Former minister Lord John Horam has died aged 87 after a fall on his way home from work, his family has announced.
The peer died at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington following an accident after he left the House of Lords on July 2.
Despite receiving care from paramedics and hospital staff, he did not regain consciousness, his family said.
Born in Lancashire, his first job was working on developing the After Eight mint for Rowntree before a stint in journalism.
He is the only MP to represent three parties in Commons and served as a minister in both Labour and Conservative governments.
In 1970 he was elected the Labour MP for Gateshead before defecting to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) MP in 1981.
From 1992 to 2010 he served as the Conservative MP for Orpington.
He was created a working life peer as Baron Horam of Grimsargh in 2013.
“John’s widow Judith (née Jackson) and stepsons Fraser and Lincoln Jopp would like to thank the paramedics, police and all the staff at St Mary’s for the immaculate care John received,” a family statement said.
During his time in the Lords, he advocated for increasing housing supply, a living wage, raising the Income Tax threshold and better vocational training and apprenticeships for young people.
He was strongly pro-EU and after Brexit argued that Britain should remain a member of the Single European Market.
