George Howarth

Sir George Edward Howarth (29 June 1949 – 3 July 2026) was a British Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Knowsley, previously Knowsley North and Sefton East and Knowsley North, from 1986 to 2024. He served as a junior minister in Tony Blair's government between 1997 and 2001.

Early life and career Born in Prescot on 29 June 1949, Howarth was educated at the local Huyton Secondary School, the Kirkby College of Further Education, and the Liverpool Polytechnic. He went on to study at the University of Salford. He served his apprenticeship for four years from 1966 as an engineer, and then worked as an engineer until 1975, when he moved into teaching.

In 1980, he joined Cooperative Development Services, and in 1982, was appointed the Chief Executive at the Wales Cooperative Centre. He became the Chief Executive of the Wales TUC's Wales Co-operative Centre, a position he held before his election to the House of Commons.

Howarth was elected as a councillor to the Huyton District Council in 1971 and served in its successor the Knowsley Borough Council until 1986, becoming its deputy leader from 1982 to 1983. He was the chair of the Knowsley South Constituency Labour Party for four years from 1981.

Parliamentary career

The sitting Labour MP for Knowsley North, Robert Kilroy-Silk, resigned from Parliament in 1986 mid term to follow a career with the BBC. In the by-election on 13 November 1986, Howarth was elected with a safe majority of 6,724, defeating Liberal candidate Rosie Cooper who would later become a fellow Labour MP. He subsequently became MP for Knowsley North & Sefton East in 1997 and Knowsley in 2010 as constituency boundaries were redrawn. In the 2017 general election, he received 85% of the vote, one of the greatest majorities for a British MP since the advent of universal suffrage.

Howarth served as an opposition spokesperson on Environment 1989–1994 and Home Affairs 1994–1997. In 1997, he was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Home Office, and in 1999 to the same position at the Northern Ireland Office. He left the government in 2001. He has served on a wide variety of select committees.

Howarth was knighted in the 2019 Birthday Honours. He briefly acted as First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means at the start of the 2019 Parliament.

He announced in June 2023 that he would retire at the 2024 general election. He was succeeded as MP by Anneliese Midgley.

Personal life and death Howarth was the father of three children. In 2011, Howarth's daughter, Sián, died due to complications from Type 1 diabetes, at the age of 24.

He was the son in law of George Rodgers, Labour MP for Chorley 1974-79. The death was announced by the House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle on 6 July. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also paid tribute to him. His funeral was held at Prescot Parish Church on 20 July.