REBEL MP, Eurosceptic, man of the people, Southend United supporter and Fawlty Towers fan – Sir Teddy Taylor was many things to many people but to his family, he was simply “the best dad in the world”.

Sir Teddy’s daughter Louise, 38, a chartered accountant, described how despite having such an important job, her dad could goof about with the best of them.

“I know everyone says this, but he really was the best dad in the world. He was so busy but he was always there for us. I can honestly say I never once in my life remember him getting angry,” said Louise.

“The phone would always be ringing, often in the middle of the night and constituents would even come round knocking on the door at all hours but dad never turned them away and he was never rude – even if he had someone having a go at him, he’d be a gentleman.

“When we were young he was one of those dads that our friends always wanted to come over and see because he’d play fun games with us. I’ve got so many memories of him running around the hallway pretending to be the ‘big bad wolf’. We would be screeching with laughter as he chased us.”

Sir Teddy’s wife, Sheila, who married him in Glasgow in 1970, where they both grew up, added: “He was a wonderful father and he adored our five grandchildren.

“One of the happiest memories I have is of the last Bank Holiday in August and all the children were over. We managed to wheel Teddy out into the back garden and he watched the grandkids play football and splash about in the paddling pool. It was a lovely, family day.”

Sheila and Teddy met as adults in serendipitous circumstances when as a young MP he suffered a fit in the House of Commons after a lengthy evening debate. Teddy was taken to nearby St Thomas’s Hospital where Sheila worked as a medical social worker.

She said: “I remember him coming in because I had known of him in Glasgow and our families sort of knew each other.

“Actually I remember on my fifth birthday he helped a boy from across the road bring over some chairs for a party. But we never got to know each other well until he was in the hospital.

“A while later he invited me and one of the ward sisters out for dinner in the Strangers’ Dining Room at the House of Commons. I think he probably hadn’t worked out which one of us he fancied at the time but after that I got another invited to a function and we hit it off.”

The early dates for the courting couple were far from romantic, however. “When we first started seeing each other they were having these huge debates in the Commons about the nationalisation of the steel industry.

“So I’d often meet Teddy for quick bite when there was a break in the meeting and then after I’d go and sit in and watch the debate – just to be able to see Teddy, because he was so busy otherwise,” said Sheila.

By 1982 the couple had moved from Glasgow to their new home in Southend, where Teddy was MP.

We’ve had a wonderful life together,” said Sheila. “Teddy had the knack of being able to get on with everybody – no matter what their political party.

“Many of the Labour MPs were great friends with Teddy even though their political views were so different. He really cared about his constituents. I think that is his greatest legacy and how he would want to be remembered.

“One of the nicest compliments I ever heard about Teddy was when our son John was delivering leaflets during one of the many elections Teddy stood in. John went to a house on a Southend estate and a woman came out and barked at him ‘Who are you canvassing for then?’

“He said ‘Teddy Taylor’. He thought she was going to give him an earful but she said ‘that’s OK then. I met him once and he was scum like the rest of us!’

“What I think she meant was Teddy wasn’t stuck up at all and was down to earth with everyone he met – and that came across in everything he did.

“He was so proud to get his knighthood – although to be honest for days we thought they must have made a mistake – but he was just as proud the day he received the Freedom of the Borough of Southend. I think that was one of the happiest days of his life.”

Sheila told how Sir Teddy was also overjoyed when Brexit was achieved. “He never wavered on his belief that we should be out of the Common Market – not once did he alter his opinion out of all the years in knew him. It was one of his strongest beliefs,” she added.

Sir Teddy didn’t have much time for relaxing but when he did Sheila says he was a huge fan of the comedy Fawlty Towers.

She said: “He also loved his golf and he loved to go walking. One of our favourite places to go was the Milton Cafe in Southend, everyone was so friendly in there.

“We also loved to watch Southend United. Teddy was a big supporter of the club.”

The couple were also creatures of habit – holidaying every year since 1976 in the picturesque coastal village of Portpatrick, on the west coast of the Rhins of Galloway. In fact two of the couple’s children were even married in the village.

Family was clearly everything to Sir Teddy. Sheila added: “Our son George lives in Hong Kong and he flew over and got to the hospital about an hour before Teddy passed away. I think he was waiting for us to all be together before he went.

“We’ve always been a close family.”

Teddy was also close to his mum Minnie, who would always address him by his proper name “Edward”. She used to say ‘’Teddy belongs to his constituents, Edward belongs to me”.

The Taylor family will be making funeral arrangements in the coming weeks, but are certain Sir Teddy will be laid to rest in his beloved Southend.