Liberal Democrat peer Lord Avebury dies aged 87

Lord Avebury, the former Liberal MP and renowned human rights campaigner, has died age 87.

The politician was the longest-serving Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords. He took his place in the upper chamber after losing his seat in the Commons in 1970.

Avebury had been suffering from myelofibrosis, a form of blood cancer, for more than a year and had spoken publicly in support of assisted dying, expressing the hope that the practice would be legalised before his own death.

Born Eric Lubbock, Avebury was educated at Upper Canada college in Toronto, Canada, and Harrow school, before studying engineering science at Balliol college, Oxford.

He joined the Liberal party in 1960 and became a councillor the following year. Avebury made his name with a surprise byelection victory in Orpington in 1962, becoming known as “Orpington Man” after achieving a 7,855 majority – a swing of nearly 22% from the Conservatives – to bring the number of Liberal MPs to seven.

The politician lost the seat in 1970, a year before he became the fourth Baron Avebury upon the death of his cousin and moved to join the House of Lords. In 1999, following Labour’s reform of the upper house, he was elected to remain by his fellow Lib Dem peers while most hereditary peers were removed.