THE last known descendent of the first working-class MP has died this month aged 94.

Peter Burt was the grandson of Thomas Burt who was elected as Member of Parliament for Morpeth in 1874.

Mr Burt was the first working man elected as an MP. He was elected on a radical platform and believed in universal suffrage.

At 10 years old and with only two years of schooling he began working at Haswell Colliery as a trapper boy and before he became an MP, he as the General Secretary of Northumberland Miners Association who named their Trade Union Building, Burt Hall, after him. Burt Hall is now used by Northumbria University.

He was re-elected in 1880 and served as MP for the next 38 years until poor health forced him to retire.

During the 1910 election, MP Burt was featured on a badge produced by The Northern Echo.

With his face on one side and the phrase that declared The Northern Echo was the only "liberal and progressive paper" in the north on the other; the paper produced badges for 31 North-East candidates. None of them were Tories.

MP Burt's grandson, who died earlier this month, fought as part of the Air Corps during the Second World War and then enrolled in the RAF for his National Service.

He became a mechanic after he left the Air Force and worked at Spillers on the Quayside, in Newcastle, until it closed.

He lived in Newcastle all of his life with his wife Betty who passed away just one year short of their diamond wedding anniversary.

He spoke often and with pride about his heritage and helped the Woodhorn Museum with exhibits and information about his grandfather’s life, ensuring that Thomas Burt’s legacy would be carried on.

MP Chi Onwurah, who met Mr Burt when out door knocking in 2016 said: “I am so sorry to hear of Mr Burt’s passing. It was a real pleasure to meet him and hear him talk about his grandfather. He also told me he told me he regarded himself as an Engineer, but not a theoretical one like me.”

“Peter came from a family who contributed greatly to politics and the Labour movement both nationally and on a local level and he did a great deal to keep his grandfather’s legacy alive."

“We need more working class people in Parliament, following in Thomas Burt’s trailblazing footsteps.”