Tom Sawyer was the embodiment of strong but serious trade unionism allied to a brilliant understanding of the aspirations and values of working class Britain. He was an outstanding National Union of Public Employees officer, a great member of the Labour Party National Executive and in 1994 upon becoming Labour leader I was able to persuade him to take on the role of General Secretary of the Party. He was instrumental both in making the changes which Labour desperately needed to transform itself and in the landslide 1997 election campaign.
He was loyal, tough and deeply committed to ensuring the Labour Party could govern for a time long enough to change the country.
He was also one of the nicest people you could meet and stayed true to himself and humble all the way through a remarkable career.
My deepest condolences to Liz and all his family. Tom was a very special man.