Bill Malarkey: Tributes paid to Isle of Man home affairs minister

Bill Malarkey was first elected to the House of Keys in 2006

Tributes have been paid to the Isle of Man's home affairs minister Bill Malarkey who has died, aged 68, after a long illness.

Mr Malarkey represented the House of Keys constituency of Douglas South for a decade.

Chief Minister Howard Quayle described him as a "passionate" politician who "worked right up to the end".

Mr Malarkey passed away at the island's hospice on Thursday after battling cancer for several years.

Mr Quayle said: "Bill's hallmark was telling things as they are and we admire him for it.

"His friends in Tynwald will be poorer without him, he will be much missed."

Mr Malarkey was first elected to the House of Keys in 2006 but lost his seat in the 2011 contest.

'Passion and conviction'

He then spent three years serving on Douglas Council before securing victory once again in a House of Keys by-election in 2015.

After being re-elected in 2016, Mr Malarkey was appointed minister for the Department of Home Affairs in October of that year.

"Bill's loss is untimely and he had still so much to give, but we can take some comfort that his suffering is over," Mr Quayle said.

"His forbearance in the darkest of times was admirable and Bill worked right up to the end."

Mr Malarkey officially opened the island's new civil defence headquarters in December last year

President of Tynwald, Steve Rodan MLC, said members of the island's parliament were "deeply saddened" by Mr Malarkey's death.

"We are thankful for the privilege of knowing and working with him, and for his dedicated service to the island," Mr Rodan said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Pamela and Bill's family as we share their sorrow."

Tributes were also paid by Speaker of the House of Keys Juan Watterson, who described Mr Malarkey as "a man of passion and conviction" who also had "an enormous sense of fun".