First published on ProgressOnline

Everyone at Progress is saddened and shocked at the untimely passing of our friend and colleague, David Cairns.

His hard work for the people of Inverclyde goes without saying, but his work to pursue a better and more progressive politics for the country as whole is what made him so special. His ability to articulate political feeling and ideas was always engaging and often extremely funny.

As a MP and former government minister he had a massive impact on our politics but we are all sure he had so much more to give. He will be missed by everyone at Progress but it is politics more widely that will now lack his unique insights and the ideas he had to give as the Labour party looks to the future.

Our thoughts are with his partner Dermot, his father John, his brother Billy and all his many friends and family.