Wife of Tory MP Owen Paterson found dead at family home

The wife of Owen Paterson, a Conservative former cabinet minister, has been found dead at their family home, the MP has said.

In a statement, Mr Paterson said the loss of his wife Rose had come as a “terrible shock” to the family.

He said: “It is with great sadness that I must inform you that my wife, Rose, has been found dead at our family home in Shropshire.

“Rose and I were married for 40 happy years. She was a wonderful, caring wife, mother and grandmother.

“Her death has come as a terrible shock to us all. I would ask the media to respect the privacy of myself and my family at this extremely difficult time.”

The couple married in 1980 and had two sons and a daughter.

West Mercia Police said her death was being treated as “unexplained” although it was not thought that any third party was involved.

Mrs Paterson, the daughter of the fourth Viscount Ridley, was the chairman of Aintree Racecourse.

She had been a racecourse committee director at the home of the Randox Health Grand National since 2005 and was appointed a steward of The Jockey Club in 2019.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has offered his condolences to Mr Paterson and his family, Downing Street said.

A spokesman said: “The PM heard the news this morning and has written to Owen.

“His thoughts and every sympathy are with Owen, his children and grandchildren at this difficult time”.

The Jockey Club also paid tribute to Mrs Paterson after her death.

Sandy Dudgeon, senior Jockey Club steward, said: “This is tragic news, and our thoughts go out to Rose’s husband Owen and all members of her family.

“Rose was a wonderful person and involved in so many aspects of our sport. She was a skilled chairman at Aintree, a valued member of our board of stewards and headed up our Horse Welfare Group. She also enjoyed participating at grassroots level over many years.

Mr Dudgeon added: “We appreciated her contribution very much, and my fellow stewards and I looked forward to hearing her sound views on a subject, where she was always sensitive to the best course of action for racing. She will be missed greatly for the person she was.”

(c) Sky News 2020: Wife of Tory MP Owen Paterson found dead at family home