David Allen Green

A critical and liberal look at law and policy

The fall of John Taylor

From rising star to fraudster.

By David Allen Green Published 25 January 2011 18:08

Twenty-five years ago John Taylor was one of the most inspiring and likeable young figures in the Conservative Party.

A barrister in Birmingham, he had an ambition and genuine charm that made him widely regarded as a future member of parliament and minister. It all seemed so straightforward. There was no surprise when he secured the nomination for the safe Tory seat of Cheltenham, nor when he was appointed to be a Home Office ministerial adviser.

Then something bad happened. A shameful and racist local campaign led to a Conservative loss. Taylor seemed to give up front-line politics. However, he did become a life peer, occasionally poking the right of his party for its illiberalism. But he was never a particularly active parliamentarian.

As a peer, he appears to have lost his way. He dishonestly claimed expenses, using an elaborate ruse involving a property he never even visited. And so, 25 years after he was a "coming man" of British politics, he is now just a common criminal: a sad and perhaps remarkable trajectory.

David Allen Green is legal correspondent of the New Statesman.

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26 comments

Wed, 2011-01-26 02:18 — Reginald-Fah-fah

My learned friend David Allen Green, how long you think his prison sentence will be? More than 18 months!

In my opinion, I think Taylor will be sent to prison for a long time....4 to 7 years. Fantastic they got the crook!

Thu, 2011-01-27 01:03 — baddude

What about 'Gorbals Mick'?
That was racism, pure and simple, and Micheal Martin was one of the first people to be accused of expenses fraud.

Wed, 2011-01-26 03:05 — jie4v7i14

What I would like to know, whoever gave him advice that "everyone was doing this", was he/she bullshitting him into trouble? And I guess that would not be ones from Labour/LibDems/other parties, would it? Exaclly correctly NO!

He should have joined Labour when he was young, and not have got taken in by the Thatchterite spin in Uni.

To see a clever bloke screwed up is a sad sight to see. As I said, he should have joined Labour - just look at Diane Abbott, or even Portillo, the spaniard? Portillo didn't last long in Tory politics, since being maybe too Iberian, did he?

Wed, 2011-01-26 03:15 — jie4v7i14

OOPS! He is too old to be in Uni in the 1980s, since he was born in 1952.

Well, what can I say, the boy's a fool, sorry, but it is the truth. In a world of his own. Would have made a good circuit Judge.

Never mess with the grassroots tories - it is simply not worth it, they are not very nice.

Wed, 2011-01-26 03:45 — Reginald-Fah-fah

That a bit unfair...some Grassroots Tories are very nice! We aren't all bad.

You speak about the grassroots tories not being nice! Wait until the 'Evil Tory' has finished with books of UK PLC!

Wed, 2011-01-26 03:53 — jie4v7i14

Reginald F-F, the only "nice" grassroots torys are anglican vicars. I should know, I was brought up in said church.

And I am not being unfair - all others are right bastadoes/beetches.

Wed, 2011-01-26 03:56 — Dominic Lynch O...

I think I have seen his face on crimewatch and Police5 several times over the years.

Robbing the local chicken shop, steeling motors and other nasty crimes.

Wed, 2011-01-26 13:24 — Charlie Markwick (not verified)

Working in an office that was largely staffed by Conservative activists at the time I can say without any qualms that there was considerable racial hostility towards John Taylor from within the local party. Cheltenham was definitely a safe Conservative seat up to this point, having returned Charles Irving for the previous 18 years. In my opinion this incident fragmented the Tory support to such a degree that it ceased to be a safe seat.

Wed, 2011-01-26 15:59 — Mel Davis (not verified)

He is being jailed for his greed, nothing more. Serves him right.

Tue, 2011-01-25 18:13 — Jonathan Calder (not verified)

Cheltenham was not a "safe Tory seat" but a long-term Liberal target. Richard Holme came close to winning it several times and It took only a 5 per cent swing to win it when John Taylor was defeated.

Do you have any evidence of this "shameful and racist local campaign"?

Tue, 2011-01-25 18:24 — jie4v7i14

For someone of intelligence, for him to plead ignorance was desperate. Looks like more will follow him.

If he did this in the armed forces, when allowances and claims abound, his feet would not have touched the ground to the Colchester Glasshouse, no matter what rank he was.

Tue, 2011-01-25 18:24 — Willard Foxton (not verified)

There is a persistent campaign to "disprove" the idea that racism was a factor in the 1992 cheltenham election.

Here is the parliamentary question asked in Hansard:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199091/cmhansrd/1990-12-07/Wr...

Here are the specifics of what mr.galbraith said:

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/true-blue-scots-tory-wh...

As you can see, there was clear racism in the local party at the time.

Tue, 2011-01-25 18:26 — Mr Hallibut (not verified)

There's plenty of evidence: it was a big story at the time, with certain members of the local Tory association demonstrating their vile prejudices in full technicolour. I'm sure if you want to find the evidence, you will.

