Tributes have been pouring in for veteran Labour MP Paul Flynn who has died, aged 84, after a long illness.
Mr Flynn represented Newport West since 1987 when he was first elected.
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”.
Newport West Labour Party confirmed in a tweet that Mr Flynn died on Sunday, saying he was “a hero to many of us”.
Mr Flynn announced in October he would step down from Parliament “as soon as possible” after becoming confined to bed because of rheumatoid arthritis.
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 an independent thinker who was a credit to the Labour Party. He will be greatly missed.
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) February 17, 2019
Welsh Labour leader Mr Drakeford said: “He was one of the most effective communicators of his generation – inside the House of Commons and outside.
“But it was Paul’s willingness to speak up for causes beyond the political mainstream which marked him out as a politician of real courage and integrity.”
Mr Drakeford said it had been “a privilege to have worked with him, in the run-up to the devolution era and beyond”.
Announcing his intention to quit politics, Mr Flynn said he was very frustrated not to be taking an active role after three decades.
He campaigned on a wide-range of issues, including benefits, animal welfare and devolution.
He also campaigned for cannabis to be legalised for medicinal use, and in 2017 called for users to come to Parliament to break the law.
