It is never nice to start the year with sad news. I just heard that my friend and colleague Philip Whitehead died of a heart attack on New Years Eve. A great loss for all of us.
Philip was a Labour MEP since 1994 and former BBC journalist. He was the chairman of the internal market committe. Philip was a respected, hard working and kind hearted colleague. He was the kind of person that everyone loved.
It all feels so wrong.