Latest news with #LordLipsey
Telegraph
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Labour peer died while swimming in River Wye
A Labour peer died after getting into difficulty while swimming in the River Wye. The body of Lord Lipsey was recovered on July 1 after police in Powys, Wales, received a report about the safety of a man in the water. The 77-year-old was a journalist and political editor of The Economist before being appointed to the House of Lords by Sir Tony Blair in 1999. He worked as an adviser in Downing Street under Jim Callaghan and also chaired the influential Fabian Society, a centre-Left Labour pressure group, in the 1980s. In a statement issued on Thursday, Dyfed-Powys Police said the force 'received a report concerning the safety of a man who was last seen swimming in the River Wye, Glasbury'. The statement said: 'Following a multi-agency search on July 1, sadly, we can confirm the body of Lord David Lipsey was recovered. His next of kin have been informed, and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time. They have asked for their privacy to be respected.' Passionate about state of the River Wye The River Wye is the fourth-longest river in the UK and has remained popular among swimmers despite its deteriorating condition over recent years. Ministers published a £34-million action plan last year aimed at improving it. Lord Lipsey had a particular soft spot for the River Wye and turned the air blue as he discussed its decline in a Lords debate on pollution last year. He told peers: 'There are various causes, but overwhelmingly the most important – and I will use the word whatever the risk of offending Your Lordships, I'm sure you'll take it – the main problem is chicken s---. Something like 80 per cent of the pollution in the Wye is caused by chicken s---.' In the same speech, he warned that the river smelt of 'rotten eggs' and that children were becoming ill after swimming in it. Peers were told of Lord Lipsey's death on Wednesday as Lord McFall, the Lord Speaker, extended his condolences to his family and friends. Lord Lipsey described himself as having 'fingers in pies from greyhound racing to elderly care'. He was praised on his death as one of the key power brokers in greyhound racing during the past few decades. He was also a member of the all-party parliamentary group on horse racing, and the sport's official body paid tribute to him as a 'staunch supporter'.
Sky News
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
House of Lords member died while swimming in River Wye, police say
Why you can trust Sky News A member of the House of Lords last seen swimming in a river in Wales has died, police have confirmed. Dyfed-Powys Police said they received a report concerning the safety of a man last seen swimming in the River Wye at Glasbury. The body of Lord David Lipsey, 77, was recovered on 1 July, after a search involving multiple agencies. The village where it happened, in Powys, mid Wales, has a population of around 1,000 people. Lord Lipsey's next of kin have been informed and have asked for their privacy to be respected. Police said in a statement that the force's thoughts were with them. Lord Lipsey became a member of the House of Lords in 1999 and has sat on the Labour benches for the majority of that period. He was a long-time campaigner for water quality in the River Wye and his last spoken contribution in the House of Lords was on the subject. He told the Lords that he and his wife had lived in the Wye valley "for nearly 30 years". "We go swimming at Glasbury most mornings in summer, some mornings in winter," he said. "We still do this, but it is a deteriorating experience. Part of the river near us was closed this summer to wild swimmers such as us, on the grounds of pollution." Prior to joining the Lords, Lord Lipsey worked as a journalist for a number of publications. He later worked as a political adviser to the Labour Party in opposition and advised James Callaghan when he was prime minister. Former health minister Stephen Dorrell told Sky News he was "saddened" to hear of Lord Lipsey's death. "Ironically, actually, I worked most closely with David, who I liked and was always very good company, I worked with him when I chaired the House of Commons health committee in the Cameron years, because he was strongly of the view that if you don't sort out social care, you'll never sort out either the health service or the wider health and care system," he said.
BBC News
03-07-2025
- BBC News
Lord David Lipsey dies while swimming in River Wye
Labour peer Lord David Lipsey has died while swimming in a river, police have confirmed. Dyfed-Powys Police said it received a report concerning the safety of a man who was last seen swimming in the River Wye in Glasbury, Powys, earlier this week. After a multi-agency search on 1 July, officers confirmed the body of Lord Lipsey was said his next of kin have been informed and have asked for their privacy to be respected.
