MP for Paisley South

Socttish Labour MP Dies

The Scottish Secretary Donald Dewar said Mr McMaster had recently suffered from illness and health problems. "He is a great loss to Parliament and to the Labour party in Scotland," said Mr Dewar.

The Prime Minister said he was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Mr McMaster. "Gordon was a well-liked and much respected Member of Parliament who, although he was only elected in 1990, was deeply committed to his constituents in Paisley south, serving them with dedication and distinction," he said. "Gordon will be missed by everyone who knew him."

Mr McMaster had served in the Opposition Whips Office in the years leading up to the May 1 general election and as a frontbench spokesman on overseas aid.

Before his parliamentary career, he had been active in local politics, serving as a councillor on several bodies.

The Labour party in Scotland confirmed the death of Mr McMaster, a former magistrate and former lecturer in horticulture. But it offered no information on the circumstances of his death, or whether it took place in Scotland or in England.

His death means a by-election for Labour in the Paisley South seat, which he held on May 1 with a majority of 12,750.

Profile of Gordon McMaster