Bradford-born Jim Mortimer, founding chairman of the Acas arbitration service and former general secretary of the Labour Party, has died at the age of 92.

Mr Mortimer grew up in Manningham, where he attended Lilycroft School. At 15 he moved to Portsmouth with his father, and found work as a fitter in the dockyards.

He went on to study at Ruskin College, Oxford, and joined the TUC research department.

Mr Mortimer also worked for many years as a research officer for the Draughtsman's Union and later became head of personnel at London Transport.

A close friend of Labour politician Michael Foot, he was asked by the then Employment Secretary to take the chair at Acas when it was established in 1974. In 1983 Mr Foot, by then Labour leader, nominated Mr Mortimer as general secretary of the party.

He succeeded Bradford-born Lord Vic Feather, as senior visiting professor in industrial relations at Bradford University School of Management.