Sir Tony Lloyd: Mourners gather for funeral of veteran Labour MP

Pall bearers carried a wicker casket surrounded by cream and purple flowers

The family of Sir Tony Lloyd urged mourners at his funeral to "continue to hold him in your hearts".

The 73-year-old veteran politician, who was MP for Rochdale, died last month after announcing he had untreatable leukaemia.

A requiem mass in his honour took place earlier at St Hugh Of Lincoln RC Church, Stretford.

Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer and Gordon Brown, the former Labour prime minister, were among those gathered.

The MP was first elected to represented Stretford in 1983

The party's deputy leader Angela Rayner said Sir Tony was a "huge part of the Labour family", who helped "nourish and bring forward the next generation of trade unionists and political figures".

Ribble Valley MP and Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons Nigel Evans said he was a "conciliator" who "brought people together" in a "compassionate way".

Ron Ball, the former Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire, described Sir Tony as a "very, very exceptional individual", who "inspired confidence straight away".

At the time of Sir Tony's death, Sir Kier said everyone held him in high esteem.

The Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle said the "country has lost one of the nicest, most effective MPs".

At the scene: Mairead Smyth, BBC Manchester

The Labour Leader Sir Kier Starmer arrived with the Mayor for Greater Manchester Andy Burnham

MPs from across the political divide arrived at St. Hugh of Lincoln RC Church in Stretford to pay their tributes to Sir Tony Lloyd.

His remains were brought to the church in a wicker coffin, surrounded by lilac and cream flowers, before the funeral began with the hymn Amazing Grace.

The service ended with a tribute from Sir Tony Lloyd's family, who thanked everyone for attending and said the other tributes that had been extended were "testament to the person he was".

The family asked: "Please continue to hold him in your hearts, as he will forever be in ours."

Sir Tony led a long life of public service, having first been elected to Parliament to represent Stretford in 1983.

He also served as MP for Manchester Central after changes to constituency boundaries.

The former PM Gordon Brown arrived with the Labour MP for Wirral South Alison McGovern

The Requiem Mass for former Rochdale MP was held at St Hugh Of Lincoln RC Church in Stretford

He stood down from Parliament to become the Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner in 2012, and then return for a second stint in the Commons, representing Rochdale from 2017.

A by-election will take place at the end of February to elect a new MP.

Earlier this week, Labour withdrew support for candidate Azhar Ali over comments he had made about Israel and the conflict in Gaza.