Paul Flynn (politician)
Paul Flynn | |
---|---|
Mark Robinson | |
Succeeded by | Ruth Jones |
Personal details | |
Born | Paul Philip Flynn 9 February 1935 Cardiff, Wales |
Died | 17 February 2019 Newport, Wales | (aged 84)
Political party | Labour |
Spouses | |
Children | 4 |
Education | St Illtyd's Catholic High School |
Alma mater | Cardiff University |
Website | Official website |
Paul Philip Flynn (9 February 1935 – 17 February 2019) was a British
Early life
Flynn was born in
On leaving education in 1955, he worked as a
Political career
Flynn had joined the Labour Party in 1956.
Flynn was appointed as junior spokesman for Wales by
Flynn was a member of eight different
On 30 June 2016, Flynn stood in on the party's front bench as
Political views
Flynn was a
Flynn opposed and campaigned against nuclear weapons.[4] He was also a long-standing opponent of nuclear power in the United Kingdom, especially the new Hinkley Point C nuclear power station across the Bristol Channel from his constituency.[16]
Flynn was a firm critic of the
In November 2017, Flynn said that President of the United States Donald Trump should be arrested for inciting racial hatred if he visited the UK.[17]
Flynn was a "a titan in the UK drug law reform movement" according to the
Flynn was critical of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, arguing that the parliamentary expenses scheme should be replaced with a flat rate allowance dependent on the distance of each MP's constituency from Westminster. He claimed that the current procedure was too bureaucratic and time-consuming.[25]
Following the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in March 2018, Flynn tweeted that the Conservative Party were "officially sponsored by NERVE GAS KILLERS R US". He later deleted the post.[26]
Flynn was a staunch
Endowment Justice
Endowment Justice, a company working on a
War in Afghanistan
Flynn was a harsh critic of the
On 18 September 2012, Flynn was
Ambassador to Israel
In November 2011, Flynn expressed concern that
Intended retirement
In October 2018, Flynn announced that he would stand down as an MP before the next United Kingdom general election (eventually held on
Other activities
Flynn learned
Flynn was one of the first MPs to use the Internet to communicate with constituents, and in 2000 won the New Statesman New Media Award for his website,[42] which was voted the best MP's website on many other occasions.[43] He was an early adopter of Hansard CD-ROMs, and wrote a book, Dragons Led by Poodles, about the devolution campaign in Wales in the 1990s, in which he criticised some of his fellow MPs severely.[44]
Flynn was chairman of the
Flynn said that the best description of him was one by the late political sketch-writer Simon Hoggart, who had said he was "the thinking man's Dennis Skinner"; Flynn thought this could be his epitaph.[5]
Personal life
He was married twice, first to Anne Harvey in 1962, with whom he had two children, a son and a daughter; their daughter died by suicide in 1979, aged 16.[45] The couple divorced in 1984 and the following year he married Samantha Morgan Cumpstone, with whom he had two children.[46]
In 2007 Flynn suffered a
Death
Flynn died in Newport, Wales,[48] on 17 February 2019, eight days after his 84th birthday, after a long illness.[1] Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn described him as "an independent thinker who was a credit to the party" and Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford called him a "giant of the Welsh Labour movement".[8] Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions on 20 February, Theresa May said of Flynn, "He was an outstanding Parliamentarian, a tireless campaigner and championed his constituency of Newport West and Wales with energy and enthusiasm for over 30 years."[49] Fellow Labour MP Jo Stevens described Flynn as a "kind, principled, fascinating man".[50] Constituency neighbour Jessica Morden stated in a blog post, "In his 31 years as Newport West’s MP he never let up campaigning against injustice, holding those in authority to account and championing his beloved City. He did this in his own inimitable style with wit, humour and as a passionate Newportonian."[51]
Publications
- Television in Wales by Paul Flynn, 1974[46]
- Commons Knowledge: How to Be a Backbencher by Paul Flynn, 1997, Seren Books ISBN 1-85411-206-6[5]
- Baglu 'Mlaen (Cyfres Y Cewri) by Paul Flynn, 1998, Cyhoeddiadau Mei ISBN 0-86074-147-8[46]
- Dragons Led by Poodles: Inside Story of a New Labour Stitch Up by Paul Flynn, 1999, Politico's Publishing ISBN 1-902301-24-2[46]
- The Unusual Suspect by Paul Flynn, 2010, Biteback Publishing
- How to Be an MP by Paul Flynn, 2012, Biteback Publishing
- Clockwinder Who Wouldn’t Say No: The Life of David Taylor MP, 2012,
References
- ^ a b Langdon, Julia (18 February 2019). "Paul Flynn obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
- ^ a b Cornock, David (30 June 2016). "'Trailblazer' octogenarian back on Commons front bench". BBC. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
- ^ a b Roth, Andrew (19 March 2001). "Paul Flynn". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Paul Flynn obituary". The Guardian. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Obituary: Newport West Labour MP Paul Flynn". BBC News. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ "UK Polling Report". Archived from the original on 19 February 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- ^ "UK General Election results: October 1974 [Archive]". www.politicsresources.net. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Veteran Labour MP Paul Flynn dies aged 84". BBC News. 17 February 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ "Paul Flynn". House of Commons. UK Parliament. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
- ^ "Labour MP Paul Flynn claims promotion 'part of diversity project'". BBC News. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
- ^ Craig, Ian (30 June 2016). "Rumours MP Paul Flynn appointed shadow leader of the Commons 'not true'". The Argus. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
- WalesOnline. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
- ^ "Labour's new shadow cabinet in full". BBC News. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
- ^ "EXCL Anger of 81-year-old Paul Flynn after he was sacked from Shadow Cabinet". 11 November 2016.
