Ken Purchase: Tributes paid after ex-Wolverhampton MP and 'city champion' dies aged 77
Tributes have been paid to former Wolverhampton MP Ken Purchase, 'a true champion of the city' who has died, aged 77.
Mr Purchase was the Labour MP for Wolverhampton North East for 18 years until he retired in 2010, having previously served as a councillor in the city between 1970 and 1990.
He died on Sunday following a short illness.
Born and bred in the city, Mr Purchase was hugely respected among fellow politicians and his constituents. He is survived by his wife Brenda and their two daughters Samantha and Lisa.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Lisa said: "We are grateful for the medical care he received, in particular the district nurses who were fantastic and all the staff at Compton Hospice, who made a difficult time more bearable with their support and kindness.
"Ken will be missed by all of those who knew and loved him."
Emma Reynolds, who succeeded Mr Purchase in the Wolverhampton North East seat, said he was 'a true public servant' and 'a champion for the people of Wolverhampton'. He dedicated his life to fighting for a fairer and more equal society," she said.
"As an MP, he loved helping people and standing up for the disadvantaged. I was lucky enough to sit in on his surgeries and spend time with him in the constituency when I was a parliamentary candidate.
"He cared deeply about solving the problems his constituents brought to him.
