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Former Welsh secretary Dame Cheryl Gillan has passed away at the age of 68 after a lengthy illness, the Conservative Party has confirmed.

Boris Johnson said the former cabinet minister would be “sorely missed” and described her as a “great servant”.

“I’m very sad to hear the news of the death of Dame Cheryl Gillan,” he said in a tweet.

“She was a great servant to the people of Chesham and Amersham, to the Conservative Party and to the country as secretary of state for Wales.

“Always full of wise advice and good humour, she was much loved on all sides of the House of Commons and will be sorely missed.

“My sincere condolences to her family and friends.”

Always full of wise advice and good humour, she was much loved on all sides of the House of Commons and will be sorely missed. My sincere condolences to her family and friends. (2/2)

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 5, 2021

So sad to hear we have lost @CherylGillan one of the warmest and most generous hearted people in the House of Commons. She was a formidable campaigner for autistic people but also the definition of British stoical good humour – an enormous credit to her party and to parliament

— Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) April 5, 2021

An MP since 1992,  the noted anti-HS2 campaigner had made a “huge contribution to public life”, said co-chairman of the Conservative Party Amanda Milling.

“It was incredibly sad to hear that Dame Cheryl Gillan MP passed away at the weekend,” Milling added.

“Cheryl had been ill for some time, but battled her illness with great stoicism and grace.

“Cheryl was a dedicated parliamentarian for many decades, serving in the Cabinet and she made a huge contribution to public life and our Party.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Cheryl’s family and friends.”