Mike Moore's tribute to Andrew Reeves

"He could be the grumpiest guy on earth, but he had a laugh that would have filled the O2  arena"


That sounds like our Andrew, doesn't it?

When Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore gave the tribute at Andrew Reeves' funeral, he appeared on the order of service simply as Michael Moore. No Rt Hon, no MP. He was there, like the rest of us, saying goodbye to a much loved friend.

Andrew thought very highly of Mike and was always quick to point out to anyone  who would listen how helpful Mike was, how supportive of our candidates, and how he put the work in, getting round firstly his own constituency in the run up to 2010 and supporting all our key seat candidates in the run up to May's elections this year.

That regard was clearly mutual. When I spoke to Mike recently,  he had this to say about his friend.

“He was this big bluff presence that stampeded into our lives, changed them forever and now he’s gone. It’s such a cruel turn of events. 

He contributed so much to the way I think about campaigning and my politics, and was so fundamentally decent in all he did. Then there was his great humour. He could be the grumpiest guy on earth but he had a laugh that would have filled the O2 arena. 

He was one of the greatest human beings and I can’t believe he’s gone.

I've saved this one for today, because it marks exactly 3 months since we woke up to the dreadful news that Andrew had died so suddenly. We all miss him so much, but we can also take some comfort from the knowledge that on 2nd June, the last day of his life, he was happy and fired up and had been laughing and joking with friends.