THE PASSING of Denis Healey at the age of 98 marks the end of an era for the Labour Party.

Often called 'the greatest Labour Prime Minister we never had' (an epithet he shared with John Smith), Healey was a big figure in every sense - intellectually, politically and, of course, physically.

He memorably likened criticism by Geoffrey Howe as akin to 'being savaged by a dead sheep'

He had the misfortune to hold two of the biggest jobs in British politics - defence secretary and chancellor of the exchequer - at times when both departments were in turmoil.

As defence secretary in the 1960s he controversially cancelled the Royal Navy's aircraft carriers, a decision that almost cost Margaret Thatcher the Falkland Islands 15 years later, and abandoned British bases East of Suez.

He became chancellor in 1974 inheriting a poisonous legacy of inflation, a balance of payments crisis and ferocious industrial unrest from the outgoing Conservative government. The subsequent financial crisis forced the Government to go cap in hand to the International Monetary Fund for a loan and led to Healey suffering humiliation at the Labour Party conference.

Though he was forced to take difficult decisions, Healey remained a hugely popular political figure and his passing exposes a dearth of major political figures capable of filling his shoes.

When Healey challenged for the Labour leadership in 1976 his challengers were Tony Benn, Jim Callaghan, Michael Foot, Roy Jenkins and Anthony Crosland. That roll call makes the 2015 Labour leadership candidates look like political pygmies in comparison.

Had the right wing of the Labour party fielded someone with the gravitas, intellect and warmth of Denis Healey last month then Jeremy Corbyn might have found his procession to the top job an awful lot harder.