Tributes have been paid to Michael Martin, a former Speaker of the House of Commons who died on Sunday after a short illness.



His son Paul said: “He passed away peacefully with his family. We would be grateful for our privacy to be respected at this difficult time.”

John Bercow, who succeeded Martin as Speaker, said: “Michael was a decent, public-spirited man who had a real care and concern for members, their staff and the staff of the House. He was a good campaigner and both passionate about and proud of his roots.

“He also had a great sense of humour. On a personal level, he was always very kind to me. I still remember the lovely letter of congratulations he sent to me after my election as Speaker. My deepest sympathies go out to Mary, his children and grandchildren.”

The former prime minister Gordon Brown said Martin would be sorely missed. “I knew him as a successful young trade union organiser, a dedicated member of parliament, a conscientious Speaker of the House of Commons and latterly as a member of the House of Lords, and no matter the position he occupied, he never forgot the debt he owed to his upbringing and the people he had been elected to serve,” he said.

The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, offered his condolences, saying he was very sorry to hear the news.

Martin, latterly Lord Martin of Springburn after the Glasgow constituency he represented from 1979 to 2005, was Speaker from 2000 to 2009.

In October 2009, the former Labour MP joined his predecessor Betty Boothroyd on the crossbenches in the Lords.

Although Speakers are elevated to the upper house by tradition, the decision to grant Martin’s peerage was controversial and there was speculation the honour might be withheld.

He was criticised for leading efforts as Speaker to block the publication of MPs’ expenses, and for his handling of the affair once the revelations began.

He was the first Commons Speaker to be forced to resign in 300 years.