Speaker says later father was 'everything' to him

The Speaker of the House of Commons has paid tribute to his "truly dedicated parliamentarian" father, the late Lord Doug Hoyle.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle described his father - who died last April aged 98 - as a "force to be reckoned with".

His son has told of the "void" left by his death.

Former prime minister Sir John Major, former defence secretary Lord George Robertson and the current defence secretary, John Healey, paid their respects at St Margaret's Church, next to Westminster Abbey.

Lord Hoyle served as MP for Nelson and Colne, in Lancashire, between 1974 and 1979, before becoming MP for Warrington North in 1981.

He chaired the Parliamentary Labour Party between 1992 and 1997, when he was elevated to the Lords and served as a whip for two years.

Former foreign secretary Baroness Margaret Beckett and former Labour adviser Anji Hunter were also at the service.