A former Labour minister who was famously confronted by Joanna Lumley live on television has died from brain cancer aged 66.

Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown led tributes today to Phil Woolas who passed away on Saturday after a brave battle against the disease.

The former Oldham East and Saddleworth MP served as a minister under both the Blair and Brown governments.

And today, Sir Tony hailed him as a 'greatly respected and admired colleague'.

Mr Brown said: 'Phil Woolas was a brilliant MP, a highly-effective minister and a very generous and popular friend who fought a brave struggle against an incurable cancer and will be sorely missed.'

It was then as Immigration Minister in 2009 that he was confronted live on television by national treasure Ms Lumley over plans by the Brown government to restrict the rights of retired Gurkhas to settle in the UK.

At the time, Ms Lumley was spearheading the Gurkhas Justice Campaign fighting the Government's plans.

But after the confrontation, she declared: 'I have met Mr Woolas now and I am reassured again - because I know we are going to assist Mr Woolas in making the strongest guidelines possible.'

First elected in the Blair landslide of 1997, former NUS president and TV producer Mr Woolas represented his Oldham seat for 13 years.

He won the seat again at the 2010 general election but in extraordinary legal battle, a rarely-convened election court ruled that he had lied about his Liberal Democrat opponent and his victory was declared void.

Mr Woolas admitted one of his election leaflets had 'sailed very close to the wind' but insisted he did not believe he misled anyone.

A statement attributed to his family and close friends announcing his death yesterday said that he had 'battled the brain cancer, glioblastoma'. 

It read: 'Phil Woolas, former Labour MP and minister, has died aged 66.

'For more than a year he battled the brain cancer, glioblastoma.

'He leaves his wife Tracey, his sons Josh and Jed and a new grandson, and many friends and former colleagues who will all miss him greatly.

'Before entering Parliament, Phil was NUS president, TV producer and GMB union communications director.

'He served as MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth from 1997 to 2010, and a minister in both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's governments - appointed successively: whip, deputy leader of the Commons, local government minister, environment minister and immigration minister.'

After his political career finished, in 2011 he set up and ran his own political and risk consultancy.

His family added that for over 25 years, he was chair of the Oldham charity The Ace Centre which helps people with communication difficulties. 

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle also paid tribute to Mr Woolas and sent condolences to his family.