TRIBUTES poured in yesterday to CWU activist and Labour councillor Gerry Ryan, who died on Sunday aged 57.

Mr Ryan, a stalwart of the Labour Party Irish Society (LPIS) and long-serving councillor in Croydon, south London, fought the marginal Croydon Central constituency for Labour and the Co-operative Party at the last general election.

Former London mayor Ken Livingstone offered his condolences on Twitter. He described Mr Ryan as “a committed and genuine … activist who was widely liked and respected.”

Labour NEC member Conor McGinn said: “For me, Gerry was first and foremost a great friend and a loyal comrade.

“He was a smart, witty, sincere man who was rooted in community and wedded to his values.”

LPIS treasurer Liz McShane added: “He loved going to Glastonbury to fundraise for LPIS even in atrocious weather conditions. Some of the stories he would tell me afterwards about trekking through muddy, sodden fields to find his tent just filled me with dread.”