THE Lancashire Evening Telegraph’s former Parliamentary correspondent David Perry died last week after a short illness.

Tributes to the 73-year-old were led by ex-Labour Cabinet minister and Blackburn MP Jack Straw who described him as 'terrier-like in pursuit of story'.

Sir David Trippier, former Tory MP for Rossendale and Darwen described Mr Perry as 'honourable and professional'.

Alan Simpson, who worked with him as deputy editor of the Lancashire Telegraph and its evening predecessor, said: "David was a professional through and through."

Born in Gloucestershire, Mr Perry arrived at Westminster from the Edinburgh Evening News in the 1970's to cover Parliament for that paper and the then LET which he did for 20 years before moving to the Aberdeen-based Press and Journal for another two decades.

While working in the Parliamentary Lobby, he built his own house in Sussex.

Mr Straw said: "David was the best a journalist could be - terrier-like in pursuit of a story but completely straight and trustworthy. He did a fantastic job for the LET."

Former Environment Minister Sir David said: "I thought he was an honourable and professional man. I hugely enjoyed his company and he will be sadly missed."

Mr Simpson said: "Parliamentary correspondents are a special breed and David was one if the best-connected and hardest of workers.

"He was highly-respected by the politicians he dealt with and the editors he served alike, When you commissioned him with a tricky task, you never doubted it would be accomplished. David was a professional through and through."

Mr Perry leaves a wife Loreen and three children Darren, Jason and Tanya. In retirement he enjoyed scuba-diving, sailing, and sky-diving.

For several years he was treasurer of the Parliamentary branch of the National Union of Journalists,