A former political journalist who worked for a number of regional newspapers over the course of a long career in the Parliamentary Press Gallery has died aged 85.

Jack Foster, pictured left in his younger days, died at his home in Harrogate earlier this month.  He had been suffering from cancer.

A mainstay of the regional lobby in the days when most big regional papers had a presence at Westminster, Jack will be remembered by Midlands journalists as a former London editor of the Birmingham Mail.

He later became political editor of Westminster Press, a regional group which once owned a chain of 60 newspapers including the Northern Echo and Oxford Mail before becoming part of Newsquest.  He retired in 1997.

Paying tribute, former Express & Star lobby correspondent John Hipwood said: “Jack was a lovely man, a gentleman in every way and a great Midlands competitor.

“He loved sport and will have been relieved to have seen his beloved West Ham maintain their Premier League status this season. He was a great supporter too of cricket, dividing his loyalties between Essex and his home county of Yorkshire.

“His death will be a particular blow to several current members of the Press Gallery, who worked under Jack’s tutelage during his time as London editor of Westminster Press.”

Jack’s funeral service will be at 2.20 pm on Tuesday 30 May at Stonefall Cemetery and Crematorium, Wetherby Road, Harrogate, HG3 1DE.