Janet Anderson Obituary

Janet Anderson Obituary

Janet Anderson, the former MP for Rossendale and Darwen, died unexpectedly at the age of 73. She served as a minister in Tony Blair’s Labour government, where she introduced the first proposal to outlaw stalking in the House of Commons and was instrumental in the liberalization of Sunday trading laws.

Mrs. Anderson, who was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, worked as a secretary for Blackburn MPs Baroness Barbara Castle and Jack Straw before famously defeating sitting Conservative MP Sir David Trippier in Rossendale and Darwen by just 120 votes in 1992.

She was re-elected four times as a government whip, writing the daily letter to the Queen – who is said to have appreciated her gossipy style – and being ‘held hostage’ in Buckingham Palace during the state opening of Parliament, before becoming minister for tourism, film, and broadcasting from 1998 to 2001, where she was responsible for bringing in free television licenses for the over 75s.