Leo Abse, longtime Labor MP, dead

LONDON, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Leo Abse, a longtime member of the British Parliament known for advocating gay rights and divorce reform, has died.

A friend reported that Abse, who was 91, died at Charing Cross Hospital in London late Tuesday, The Times of London reported.

Abse, first elected in 1958, represented Pontypool in Wales for almost 30 years.

As a legislator, Abse sponsored more Private Members Bills than any one else. The most notable was the Sexual Offenses Bill, which in 1967 decriminalized homosexual conduct between men over the age of 21.

Two years later, Abse succeeded in getting the Divorce Reform Act passed.

"He was a very distinguished parliamentarian and social reformer who has left an indelible mark on his country," said Paul Murphy, the Welsh Secretary.

The Times said that after he left Parliament, Abse wrote a number of books, including a "psycho-biography" of Margaret Thatcher and one that looked at "an analysis of the repressed homosexual components of the relationship between Gordon Brown and Tony Blair."

Abse's first marriage lasted more than 40 years, ending with his wife's death. In 2000, he married Ania Zepulkowska, a Polish electrician almost half a century his junior, The Times said.