John Taylor, Baron Taylor of Warwick
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John David Beckett Taylor, Baron Taylor of Warwick (born 21 September 1952) is a member of the
House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...
in the
Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...
. His full title is "The Lord Taylor of Warwick". In 1996, at the age of 44, he became one of the youngest people in the upper house. He is the third person of Afro-Caribbean origin to enter the House of Lords. Taylor initially practised as a
barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...
, and served as a part-time deputy district judge (magistrates' courts). Following the
UK parliamentary expenses scandal The United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal was a major political scandal that emerged in 2009, concerning expenses claims made by members of the British Parliament in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords over the previous year ...
he was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment, relating to £11,277 in falsely claimed expenses, and was subsequently disbarred. He has also been a company director and television and radio presenter. He is a
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, who devotes time and resources to charities, namely
Kidscape Kidscape is a London-based charity established in 1985, by child psychologist Michele Elliott. Its focus is on children's safety, with an emphasis on the prevention of harm by equipping children with techniques and mindsets that help them stay ...
, Parents for Children, SCAR (Sickle Cell Anemia Relief), Variety Club Children's Charity of Great Britain, Warwick Leadership Foundation and WISCA (West Indian Senior Citizens' Association).


Early life

Born in 1952, Taylor was the son of Jamaican immigrants in Birmingham. His father,
Derief Taylor Derief David Samuel Taylor (17 September 1910 – 17 March 1987) was a Jamaican cricketer who played for Warwickshire from 1948 to 1950, and then coached the county from 1951 to 1981. Playing career Derief Taylor left a taxi business in Kings ...
, was a professional
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
er and coach for Warwickshire, and his mother, Enid, was a nurse. Taylor attended
Moseley Grammar School Moseley is a suburb of south Birmingham, England, south of the city centre. The area is a popular cosmopolitan residential location and leisure destination, with a number of bars and restaurants. The area also has a number of boutiques and ot ...
in Birmingham where he was head boy, and later attended Keele University, where he studied English Literature and Law, followed by the Inns of Court School of Law in London.


Career


Legal

Taylor was
called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...
in 1978, by Gray's Inn, where he was also awarded the Gray's Inn Advocacy Award, and Norman Tapp Memorial Prize for excellence in
mooting Moot court is a co-curricular activity at many law schools. Participants take part in simulated court or arbitration proceedings, usually involving drafting memorials or memoranda and participating in oral argument. In most countries, the phrase ...
. Taylor undertook his pupillage at 1 Dr Johnson's Buildings, and then joined the same chambers as the future Justice Secretary,
Ken Clarke Kenneth Harry Clarke, Baron Clarke of Nottingham, (born 2 July 1940), often known as Ken Clarke, is a British politician who served as Home Secretary from 1992 to 1993 and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1993 to 1997 as well as serving as de ...
. Taylor practised from there on the Midland & Oxford
Circuit Circuit may refer to: Science and technology Electrical engineering * Electrical circuit, a complete electrical network with a closed-loop giving a return path for current ** Analog circuit, uses continuous signal levels ** Balanced circu ...
. In 1997, Taylor was appointed as a part-time district judge (Magistrates' Court). He was disbarred after his conviction and imprisonment related to the United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal.


