Ann Taylor, Baroness Taylor of Bolton

The Right Honourable The Baroness Taylor of Bolton PC
Official portrait, 2019
Minister of State for International Defence and Security
In office 5 October 2008 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Gerald Howarth
Minister of State for Defence Equipment and Support
In office 7 November 2007 – 5 October 2008
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	The Lord Drayson
Succeeded by	Quentin Davies
Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee
In office 9 June 2001 – 11 April 2005
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Tom King
Succeeded by	Paul Murphy
Chief Whip of the House of Commons Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
In office 27 July 1998 – 8 June 2001
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Deputy	Keith Bradley
Preceded by	Nick Brown
Succeeded by	Hilary Armstrong
Leader of the House of Commons Lord President of the Council
In office 2 May 1997 – 27 July 1998
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Tony Newton
Succeeded by	Margaret Beckett
show Shadow Cabinet posts Shadow Leader of the House of Commons In office 20 October 1994 – 2 May 1997 Leader Tony Blair Preceded by Margaret Beckett Succeeded by Alastair Goodlad Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Shadow Minister for the Citizen's Charter In office 20 October 1994 – 19 October 1995 Leader Tony Blair Preceded by Michael Meacher Succeeded by Derek Foster Shadow Secretary of State for Education In office 18 July 1992 – 20 October 1994 Leader John Smith Margaret Beckett (Acting) Preceded by Jack Straw Succeeded by David Blunkett
show Parliamentary offices Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal Incumbent Assumed office 14 June 2005 Life Peerage Member of Parliament for Dewsbury In office 11 June 1987 – 11 April 2005 Preceded by John Whitfield Succeeded by Shahid Malik Member of Parliament for Bolton West In office 10 October 1974 – 13 May 1983 Preceded by Robert Redmond Succeeded by Tom Sackville
Personal details
Born	(1947-07-02) 2 July 1947 (age 74) London, United Kingdom
Political party	Labour
Alma mater	University of Bradford

Winifred Ann Taylor, Baroness Taylor of Bolton, PC (born 2 July 1947) is a British politician and life peer who served as Minister for International Defence and Security from 2008 to 2010. A member of the Labour Party, she was Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolton West from 1974 to 1983 and for Dewsbury from 1987 to 2005.

Early life and education[]

Born in 1947,^[1] Taylor attended Bolton School and the University of Bradford, where she graduated with a BSc degree in Politics and History in 1969.^[2]

Political career[]

After contesting Bolton West in February 1974 and failing to win by 603 votes, Taylor was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) at the October 1974 general election. She served as an assistant government whip in the government of James Callaghan from 1977 to 1979. She fought the new seat of Bolton North East in 1983, being defeated by the Conservative Peter Thurnham, before representing Dewsbury from 1987 until 2005.

When she returned to the House of Commons in 1987, Taylor became a shadow minister under Labour leader Neil Kinnock; covering education and science from 1979 to 1981 and the environment from 1981 to 1992. She then served in the Shadow Cabinets of John Smith and Tony Blair as Shadow Secretary of State for Education from 1992 to 1994, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from 1994 to 1995 and Shadow Leader of the House of Commons from 1994 to 1997.

In the first Blair ministry, Taylor became the first woman to serve as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Privy Council in 1997. After a 1998 cabinet reshuffle, she went on to become the first woman to serve as Government Chief Whip (Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury).^[3]

As a backbencher, Taylor served as chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee from 2001 to 2005. Her appointment to this post was criticised by opposition Liberal Democrats.^[4] She also sponsored a Private Member's Bill, the 'Succession to the Crown (no 2)' Bill, which sought to eliminate gender and religious discrimination in the royal succession.^[5] Taylor stepped down from the House of Commons at the 2005 general election. The Constituency Labour Party selected Shahid Malik to be their candidate.

On 13 May 2005 it was announced that Taylor was to be given a life peerage, and she was created Baroness Taylor of Bolton, of Bolton in the County of Greater Manchester, on 13 June 2005.^[6] She was made Minister for Defence Procurement on 7 November 2007, following Lord Drayson's decision to resign to compete in the American Le Mans Series; unlike her predecessor, she was paid.^[7] Following the Brown reshuffle of October 2008, she was moved to a new post at both the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as Minister for International Defence and Security.^[8]

Votes in Parliament[]

The Public Whip cites her as being "Very Strongly" for the Iraq War, equal gay rights, and NHS foundation trusts (despite being noted for voting against Conservative MP Edwina Currie's 1994 proposed amendment to the Public Order and Criminal Justice Bill to equalise the age of homosexual consent to 16).^[9]

In popular culture[]

The 2012 play This House about the 1970s Labour Government prominently featured Ann Taylor as the first female whip.

References[]

External links[]

• Guardian Politics Ask Aristotle – Ann Taylor
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Ann Taylor
• They Work For You – Ann Taylor