- ^ "Labour man seeks vote to end the monarchy". The Independent. 21 April 1996. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ Williamson, David (2 April 2013). "Paul Flynn in call for UK to pull out of nuclear power". Wales Online. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
- ^ "Donald Trump "should be arrested for inciting racial hatred": MP Paul Flynn". South Wales Argus. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
- ^ (February 18, 2019). Paul Flynn – a courageous advocate for drug law reform. TransformDrugs.org
- ^ (House of Commons at 11:30 am on 18th January 2005). Orders of the Day — Drugs Bill. TheyWorkForYou
- ^ Letcher, Andy (2006). Shrooms: A Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom. Faber and Faber. P.285
- ^ David Batty, Labour MPs support medicinal cannabis use, The Guardian, 24 May 2006.
- ^ "Paul Flynn MP: People should take cannabis in Parliament to show the 'law is an ass' - Left Foot Forward". leftfootforward.org. 2 August 2017.
- ^ Cedar, Ali (11 October 2017). "Hundreds of People Got High Outside Parliament". Vice. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- ^ "Legalisation of Cannabis (Medicinal Purposes) Bill 2017-19". www.parliament.uk. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- ^ McCann, Kate (30 August 2016). "Parliamentary expenses should be scrapped and MPs trusted with an allowance, says top Corbyn ally". The Telegraph. Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
- ^ Bates, Liz (11 March 2018). "Former Labour frontbencher under fire over Tory 'nerve gas killers' tweet". PoliticsHome.com. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^ Dempsey, Noel (6 February 2017). "Brexit: votes by constituency". House of Commons Library. UK Parliament. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
- ^ "Brexit: MP Paul Flynn urges second referendum - BBC News". Bbc.co.uk. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
- ^ Prosser, David (9 November 2005). "Labour MP Flynn faces £36,000 legal bill after losing libel action". The Independent. London. Retrieved 22 November 2007.[dead link] Alt URL
- ^ Flynn, Paul (5 September 2009). "We've wasted enough lives in this war". The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
- ^ Mills, Jen (30 October 2014). "Newport MP calls for public inquiry into Afghanistan war". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
- ^ Wheeler, Richard (30 October 2014). "Afghanistan campaign 'worst military blunder since Charge of the Light Brigade' says Welsh MP". Wales Online. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
- ^ "Paul Flynn MP thrown out of Commons for lie accusation". BBC. 18 September 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
- ^ Prince, Rosa (18 September 2012). "Paul Flynn is thrown out of Commons for calling Philip Hammond a 'liar'". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
- ^ "Nato curbs Afghan joint patrols over 'insider' attacks". BBC. 18 September 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
- ^ Hansard Public Administration Committee 24 November 2011
- ^ a b c Bright, Martin (1 December 2011). "Jewish envoy not loyal to UK, says Labour MP". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
- ^ Lipman, Jennifer (1 December 2011). "MP who questioned Jewish envoy's loyalty should 'prepare to retire". The Jewish Chronicle.
- ^ Lipman, Jennifer (7 December 2011). "MP sorry for saying Jewish envoy 'disloyal' to UK". The Jewish Chronicle.
- ^ "Newport West MP Paul Flynn to stand down after 31 years". BBC News. 25 October 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
- ^ "European Union (Withdrawal) Act main Motion (Prime Minister) - CommonsVotes". commonsvotes.digiminster.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
- ^ a b "Members Of Parliament in Newport". South Wales Argus. Archived from the original on 19 July 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
- ^ "British Computer Society Awards Best MP Websites". British Computer Society. 8 November 2007. Archived from the original on 27 November 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
- ^ Dragons and Poodles – a story of Welsh politics BBC News Wednesday, 15 September 1999
- ^ "MP's pain at daughter suicide". WalesOnline. 16 March 2004. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Paul, Who?". Paul Flynn MP. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
- ^ Truscott, Claire (21 November 2007). "MP recovering after mini-stroke". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ "DOR Q1/2019 in NEWPORT (836-1B)". GRO Online Indexes. General Register Office for England and Wales. Entry Number 518616843. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
- ^ "Theresa May leads tributes to Paul Flynn". South Wales Argus. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- ^ Goodall, Lewis (18 February 2019). "Long-standing Labour MP Paul Flynn dies aged 84". Sky news. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- ^ Morden, Jessica (18 February 2019). "Paul Flynn MP (1935-2019)". Jessica Morden MP. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
External links
- Paul Flynn MP official constituency website
- Paul Flynn's blog
- Paul Flynn MP, Welsh Labour Party profile
- Parliamentary Archives, Records of Paul Flynn MP
- Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
- Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
- Voting record at Public Whip
- Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
- Appearances on C-SPAN