Matthew Taylor (politician)

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For the Labour politician, see Matthew Taylor (Labour politician).
Matthew Taylor MP
Matthew Taylor (politician)
In office
9 August 1999 – 11 June 2003
Preceded by Malcolm Bruce
Succeeded by Vincent Cable
Member of Parliament
for Truro and St Austell
In office
12 March 1987 – present
Preceded by David Penhaligon
Majority 24,089
Born 3 January 1963 (1963-01-03) (age 45)
United Kingdom
Political party Liberal Democrats

Matthew Owen John Taylor (born 3 January 1963) is a politician in the United Kingdom. He is Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Truro and St Austell in Cornwall.

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[edit] Early life

Matthew Taylor is the adopted son of Kenneth Taylor, a television script writer best known for "The Jewel in the Crown" and "The Camomile Lawn".

He has now contacted his birth mother and found that his great-grandfather was Liberal MP Sir Percy Harris.[1]

He went to the preparatory Treliske School (now known as Truro School Prep) on Highertown (A390) in Truro, then the independent University College School in Hampstead.

Politically active from a young age, Taylor was involved in his first election in 1979 at the age of 16, and joined the Cornwall anti-nuclear alliance aged 17. After winning a scholarship, he studied PPE at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, where he was elected as President of the Students' Union from 1985-6 as part of a broad left coalition.

[edit] Member of Parliament

In 1986 he was assigned to the then Truro MP David Penhaligon as an economics researcher, but after Penhaligon died in a car crash on his way to St Austell Post Office just before Christmas 1986, Taylor was selected to run as the Liberal candidate in the following by-election, which he won. A few months later he retained the seat at the 1987 general election. Aged 24 he was the youngest MP and took the title "Baby of the House" from Charles Kennedy, holding the title for 10 years. His celebrity status gave him early access to political media and television programmes including the BBC's "Question Time", while being an MP in a small party brought quick promotion to the front bench as local government spokesman. Taylor has a permanent constituency office in St Austell, and has an annual travelling surgery when he tows a bright black and yellow caravan around the area.

Taylor has had a successful track record in backing leaders of his party, including Paddy Ashdown and Charles Kennedy, whose successful leadership campaign Taylor led in 1999 after Ashdown stepped down. His reward was to be made the party's Treasury spokesman, in which role he attacked Labour over its decision to shed a penny from the basic rate of income tax and announced the policy of raising the upper rate to 50% for people earning over £100,000. He has also been the party's spokesperson on environmental issues.

[edit] Announced Retirement

In early 2007 he announced that he would not be standing again at the next UK general election.[2] Also with effect from the next UK general election, the parliamentary constituencies in the county of Cornwall are being reorganised.

[edit] Personal life

Taylor married Vicky Garner (born 1973), a former director of pressure group Surfers Against Sewage, in 2007. The couple have a son Arthur Simon Rowan Taylor, born on 18 November 2006 at St Thomas' Hospital, London[3]. They presently reside between Taylor's constituency cottage in the Clay District near St Dennis, and a flat in London. They are expecting another child in February 2008.

Taylor has a self-restored British Racing Green 1967 MG MGB car which he enjoys driving around the Cornish countryside. Each August he reverts to student days with a rucksack and a plane ticket to somewhere different - so far including Asia, Africa, and Central and South America, all on a minimal budget.

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Sunday Times, 16 March 2008; Adopted Liberal Democrat MP Matthew Taylor reunited with his mother
  2. ^ "Lib Dem MP MP Taylor to step down", BBC News, 2007-01-17. Retrieved on 2007-01-17. 
  3. ^ "MP and fiancee celebrate baby boy", BBC News, 2006-11-20. Retrieved on 2007-01-17. 

[edit] External links

[edit] News items

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
David Penhaligon		 Member of Parliament for Truro
1987 – present		 Incumbent
Preceded by
Charles Kennedy		 Baby of the House
1987–1997		 Succeeded by
Christopher Leslie
Languages