The wrong man was cremated in place of MEP Philip Bradbourn ( pictured ) at his funeral in January . A mortuary cremated the wrong body at the funeral of Tory MEP Philip Bradbourn in an astonishing mix-up which saw the politician 's family bid farewell to a stranger with the same name . Mr Bradbourn died shortly after being re-elected as an MEP for the West Midlands . The 63-year-old had been battling bowel cancer . But at a ceremony at Bushbury Crematorium in Wolverhampton on January 16 , another man 's body was cremated in his place . The blunder came after officials confused the politician 's coffin with that of Philip Bradburn , an unknown man whose own funeral had been arranged by social services . Mr Bradbourn 's family slammed the mix-up after having to hold a second funeral for him the following month . The 63-year-old died in Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield in December after battling the disease . His body was taken to the Central England Co-operative Funeralcare mortuary , where another man , Philip Bradburn , also lay . Mr Bradburn died in Birmingham 's Queen Elizabeth 's Hospital around the same time . A month after the funeral , Mr Bradbourn 's family were told of the blunder . Earlier this week politicians gathered to pay their respects to Mr Bradbourn at St Peter ’ s Collegiate Church in Wolverhampton . Yesterday Tory West Midlands MEP Anthea McIntyre spoke of her horror at learning her former colleague 's body had been mixed up . ' I attended Phil ’ s funeral in January and it was a smallish affair which was what Phil wanted . It was very moving and his friends planned a memorial day in March . ' I was telephoned by his executor informing me that a man with a very similar name had died and his body was mistakenly cremated . Mr Bradbourn died shortly after being re-elected as an MEP for the West Midlands . The 63-year-old had been battling bowel cancer . Mr Bradbourn was taken to Bushbury Cemetery and Crematorium in Wolverhampton ( above ) after losing his battle with cancer . The 63-year-old was being treated at Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield which has launched an investigation into the incident . Another man , called Philip Bradburn , had also been taken to the crematorium from Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham ( above ) 'It is deeply distressing and my first thought was there has been a family who have been robbed of a funeral for their loved one . 'My understanding is that the gentleman did not have any close family or relatives but nevertheless this should not be allowed to happen . Mr Bradbourn ( pictured in 2005 ) spent 20 years in local government before becoming a political adviser . 'The hospital trust has launched an investigation and I know that serious questions have been sent right to the top of Government on this issue . ' It is not clear whose shoulders the mistake falls on but all parties involved said they were conducting investigations into the incident . 'We are very sorry that this has happened - we are carrying out a full and urgent investigation between all the parties involved . 'This is a rare incident and we are offering support to those close to the deceased , ' said Andrew Catto of Good Hope Hospital , where Mr Bradbourn died . University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust , which runs the Queen Elizabeth , where Mr Bradburn died , said : 'We have been asked to be part of the investigation into this unfortunate incident and will fully co-operate with the parties involved . ' A spokesperson for Central England Co-operative Funeralcare said : 'The Society is supporting one of our partners in a full and open an investigation , but is not able to comment further while the investigation is ongoing . ' Mr Bradbourn had been a town planning officer in local government for more than 20 years before becoming political adviser to the Conservative group at Wolverhampton City Council . He was awarded an OBE in 1994 for his public and political service . At the time of his death Prime Minister David Cameron led tributes to the 'dedicated ' and 'well-respected ' politician who served in the European Parliament since 1999 . A memorial service was held at St Peter 's Collegiate Church in Wolverhampton ( above ) for the politician in March with senior Westminster figures among those there .
Philip Bradbourn , 63 , died in December after battling bowel cancer . His family held a funeral for him in Queen Elizabeth Hospital on January 16 . But a mix up by workers saw the wrong body cremated in his place . Philip Bradburn , an unknown man with a similar name , cremated instead . Investigations have been launched by the hospitals and crematorium .