Nigel Farage leads tributes following Patrick O’Flynn’s loss of life | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Nigel Farage has led tributes to Daily Express veteran and Brexit campaigner Patrick O’Flynn, who has died aged 59. The former MEP had a profitable profession on the coronary heart of Westminster, serving because the Express’s political editor and spearheading the newspaper’s marketing campaign to take Britain out of the European Union.

He then turned his hand to politics, becoming a member of Nigel Farage’s UKIP as director of communications earlier than being elected an MEP within the 2014 European elections. Mr Farage stated he was “so sad to hear of the passing of Patrick O’Flynn”. The Reform UK chief added: “Paddy was a great journalist, a great thinker, a great patriot and a titan of our joint cause. Thank you Paddy.”

Explaining his determination to go away journalism for the political entrance line, Mr O’Flynn wrote: “I was sure I could make my most powerful contribution to the great patriotic cause of getting Britain out of the EU and restoring it to its rightful status as a proud self-governing country by doing something else.

“I knew I would miss the camaraderie of colleagues, the buzz of daily deadlines and, of course, you – the readers. But I also knew that I had to go.”

Tributes have additionally flooded in from former colleagues on the Express, together with his current-day successor as political editor, Martyn Brown, who described Mr O’Flynn as a “wonderful man”.

He added: “A journalistic legend who was incredibly to kind to me when I first joined the Lobby and, of course, the mastermind of perhaps the most consequential political newspaper campaigns of the past 50 years.”

Julia Hartley-Brewer, who served as political editor of the Sunday Express concurrently with Mr O’Flynn’s tenure on the Express, stated she was “absolutely heartbroken” to study of his loss of life.

Ms Hartley-Brewer described him as “a brilliant colleague at the Express, a staunch Brexiteer and good friend. Most importantly, he was a genuinely lovely man”.

Conservative Party chief Kemi Badenoch stated: “This is dreadful news. I can’t quite believe it.

“My husband and I always enjoyed Patrick’s company. He often messaged me with thoughts on politics. We’d agree on substance, then argue over tactics. I teased him about being a secret Leftie … but my goodness, he loved this country.

“Such sad, sad news to end the day.”

Mr O’Flynn often reflected on the long road to Brexit and the role he played in the fight for Britain’s democracy.

Mr O’Flynn departed UKIP in 2017, citing a disagreement with Mr Farage over the party’s direction. He then joined the Social Democratic Party, becoming its most high-profile supporter.

The SDP said it was “devastated” to study the information of his passing, branding him a “great journalist, fantastic MEP, true patriot, and most of all a wonderful man, he will be sorely missed”.

In December 2019, simply earlier than Britain left the EU in January 2020, he stated his decade started by beginning the Express marketing campaign to get Britain out, “much to the bemusement of Lobby colleagues and the vast majority of MPs”.

It was then bookended by the second he had spent so a few years campaigning for.

Mr O’Flynn is survived by his spouse, Carole Ann, who additionally wrote for this paper, in addition to his son and daughter.