Top British broadcaster Moira Stuart paid tribute to veteran journalist Ira Philip for his passion for social justice yesterday.

Ms Stuart, the granddaughter of Bermuda politician and trade unionist E.F. Gordon, issued a statement on behalf of her family, which she said was in keeping with the thoughts of her late mother, Dr Gordon’s daughter, Marjorie Davis.

She said: “I met Ira Philip only briefly many years ago, yet I’ve never forgotten his warmth, his integrity and his passion for social justice.

She added: “Yes, he was true and fearless; his pen was mighty; and he will be sorely missed.”

Ms Stuart, who lived in Bermuda as a child, was the first black woman newsreader on British television in 1981, and is one of the best-known broadcasters at the BBC.

Veteran journalist Mr Philip, who died this week, aged 92, published a book about Dr Gordon, Freedom Fighters: From Monk to Mazumbo, in 1988.

Ms Stuart said she “will always hold dear his seminal work”.

Mr Philip was a journalist for seven decades, a historian, author and Progressive Labour Party senator.

During his time at The Bermuda Recorder and ZFB, in particular, he was known for covering major events in Bermuda’s history, and for publicising the struggle of black Bermudians.