23 Facts About Paul Daisley

Paul Andrew Daisley was a British politician from the Labour Party who is most notable for his period as Leader of Brent Borough Council.

Paul Daisley's success led to his election as Member of Parliament for Brent East, but he was seriously ill with cancer by the time the opportunity came.

Paul Daisley spent many days at his grandparents' home in Hallaton in Leicestershire.

Paul Daisley went to Littlemore School in Littlemore, south Oxford then Abingdon College in Abingdon, where he met his future wife.

Paul Daisley worked as an Accounting Officer for Texaco from 1976 to 1984.

Paul Daisley was to become a leading local supporter of Neil Kinnock.

Paul Daisley married Lesley Jordan in 1984, and the two moved to Sudbury Avenue in the London Borough of Brent.

At the 1986 local elections, Paul Daisley was an unsuccessful candidate in the then safe Conservative ward of Sudbury Court.

Highly critical of the Labour administration that won the election, Paul Daisley worked together with likeminded colleagues to rebuild the party.

Paul Daisley's ward had a serious problem with gang violence among the black population, and Daisley's decision to confront the gangs won him local respect.

Paul Daisley was Labour group leader from 1993 and led the party through the 1994 council elections.

The Conservative administration in Brent had reduced the level of Council Tax charged, and Paul Daisley admitted that his party might have trouble fighting the election because of it; he stressed that the council had increased charges and rents.

Paul Daisley became Leader of the Council in April 1996, when the death of a Conservative councillor placed the Conservatives in a minority; he negotiated a deal with the Liberal Democrat group which allowed Labour to gain control with the casting vote of the Mayor.

Paul Daisley put up a series of controversial posters with the slogan "Young, gifted and dead", and set up street crime patrols modelled on those in New York which were briefed by Metropolitan Police officers and based at local police stations.

Paul Daisley received praise for tackling crime from the Commissioner, Sir John Stevens.

Paul Daisley was initially sceptical about the redevelopment of Wembley Stadium, although the election of Ken Livingstone as Mayor of London led to a change of mind in May 2000.

Long before legislation required it, Paul Daisley made the council set up a Standards Committee and bring in a code of practice for councillors; he set up a special website for audits and investigations and encouraged residents to report suspected fraud.

Paul Daisley received Livingstone's support in the fierce battle; a dispute about postal votes in the selection had to be taken to the regional party body to be resolved.

In February 2001 Paul Daisley felt suddenly unwell and was rushed to hospital where an emergency operation removed a tumour in his colon; he spent six weeks in a coma recovering from the operation.

Paul Daisley did not attend Parliament to take the oath of allegiance until 14 September, during an emergency debate on the recent September 11 attacks, the last member to take the oath in 2001, and made his maiden speech on 1 February 2002.

Paul Daisley's weight had fallen to seven and a half stone at the time of his treatment, and it was slowly recovering through 2002.

Paul Daisley died from colorectal cancer in London on 18 June 2003, aged 45.

In memory of Daisley, the Paul Daisley Trust was established in 2003 to raise awareness of colon cancer and to encourage early diagnosis.