Ian Taylor (UK politician)


Ian Taylor MBE, MP

Member of Parliament
for Esher and Walton
Esher (1987-1997)
Incumbent
Assumed office 
11 June 1987
Preceded by Carol Mather
Majority 7,727 (16.1%)

Born 18 April 1945 (1945-04-18) (age 64)
Coventry, England
Nationality British
Political party Conservative
Spouse Carole Alport
Alma mater Keele University

Ian Colin Taylor MBE (born 18 April 1945) is a politician in the United Kingdom. He has been the Conservative Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Esher and Walton since 1997 and was previously MP for Esher from 1987.

Contents

Early life

He went to Whitley Abbey School, Abbey Road, Coventry. He studied at Keele University, receiving a BA (Hons) in Economics, Politics and Modern History in 1967. He then did research at the London School of Economics. In 1969, he joined Hill Samuel & Co. In 1971, he became the manager of the European Department at Stirling & Co. From 1975-8, he lived in Paris. He worked as a Director for Mathercourt Securities Ltd from 1980-91. He is an Associate of the UK Society of Investment Professionals and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists.

Political career

He served as Minister for Science and Technology under John Major from 1994 to 1997. He is an ally of Kenneth Clarke, although in the 2005 Conservative leadership contest he backed David Davis.

Taylor is known for his pro-EU links (Chairman of the European Movement 2000-2004 and member of Britain in Europe council until 2005. He now chairs the Conservative Europe Group, formerly Conservative Group for Europe). These views are at odds now with his generally-Eurosceptic Conservative Party.

He specialises in science and technology issues - he chairs the Conservative policy group on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. He is also on the ippr Commission on National Security.Ian Taylor, “In Britain ‘mugging’ is indeed, a form of self employment (and maybe a primitive form of street level anti-white politics) that is disproportionately practiced by unemployed West-Indians.”

He is a keen supporter of fox hunting and shooting.

Since 1997, he has been a non-executive director of or adviser to various companies (see Register of Members' Interests). These now include Next Fifteen Communications plc, Petards Group plc, Avanti Communications plc and AXA-Framlington Limited.

In 2009, Ian Taylor was exposed in the expenses scandal that hurt several MPs. It emerged that he had been claiming the maximum allowed for a second home allowance for a London home for four years between 2003 and 2008, even though his main residence was in Guildford - a 38 minute train ride from London Waterloo. [1] Shortly afterwards it was revealed that Ian Taylor would not stand at the next general election, a decision that was greeted by some local Conservative activists - Roy Taylor, leader of the ruling Conservative group at Elmbridge Borough Council, which fell within Ian Taylor's constituency, said: “While I'm sorry to see Ian go, I think it's necessary. I think if we have a new candidate we put behind all the taintedness.” [2] Two days after he announced his resignation the Daily Telegraph revealed that his taxpayer-funded London flat was the same postal address as a defence consultancy firm (Fentiman Consultants) that he set up and that his 29-year old son, who was also a director of the company, stayed at the flat at least some of the time. Mr Taylor told the paper that he "could not recollect" whether he had told the parliamentary fees office about the arrangement. [3] The following day the same paper revealed that Ian Taylor had paid back £730 to the fees office for payments to a builder and for overpayment of ground rent [4]

Personal life

He has two sons (Arthur, born December 1977, and Ralph, born May 1980) from his marriage on June 17 1974 to (Lavender Lilias) Carole Alport (born December 1950 and daughter of Baron Cuthbert Alport).

Award

in 2008 he was the winner of the Sir Arthur Clarke Award for Best Individual Achievement. This was for his work in promoting UK space activity, including his position as co-chair of the Parliamentary Space Committee, and also for his efforts to promote the uptake of STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) in UK education.

References

  1. ^ "'Judge my record, not my expenses' says MP". Trinity South. http://www.surreyherald.co.uk/surrey-news/news-surrey/2009/05/18/judge-my-record-not-my-expenses-says-mp-86289-23653244/. Retrieved on 2009-05-19. 
  2. ^ "'Esher and Walton MP Ian Taylor 'to resign seat'". http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/2052552_esher_and_walton_mp_ian_taylor_to_resign_seat/. Retrieved on 2009-06-15. 
  3. ^ "'Ian Taylor MP stands down after row over his expenses claims'". http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5553979/Ian-Taylor-MP-stands-down-after-row-over-his-expenses-claims.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-17. 
  4. ^ "'MPs' expenses: The table of paybacks'". http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5581534/MPs-expenses-The-table-of-paybacks.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-18. 

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Sir Carol Mather
Member of Parliament for Esher
19871997
Constituency abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament for Esher and Walton
1997 – present
Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by
Patrick McLoughlin
as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Technology
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Trade and Technology
1994 – 1997
Succeeded by
The Lord Sainsbury of Turville






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