Tue, 2011-01-25 18:30 — Korhomme (not verified)

Seems that it was an 'old Spanish practice'.
What about a decent salary or allowance for the peers? Why should we expect them to do it for peanuts?

Tue, 2011-01-25 18:30 — Andrew Robinson (not verified)

A "common criminal"? An ennobled criminal, surely?

Tue, 2011-01-25 18:43 — Jonathan Calder (not verified)

I would not be at all surprised if there was racism among the local Tories.

But the article says that Taylor failed to win a "safe seat" because of a "shameful and racist local campaign".

To the best of my knowledge, neither part of that is true.

Tue, 2011-01-25 19:07 — Rob (not verified)

I can't speak for the safety of he seat, but the reply by Galbraith, as reported in the Herald (link above) gives eloquent evidence of racism. And it is (and was in those days) shameful.

Tue, 2011-01-25 19:07 — foowzkaa

Dear Jonathan

We both know the immediately available web-based resources. It is also clear there is an attempt to retrospectively provide an "official version" where the LDs did no wrong whatsoever in Cheltenham in 1992.

At that time I was a member of the West Midlands Area Conservative Party (I am much more to the Left now) and I can recollect clearly the contemporaneous accounts during and after that election from Tory activists who campaigned there as to at what was being said on the doorsteps, these accounts being independent from each other and given by those who had no reason to mislead me.

There were many other constituencies which the West Mids Area Tories lost in 1992, all forgotten, but the reaction to the local campaign in Cheltenham stood out then and for a long time.

On the balance of the evidence then available to me, I formed the view in 1992 which I now express in my post. I was careful in the post not to mention the LDs by name - it may well have been non-LDs as well who did not want Taylor to be MP.

But on the evidence then available to me, I will stand fully by my contention.

Sometimes local campaigns can go horribly wrong.

And I say that as a current LD supporter.

David

Wed, 2011-01-26 17:55 — writeoff (not verified)

If he was an MP he'd be out of a job but he can still sit in the lords and be drinking buddies with Archole. Is that a clamour I hear from the Conservatives to ensure the rules apply equally to lords as they do parliamentarians? My mistake, it's a deafening silence.

Tue, 2011-01-25 19:58 — Jonathan Calder (not verified)

David

I am not surprised to hear that some voters said unpleasant things to Conservative canvassers on the doorstep. But that is not evidence that the Liberals fought a "shameful and racist campaign".

Nor was Cheltenham a safe seat as you still seem to be maintaining. This article by Sunder Katwala gives some of the figures:

http://www.nextleft.org/2010/07/lord-taylor-and-myth-of-cheltenham-1992....

Tue, 2011-01-25 20:10 — foowzkaa

Jonathan

The unpleasant things being said on the doorstep were actually about the LD campaign. So it does constitute evidence, though you may not wish to place the same weight on it it that I did.

I really have no reason to diss the LDs. I supported them at the last general election. I may well support them at the next one.

The 1992 election was nearly 20 years ago. But many at the time many - including West Mids LDs, to my recollection - believed that something went very wrong in that particular constituency at that particular time.

So I stand by my contention.

Tue, 2011-01-25 21:00 — Hugh Markey (not verified)

Just when the Cameron government were about to issue togas to their lordships. And possibly 'droit de seigneur' facilities along with the married couples allowance to 'born-to-be' bad aristos. Fortunately, Betty is there to keep them in check

Now all that is left - the silken rope! This necktie will be reserved for true noble persons. Life for life-peers, no doubt.

Wat

Tue, 2011-01-25 21:35 — clogexpat (not verified)

@Jonathan Calder re: racist local campaign. This is true, but I remember the racist overtones coming from Tories about Taylor's selection as a candidate. I lived near there at the time, and there were many reports in the local media of comments which could only be desribed as racist, and one local prominent was awaiting trial at the time for race-related offences, although he dies and was generally considered to have "cheated the gallows", and I recall many barbed comments in the same vein from certain colleagues. I had the impression that the Libs won partly from people voting against Old Tory racism, rather than against Taylor, who somehow maintained his dignity throughout.

You will have to look up the details yourself, I do not care to. This was certainly an exposition of the "nasty party" that, whatever your politics, we can all be happy has been expunged, and hope (beyond hope?) that it stays away

Tue, 2011-01-25 21:45 — Freeman2

So, the bloke had a rough time 20 years ago so that makes ripping us off okay? He's a crook. That's all there is to it.

Wed, 2011-01-26 20:24 — andyg (not verified)

So it was the racist jibes that led the poor bloke to become a thieving bastardo. That is my and your money that he nipped into his back pocket and I'm sure that there was more than one pocket.
Well he's certainly got the right crowd to tell his story to now but somehow I think that they will make the situation worse.
Who's willing to have a few quid on that he can twist the governor into taking him to a fancy restaurant like Lordy Arser. I'm sure he can pick a few tips up from that noble and hones marathon runner!