The regional newspaper industry will have been saddened to learn of the death of Ian Craig, the former political editor of the Manchester Evening News, over the weekend.

Craig, who was found dead at his London home on Friday, left the GMG-owned paper earlier this year after a tenure of 25 years in the lead political role.

Craig: respected

In 1984 he switched to the MEN and built a solid reputation within Westminster as a respected and hard working professional.

Former London editor at the MEN Ian Wylie said of his passing: "Ian was a kind and considerate man who was hugely respected at Westminster. We worked alongside each other for the best part of a quarter of a century and I was also lucky enough to count him as a friend.

"In all that time we never once had a cross word.  The number of shocked colleagues paying tribute to him is a mark of what a  lovely man he was."

Craig, who was still contributing to the MEN on a freelance basis, interviewed five Prime Ministers - Jim Callaghan, Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown - in his time and co-authored a book with Brendan O'Malley about the 1974 conflict in Cyprus, entitled The Cyprus Conspiracy.

He was 64 years of age.

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