JEREMY CORBYN paid tribute to former Labour MP and “tireless social justice campaigner” Candy Atherton yesterday, following her death.

Ms Atherton, who was MP for the Cornish seat of Falmouth & Cambourne from 1997 to 2005, died in her sleep on Monday night, reportedly following a short illness, aged 62.

Up until her death, she was a member of Cornwall Council.

Mr Corbyn described her as a “proud champion of Cornwall,” with whom he recently shared a platform at a rally for the NHS.

Among Ms Atherton’s achievements were lobbying Tony Blair’s government to secure more than £2 billion in investment for Cornwall; in Falmouth she was a driving force behind the Sure Start project for children.

Mr Corbyn said he also remembered her as mayor of Islington “with great affection,” adding: “She had a disarming sense of humour. I remember her joking that when she won her seat in 1997, she had outrun the incumbent MP and Olympian Seb Coe.”

Cornwall Labour group leader Tim Dwelly said: “She loved Falmouth and worked her socks off for the town. She never stopped championing her constituents and put a huge amount of energy into everything she did.”