Sir Stuart Etherington has paid tribute to Nick Hurd, as “innovative, creative and one of the best minsters that we’ve had”, adding that NCVO would organise a party to thank him for his time as minister for civil society. 

“We’re obviously very sad that he’s gone – he was the longest-serving minster for this role in my entire 20 years with NCVO,” the NCVO chief executive told Civil Society News this morning.

“He has done a lot of very good things, notably his interest in National Citizen Service and social investment,” he said.

Sir Stuart added that Hurd had been instrumental in forcing the  government to u-turn on the charity tax cap in 2012.

“He has also worked behind the scenes to help us secure lots of benefits and changes, particularly he was very active on the Give it Back George campaign on the inside track helping to change that policy and also he worked with us and the Big Lottery Fund to secure the match funding for European structural funds.

“All those things have been extremely helpful. He has obviously been operating in an environment where the amount of money available has been reducing, it is certainly in some ways more difficult to be a minister in those circumstances,” he continued. 

“Nevetheless I think he was quite innovative, creative and one of the best ministers that we have had.”

Etherington also promised that NCVO would organise a party for him at Parliament in the autumn “to thank him” for his contribution.

There is more reaction as it happens over on our live blog.