Phil Woolas, a former Labour minister and MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, has died at the age of 66 after losing his battle with brain cancer. Woolas is perhaps best remembered for a televised confrontation with Joanna Lumley in 2009, during which she led a campaign against the UK government's proposed restrictions on the rights of retired Gurkhas to settle in the country. At that time, Woolas was serving as the immigration minister and faced significant public backlash over the government's stance on this issue.

Throughout his political career, Woolas held various ministerial roles under Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, contributing to key policy discussions. However, his career ended in disgrace after being found guilty of breaching electoral law by making false statements about his Liberal Democrat opponent during the 2010 election campaign. This scandal led to the loss of his seat and a ruling declaring his election invalid, marking a dramatic fall from grace for a once-prominent political figure.

Woolas’s encounter with Lumley brought significant attention to the plight of Gurkhas and the broader issues of immigration and nationality rights, themes that remain relevant in UK politics today. His death not only marks the loss of an influential figure in the Labour Party but also reignites discussions on the treatment of Gurkhas and the historical context in which these debates took place.