Labour Party leader Ed Miliband has paid tribute to dedicated political campaigner Hetty Bower who has died aged 108.

Mrs Bower, who joined the march to save the Whittington Hospital earlier this year, passed away at the Royal Free Hospital in Pond Street, Hampstead last night.

Ed Miliband tweeted late last night: “Really sad to hear of death of Hetty Bower at 108. Suffragette, Labour member (first joined 90 years ago), remarkable fighter for justice.”

Mrs Bower signed up to the Labour Party aged just 17 and marched on the streets for causes close to her heart ever since.

She joined the fight against the proposed Whittington Hospital sell-off in March, determinedly marching in the rain to show support for her local hospital.

Before the march, organised by the Defend the Hospital Coalition, she said: “I’m not going to throw stones at windows or damage the building but I will protest as far as my legs can carry me.”

Last month, she met Mr Miliband at the party’s conference in Brighton after making a passionate speech against government cuts.