The British political world was rocked this week by the sudden death of Charles Kennedy. The former Liberal Democrat leader passed away at his home in Fort William on 1 June at just 55.

The Scotsman first entered the House of Commons as a young, ambitious 23-year-old and later took over from Paddy Ashdown as the leader of the yellows in 1999.

The prime minister, party leaders and MPs paid tribute to the Highlander yesterday as his 10-year-old son, Donald, looked on from the gallery.

"At his best he was the best that politics can be and that is how we shall remember him," David Cameron said.

Harriet Harman, the interim Labour leader, described Kennedy as a "warm, funny and generous" man and dubbed the Liberal Democrat "the golden boy of the Highlands".

Meanwhile, former Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg praised Kennedy for being a "fully signed up member of the human race".

'Anti-austerity' surprise

Elsewhere, the Labour leadership produced another startling twist. Jeremy Corbyn, a backbench left-winger, announced his plan to run for the top job with just over a week to go until nominations close.

The Islington MP said he will campaign on an "anti-austerity" platform and revealed his was driven to make the decision to give party members "a broader range of candidates".

The late entrant told the Islington Tribune: "This decision to stand is in response to an overwhelming call by Labour party members who want to see a broader range of candidates and a thorough debate about the future of the party. I am standing to give Labour party members a voice in this debate."

Corbyn has already been able to attract three signatures. But the Stop the War Coalition chairman is 32 short of the 35 nominations required.

Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary, is tipped to win the contest and is ahead of the pack with 51 endorsements.

Yvette Cooper (31), Liz Kendall (22) and Mary Creagh (six) are all short of the 35 nominations threshold, according to data compiled by The New Statesman.

The big EU debate

Finally, the debate over the UK's EU referendum continues to dominate the political agenda.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, a Eurosceptic Tory MP, exclusively spoke to IBTimes UK this week about the issue. He said Cameron should not rush his negotiations with the EU because the "notoriously sclerotic" body makes scandal-hit Fifa look good.

The North East Somerset MP also claimed that the prime minister is an "extraordinarily strong" position to draw concessions from the 28-member block.

More about the EU referendum