Tributes have been paid to former East Surrey MP Peter Ainsworth whose death was announced yesterday aged 64.

Mr Ainsworth represented the area from 1992 to 2010 as well as serving in the shadow cabinet.

Current East Surrey MP Claire Coutinho praised him for his recent environmental work while neighbouring MP Crispin Blunt said he, “mourns the loss of a fun, kind and good friend.”

Mr Johnson said he was “a delightful colleague and passionate about his causes especially the environment”.

The PM also recalled sharing a corridor with him in Parliament and said the pair often found themselves “charging late” for votes. “He has been taken far too young,” Mr Johnson added and said his thoughts were with Mr Ainsworth’s widow Claire and his family.

Former Prime Minister David Cameron described him as “a key driver of our modernising agenda in opposition, particularly our environmental policy”.

“It was an honour to have him in my shadow cabinet – he was also such a kind, generous and thoroughly decent man and will be greatly missed,” added the former PM.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said Mr Ainsworth was “without doubt a genuinely lovely guy, who was well-liked across the House”.

‘Like so many people we enjoy being around, he was taken too soon. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”

Image courtesy of BBC/PA Media

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