Paul Flynn dead – Newport West Labour MP dies aged 84 after battle with ill health
Mr Flynn, who had been ill for some time, had planned to stand down 'at the earliest possible opportunity' due to his failing health
LONG-standing Labour MP Paul Flynn has died at the age of 84, the party announced late on Sunday night.
Mr Flynn, who had been an MP for Newport West since 1987, was hailed a real “hero” by those within his local party.
In a statement on Twitter, the local Labour Association said: "It's with great sadness that we let you know that our MP, Paul Flynn, has died today.
"Paul is a hero to many of us in the Newport Labour family and we mourn for his family's loss. We would ask that the privacy of Paul's family is respected at this difficult time."
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Mr Flynn would be "greatly missed".
He tweeted: "I'm very sad at the passing of my good friend Paul Flynn. He had such love for Newport, knowledge of radical South Wales history and a dry wit.
“He was respected across the political divide with his wonderful turn of phrase, witty comments and incisive mind.
"Undoubtedly, Paul spoke truth to power. He was far ahead of his time on issues which others found too controversial. He was proved right on so many of them."
Mr Flynn fought for his constituency seat for the eighth time in June 2017, having first been elected to serve Newport West at the General Election in June 1987.
He served as both a front and back bench MP and one issue that was extremely close to his heart was the campaign to legalise cannabis for medical use in the UK.
Mr Flynn made a dramatic return to the frontbenches in 2016 when he became Corbyn’s shadow Welsh Secretary.
At the age of 81, he then became the oldest MP in more than a century to hold a shadow cabinet position.
Mr Flynn was a Newport borough councillor for nine years, to 1981, and a Gwent county councillor for eight years before beginning his parliamentary career.
Last October, he announced he intended to stand down as an MP due to health reasons saying he would "wait for a convenient time to go" and had "loved every minute" of his time in Westminster.