Political

In the 1980s, Taylor turned to local politics and was elected to Solihull Council for the safe Conservative ward of St Alphege at a by-election in 1985 and was re-elected for a 4 year term in May 1988. He contested
Birmingham Perry Barr Birmingham Perry Barr is a constituency in the West Midlands, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2001 by Khalid Mahmood of the Labour Party. Constituency profile UK Polling Report stated in 2015: "Perry Barr and ...
for the
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
at the 1987 general election, losing by 6,933 votes. He was selected by Conservative Party's Central Office to become the Conservative candidate for
Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...
at the 1992 general election. The campaign was seen as having been influenced by race, with Taylor's
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
background reportedly causing concern to some members of the local Conservative Party constituency association, which was completely split by the issue. Conservative Central Office expelled association members over the issue.
John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...
, then Prime Minister, campaigned for Taylor in Cheltenham, but he lost the seat to Nigel Jones of the Liberal Democrats by 1,668 votes, the first time since
1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...
Cheltenham had not voted for a Conservative candidate and the first time since
December 1910 The following events occurred in December 1910: December 1, 1910 (Thursday) * Porfirio Diaz was inaugurated for his eighth term as President of Mexico."Record of Current Events", ''The American Monthly Review of Reviews'' (January 1911), pp ...
it had voted for a Liberal-aligned candidate. Taylor was made a
life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...
as Baron Taylor of Warwick, ''of Warwick in the County of Warwickshire'' on 2 October 1996, on the recommendation of Prime Minister
John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...
. At 44, he became one of the youngest life peers to sit in the
House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...
at the time.


Other activities

In 2016, he appeared on the Fox News channel to discuss the potential impact of Britain leaving the European Union ( Brexit). Other positions he has held include: * Television Presenter, '' Crime Stalker'' (
Carlton Television Carlton Television (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV franchise holder for London and the surrounding counties from 9.25am every Monday to 5.15pm every Friday. The company is now managed with London Weekend Televi ...
); '' Talk About'' ( BBC One); '' ''Powerhouse'''' ( Channel 4) * Non-executive Director, Currencies Direct Ltd (resigned July 2010); Mottram Holdings PLC * Consultant, Kleinwort Benson Bank * Chancellor, Bournemouth University, 2001–2006. * Vice President, National Small Business Bureau; British Board of Film Classification, 1998–2008. * Member of the International Trade Council. * Special Adviser to the Home Secretary and Home Office Ministers, 1990–1991. * Founder of the Warwick Leadership Academy (2014 to present) providing services to young people.


False accounting convictions

In early 2009, a major political scandal was triggered by the leaking and subsequent publication of expense claims made by members of the United Kingdom Parliament. On 16 July 2010, Taylor resigned the Tory
Whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...
after being charged with offences connected with claims totalling £11,277. Several hundred members of the House of Commons and House of Lords were involved in the expenses scandal but only six members of the House of Commons and two, including Taylor, of the Lords, were charged and convicted. Taylor's defence in the
Crown Court The Crown Court is the court of first instance of England and Wales responsible for hearing all Indictable offence, indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals lied to it by the Magistrates' court, magistrates' court ...
was that on appointment to the House of Lords he had asked other peers for advice on expenses and allowances and that he was told that the overnight subsistence allowance, the office allowance, and the travel expenses were provided in lieu of a salary, as well as the daily attendance allowance. As a result of claiming for the cost of journeys he had not made, and the cost of accommodation he had not occupied, Taylor was convicted of six counts of false accounting. In his summing up to the jury, Mr Justice Saunders observed that Taylor was a man of good character who had devoted a lot of time to helping others. The judge imposed a sentence of 12 months' imprisonment, relating to £11,277 in falsely claimed expenses; he also said that the expenses scandal had "left an indelible stain on Parliament". About 15 members of the House of Lords refused to give evidence to support Taylor's defence.


Personal life

Taylor married in 1981 and had three children with his wife. They divorced in 2005. '' The Daily Telegraph'' reported that Taylor is an evangelical Christian, and in 2009 he married an evangelical Christian from the US. That marriage lasted 24 days and was annulled in 2010. In 2015, Taylor married Laura Colleen Taylor, another US national.


References


External links

*
BBC News profile

TheyWorkForYou Profile

''Guardian'' Trial Coverage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, John, Baron Taylor of Warwick 1952 births Living people Alumni of Keele University Alumni of the Inns of Court School of Law Black British politicians Politics of Cheltenham Taylor of Warwick, John Taylor English barristers English people of Jamaican descent People associated with Bournemouth University People from Birmingham, West Midlands People educated at Moseley School English Protestants Conservative Party (UK) parliamentary candidates British politicians convicted of fraud 21st-century British criminals Prisoners and detainees of England and Wales British prisoners and detainees