Thomas Taylor, Baron Taylor of Blackburn
Encyclopedia
Thomas Taylor, Baron Taylor of Blackburn (born 1926) is a former Labour
member of the House of Lords
. He is notable for being one of the first peers suspended from the House of Lords since the 17th century.
He became a member of Blackburn Town Council in 1954 and was its Leader from 1972–76.
From 1977-80 he was Chairman of the Electricity Consultative Council for the North West and a member of the Board of Norweb
; He served on various governmental bodies connected with Education and the North East Region. He became National President of the Education Authorities of the United Kingdom.
In 1977 he was Chairman of a Government Committee of Enquiry into Management and Government of Schools, and later he was the author of the Taylor Report on problems in universities.
He was a founder member of the Council of the University of Lancaster and served as Deputy Pro-Chancellor, 1972–95.
He was listed in Who's Who 2009 as a Non-executive Director of Drax
Power Ltd. and A Division Holdings, a Consultant to BAE Systems
plc; Initial Electronic Security Systems Ltd; and an adviser to Electronic Data Systems
Ltd; AES Electric Ltd; United Utilities
plc; Experian
and Capgemini
UK plc. On 29-Jan-2009 Experian agreed with Lord Taylor that he would retire as an adviser to them However by 30 Jan 2009 he was an Adviser to NPL Estates, Alcatel-Lucent
, Canatxx Energy Ventures Limited, BT plc, Gersphere UK and T-Systems, and a Non-executive Director only of A Division Holdings
He is President or patron of various organisations and holds an Hon. LLD from the University of Lancaster, 1996. He's a JP Blackburn, 1960 and former Chairman of the Juvenile Bench. He is a Freeman of Blackburn and of the City of London.
Taylor was duped, and his behaviour exposed, by the reporter's 'sting' operation. On 20 May the House of Lords considered the report of its Privileges Committee and voted to suspend Lord Taylor and Lord Truscott
for six months, the first such action since the 17th century.
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
member of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. He is notable for being one of the first peers suspended from the House of Lords since the 17th century.
Biography
Thomas Taylor was born in 1926.He became a member of Blackburn Town Council in 1954 and was its Leader from 1972–76.
From 1977-80 he was Chairman of the Electricity Consultative Council for the North West and a member of the Board of Norweb
NORWEB
Norweb PLC, originally the North West Electricity Board, was a British electricity supply and distribution company. It supplied electricity to about 4.7 million industrial, commercial and domestic customers in the North West of England. The Board was originally formed in 1948 as part of the...
; He served on various governmental bodies connected with Education and the North East Region. He became National President of the Education Authorities of the United Kingdom.
In 1977 he was Chairman of a Government Committee of Enquiry into Management and Government of Schools, and later he was the author of the Taylor Report on problems in universities.
He was a founder member of the Council of the University of Lancaster and served as Deputy Pro-Chancellor, 1972–95.
He was listed in Who's Who 2009 as a Non-executive Director of Drax
Drax
Drax is a large coal-fired power station in North Yorkshire, England, capable of co-firing biomass and petcoke. It is situated near the River Ouse between Selby and Goole, and its name comes from the nearby village of Drax...
Power Ltd. and A Division Holdings, a Consultant to BAE Systems
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
plc; Initial Electronic Security Systems Ltd; and an adviser to Electronic Data Systems
Electronic Data Systems
HP Enterprise Services is the global business and technology services division of Hewlett Packard's HP Enterprise Business strategic business unit. It was formed by the combination of HP's legacy services consulting and outsourcing business and the integration of acquired Electronic Data Systems,...
Ltd; AES Electric Ltd; United Utilities
United Utilities
United Utilities Group PLC is the UK's largest listed water business. The Group owns and manages the regulated water and waste water network in the north west England, through it subsidiary United Utilities Water PLC , which is responsible for the vast majority of the group's assets and...
plc; Experian
Experian
Experian plc, formerly known as CCN Systems, is a global credit information group with operations in 36 countries. The company employs 15,500 people with corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland and operational headquarters in Nottingham, England and Costa Mesa, California, US...
and Capgemini
Capgemini
Capgemini is a French global IT services company, one of the world's largest management consulting, outsourcing and professional services companies with a staff of 114,274 operating in 40 countries. It is headquartered in Paris and was founded in 1967 by Serge Kampf, the current chairman, in...
UK plc. On 29-Jan-2009 Experian agreed with Lord Taylor that he would retire as an adviser to them However by 30 Jan 2009 he was an Adviser to NPL Estates, Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent is a global telecommunications corporation, headquartered in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France. It provides telecommunications solutions to service providers, enterprises, and governments around the world, enabling these customers to deliver voice, data, and video services...
, Canatxx Energy Ventures Limited, BT plc, Gersphere UK and T-Systems, and a Non-executive Director only of A Division Holdings
He is President or patron of various organisations and holds an Hon. LLD from the University of Lancaster, 1996. He's a JP Blackburn, 1960 and former Chairman of the Juvenile Bench. He is a Freeman of Blackburn and of the City of London.
The 'Cash for Influence' scandal
In late-January 2009 Lord Taylor was one of 4 Labour peers of the realm accused of 'sleaze' by the Sunday Times - it was alleged by the Sunday Times that Taylor proclaimed to two journalists posing as lobbyists that he was ready, willing and able to help a business secure favourable legislation in their sphere of interest in return for a fee.Taylor was duped, and his behaviour exposed, by the reporter's 'sting' operation. On 20 May the House of Lords considered the report of its Privileges Committee and voted to suspend Lord Taylor and Lord Truscott
Peter Truscott, Baron Truscott
Peter Derek Truscott, Baron Truscott is a British petroleum and mining consultant, independent member of the House of Lords and writer. He was a Labour Member of the European Parliament from 1994 to 1999 and was elevated to the peerage in 2004...
for six months, the first such action since the 17th century.
External links
- Speeches and voting record at TheyWorkForYouTheyWorkForYouTheyWorkForYou is a website run by mySociety, a project of registered charity UK Citizens Online Democracy, and is a tool for political campaigners and those interested in the Parliamentary activities of UK MPs, Lords, and Northern Ireland MLAs....
- Audio of the secretly recorded conversation between Baron Taylor and a undercover reporter
