Senior politicians pay tribute to Tory supporter and countryside campaigner Jilly Cooper

Prime ministers past and contiguous person led tributes to Dame Jilly Cooper, a lifelong Conservative and champion of the countryside.

The 88-year-old writer died connected Sunday morning pursuing a fall.

Asked for Sir Keir Starmer's effect to her death, a Downing Street spokesperson said: "The premier curate sends his condolences to her family."

But her biggest instrumentality among elder politicians was Rishi Sunak, who admitted 2 years agone erstwhile helium was PM that helium was a instrumentality of her racy novels.

"Sad to perceive of the passing of Dame Jilly Cooper, a storyteller whose wit and emotion oregon quality brought joyousness to millions," helium wrote connected X.

"My thoughts are with her household and chap readers."

In an interrogation successful May 2023, Mr Sunak ranked her classical Rivals arsenic 1 of his all-time favourite novels.

That prompted a question successful a TV interrogation astir whether helium was "really into" her books. "Yes, that is true," helium said, blushing.

"Riders, Rivals, Polo, The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous, Appassionata," helium said. "She's done a batch of antithetic books, but that's the acceptable of books that I like."

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Besides being a Conservative Party supporter, Cooper campaigned with the Trust for Nature Conservation for the preservation of limestone grasslands successful Gloucestershire.

And astatine the Tory league successful Manchester, shadiness situation caput Victoria Atkins paid tribute to her campaigning for the countryside.

"I ne'er had the accidental to conscionable her, but - my goodness maine - did she bring joyousness and amusive and a small spot of raciness to our lives," she said.

"Anyone who saw her, anyone who's work her books, she was perfectly astir giving amusive and joyousness to her readers.

"But besides she was perfectly grounded successful the countryside. She's 1 of the people, if I had a benignant of personage dinner, she'd beryllium connected my invitation list."