By BBC

Tributes to the former Italian leader have continued to pour in, with Pope Francis sharing his “heartfelt participation” after Silvio Berlusconi’s death.

The Pope described Berlusconi as a “protagonist of Italian political life, who held public responsibilities with energetic temperament” in a message to the former leader’s eldest daughter Marina Berlusconi.

The UK government has also marked Berlusconi’s death, with the prime minister’s official spokesman saying: “Silvio Berlusconi made a huge impact on Italian politics over several decades and our thoughts are with the Italian people and his family.”

While former Prime Minister Tony Blair described Berlusconi as a “larger than life figure”, adding that while many found him controversial “for me he was a leader whom I found capable, shrewd and, most important, true to his word”.

Viktor Orbán, the prime minister of Hungary, earlier shared a picture of himself with Berlusconi with the words: “Gone is a great fighter