Downing Street's top civil servant has died of cancer, David Cameron has said.
Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Cameron paid tribute to "one of the most loyal, hard-working, dedicated public servants" as he told MPs Chris Martin had died earlier today.
Mr Martin, who was Principal Private Secretary (PPS) in Number 10, was awarded the Insignia of a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order on Saturday.
Mr Cameron told MPs: "Everyone in this House and many watching at home know from Yes, Prime Minister the central role that Bernard, the prime minister's principal PPS, plays in the life of the prime minister and of No 10 Downing Street.
"This morning, my Bernard, my principal private secretary, died of cancer.
"Chris Martin was only 42. He was one of the most loyal, hard-working, dedicated public servants that I have ever come across.
"I have no idea what his politics were but he would go to the ends of the earth and back again for his prime minister, for No 10, and for the team he worked for.
"Today, we are leaving the seat in the officials' box where he used to sit empty as a mark of respect to him. We think of his wife, Zoe, his family, the wider No 10 family - because it is a bit like a family - and we feel we have lost someone between a father and a brother to all of us.
"Whatever happens, we will never forget him."
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "On behalf of the Opposition, could I also express my condolences to the family of Chris Martin on his death.
"The Prime Minister told me how ill he was on Remembrance Sunday and I am pleased he was able to visit him at that time.
"Also, on behalf of many members who worked with Chris Martin when we were in government, appreciate very much the professional work he did in the very highest and best traditions of the civil service in this country.
"If our condolences could be passed on, I think that would be very helpful."
A statement issued on behalf of Mr Martin's wife Zoe Conway said: "Chris was the kindest and most supportive person I have ever met. He always helped you to be the best person you could possibly be."
His family said in a statement: "We are distraught at the loss of a dear husband, son and brother and proud of his achievements beyond measure. Most of all we will miss him."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here