Teddy Taylor
This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2019) |
Sir Teddy Taylor | |
---|---|
Rochford and Southend East Southend East (1980–1997) | |
In office 13 March 1980 – 11 April 2005 | |
Preceded by | Sir Stephen McAdden |
Succeeded by | James Duddridge |
Member of Parliament for Glasgow Cathcart | |
In office 15 October 1964 – 7 April 1979 | |
Preceded by | John Henderson |
Succeeded by | John Maxton |
Personal details | |
Born | Edward MacMillan Taylor 18 April 1937 Glasgow, Scotland |
Died | 20 September 2017 Southend-on-Sea, England | (aged 80)
Political party | Conservative |
Other political affiliations | Unionist (until 1965) |
Spouse(s) | Sheila, Lady Taylor |
Alma mater | University of Glasgow |
Sir Edward MacMillan Taylor (18 April 1937 – 20 September 2017), known as Teddy Taylor, was a British Conservative Party politician who was a Member of Parliament (MP) for forty years, from 1964 to 1979 for Glasgow Cathcart and from 1980 to 2005 for Southend East.
He was a lifelong
Early life and career
Taylor was born in
Parliamentary career
He first entered Parliament in the 1964 election as MP for Glasgow Cathcart, at the time being the Baby of the House, as at 27 he was the youngest MP, although not for long as David Steel who was 26 entered Parliament five months later. He became a Scottish Office minister in Edward Heath's government. He resigned from this position in July 1971 in protest at the UK joining the European Economic Community. Because of his strong personal following, he held onto the working-class Glasgow constituency of Cathcart, one of only two Conservative seats in Glasgow in the 1970s.
As Opposition Front Bench Spokesman on Scottish Affairs, Taylor said in November 1974 that a general directive to the
.Whilst Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, the Conservatives stood on a policy staunchly against
Monday Club
He was a leading and early (pre-1966) young member of the old
Taylor sought leave to introduce a bill in parliament in October 1974 to restore capital punishment. The following January, referring to the murder of a London policeman by a Provisional Irish Republican Army gunman, he said that "the answer was return of capital punishment" and added that "if the police want arms, no government could now refuse". He was on the editorial board that prepared the Club's October 1985 Conservative Party Conference issue of their newspaper, Right Ahead, to which he contributed a lengthy article entitled How Tories are Subsidising the Soviet War Machine. In the mid-1980s he said, "Nelson Mandela should be shot."[2] On 30 March 1990, he was the guest speaker at the Club's Surrey branch 21st Anniversary Dinner and was still a Vice-President in 1992. He was guest-of-honour at the South East Essex Monday Club's Annual Dinner on 4 July 1997.
Change of seats
At the 1979 election, Scotland bucked the British trend by showing a slight swing from Conservative to Labour, and Taylor lost his seat, the only Conservative MP at that election (other than by-election victors) to do so. He had been widely expected to become the
Prior to being selected to fight the Southend by-election, Taylor had been a candidate for the Rectorship of the University of Dundee. He was a favourite to win but pulled out of the election at the last minute to contest the parliamentary seat.[3]
During John Major's government, he was one of the Maastricht Rebels and was temporarily expelled from the parliamentary party, although he was later reinstated. Taylor stood down at the 2005 general election.
Later life
Taylor was interviewed in 2012 as part of The History of Parliament's oral history project.[4][5] Taylor campaigned for a 'leave' vote in the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum.[6]
In 1996 the Industrial metal band Ministry released the album Filth Pig, which derives its name from Taylor describing the bands' singer as a "filthy pig" in the Houses of Parliament.[7]
Taylor was a fan of Bob Marley.[8]
Taylor died on 20 September 2017, having been ill for some months. He was 80 years old.[9]
References
- ^ "Devolution". Hansard. 11 May 1999. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
- ^ Nelson Mandela: From 'terrorist' to tea with the Queen, The Independent, 9 July 1996
- ^ "Rectorial Elections". Archives, Records and Artefacts at the University of Dundee. University of Dundee. 15 February 2010. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
- ^ "Oral history: TAYLOR, Teddy". The History of Parliament. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ^ "Lord Taverne interviewed by Jason Lower". British Library Sound Archive. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
- ^ "Sir Teddy Taylor, former MP and Eurosceptic, dies aged 80". BBC.com. 21 September 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- ^ Jenkins, Mark (22 May 1996). "The Bloody Pulpit". SF Weekly. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ Sutcliffe, Thomas (3 August 1996). "If Sir Teddy Taylor is elected to No 10, the walls will thump to the bass of Bob Marley". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
- ^ Cordon, Gavin (21 September 2017). "Sir Teddy Taylor dead: Eurosceptic former Conservative MP dies aged 80". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
Sources
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (May 2009) |
- Copping, Robert, The Monday Club – Crisis and After, Current Affairs Information Service, Ilford, Essex, May 1975, (P/B), pps: 17, 20, 22
- Taylor, Teddy, MP, and David Storey, The Conservative Party & The Common Market, published by the Conservative Monday Club, July 1982, (P/B)
- Taylor, Teddy, MP, Proposals to Rescue the British Fishing Industry, Monday Club Policy Paper, December 1982
- Taylor, Teddy, MP, How Tories are Subsidising the Soviet War Machine, in Right Ahead newspaper published by the Conservative Monday Club, October 1985 Conservative Party Conference issue
- Taylor, Teddy, MP, The EEC – The Other Side of the Coin, in Right Ahead newspaper published by the Conservative Monday Club, October 1989 Conservative Party Conference issue
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Teddy Taylor
- Facts about Teddy Taylor TheyWorkForYou.com
- Guardian obituary