MOVING tributes to former Blackburn MP and people's champion Barbara Castle were continuing to pour in today after the political legend died, aged 91.

Baroness Castle of Blackburn, described as the most formidable woman politician of the 20th century after Margaret Thatcher, died peacefully in her sleep yesterday afternoon at her home in Buckinghamshire with her family at her bedside.

The fiery politician was remembered as a determined battler and was seen as a champion for women and later pensioners.

Current Blackburn MP and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw paid a moving tribute to the woman who encouraged his political career.

He said: "Personally, my debt of gratitude to Barbara Castle is incalculable. She was my teacher, my mentor, friend and critic.

"Above all she taught me that in politics, one should never be afraid to say and do things for the first time.''

Baroness Castle's funeral will be a private family service. No details have been released yet.

Among her remarkable achievements in office was the introduction of the breathalyser and the Equal Pay Act for women, which meant that by 1975 some six million women workers were entitled to the same wages as men on the same job.

She was the town's MP for 34 years -- from 1945 to 1979 -- and was made a life peer in 1990 taking the title Baroness Castle of Blackburn. Rossendale and Darwen MP Janet Anderson was her secretary for seven years from 1974 and 1981 and last saw her before Christmas when she took her out for lunch.

She said: "She was a real role model for any woman thinking of entering politics, she certainly taught me everything I know.

"We will sorely miss her."

Lord Taylor of Blackburn had known Barbara Castle for more than 50 years and regarded her as a great friend.

The former leader of Blackburn Council said: "Barbara's contribution to politics was outstanding. She was a great minister and a great champion of causes, especially for women.

"More than that, one way in which I will remember her is the way she looked after her constituents in Blackburn regardless of the ministerial position she held at the time."