

"I am immensely proud to have followed in his footsteps as an old boy of Highfield School in Keighley who went on to be elected to Parliament, and I wrote to him only a few days ago to arrange a meeting in London.

"A decorated soldier who fought with valour in the Second World War, he went on to become a political giant of his time who held some of the great offices in the land.

"He was a remarkable servant of the Labour Party and his country.

"Denis Healey will be long-remembered and greatly missed by many."