Death of an honourable man

The independent MP and AM Peter Law has died from cancer just 12 months after achieving one of the shock results in the 2005 general election. Mr Law overturned a 19,000 Labour majority when he stood as an independent after serving the party for years.

He stood in protest against the imposition of an all-female shortlist in the constituency. His victory demonstrated the level of support in the constituency for Mr Law - and perhaps against the principle of a party telling voters they could only have a woman candidate.

I met Peter Law just once, weeks after Rhodri Morgan sacked him in October 2000 to make way for Liberal Democrat members in the first coalition government in Cardiff Bay. Mr Law had agreed to host an event at the Welsh Assembly for me to honour pioneering leaders of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations in Wales. In thanking Peter, I paid tribute to his work championing the interests of his constituents in Blaenau Gwent - one of the poorest corners of Wales. We will miss him.