Richard Taylor | |
|---|---|
_1.JPEG) Taylor in 2010 | |
| President ofIndependent Community & Health Concern[1] | |
| In office 27 January 2000 – 26 June 2024 | |
| Member of Parliament forWyre Forest | |
| In office 7 June 2001 – 12 April 2010 | |
| Preceded by | David Lock |
| Succeeded by | Mark Garnier |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1934-07-07)7 July 1934 |
| Died | 26 June 2024(2024-06-26) (aged 89) |
| Party | Health Concern(2001–2024) National Health Action Party(2012–2024)[2] |
| Alma mater | Clare College, Cambridge |
| Profession | Medical doctor |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch/service |  Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1960 to 1964 |
| Rank | Squadron leader |
| Unit | Medical Branch |
| Battles/wars | Cold War |
Richard Thomas Taylor (7 July 1934 – 26 June 2024) was an Englishmedical doctor and politician. He served as anindependentMember of Parliament forWyre Forest between 2001 and 2010.[3] He was co-leader of theNational Health Action Party.
Taylor was born on 7 July 1934.[4] The son of Thomas Taylor and his wife Mabel Hickley, Taylor was educated atThe Leys School in Cambridge. Taylor went toClare College, Cambridge, and the former Westminster Medical School, now part of theImperial College School of Medicine.
From 1959 to 1961, Taylor waspre-registration house officer at Westminster, Kingston and London Chest Hospitals inLondon. A medical officer in theRoyal Air Force from 1960 to 1964, he was aregistrar andsenior registrar for appointments in London hospitals (1964–1972). Taylor latterly worked as aconsultant physician atKidderminster General Hospital from 1972 to 1995.
On 1 October 1960, he was commissioned as aflying officer in theMedical Branch of theRoyal Air Force.[5] On 1 April 1964, he was transferred to the reserve, ending his full-time service.[6]
Before entering politics, Taylor was a member of his local health authority, chairman ofKidderminster Hospital League of Friends (1996–2001), and a committee member of the Save Kidderminster Hospital Campaign (1997–2001).
Standing for Parliament as anIndependent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern candidate at the2001 general election, Taylor campaigned largely on a single issue, that of restoring the Accident & Emergency department ofKidderminster Hospital,[7] which had been closed in 2000 due to cuts in the NHS. Taylor won with a majority of 18,000, defeating the incumbentLabour MP and junior minister,David Lock. TheLiberal Democrats decided not to put up a candidate against him. The Liberal Democrats had previously stood down when faced with another independent candidate,Martin Bell inTatton in1997.
Taylor was re-elected at the2005 election with a reduced majority of 5,250.Conservative candidateMark Garnier took second place and Labour were pushed into third in the constituency. This made Taylor the first independent MP to retain a seat in theHouse of Commons in a second election sinceFrank Maguire inFermanagh and South Tyrone in1979.[8]
He was a member of theHealth Select Committee (2001–2010) and also became co-chair of the All Party Local Hospital Group, Vice Chairman of the All Party Group on Cancer, Vice Chairman of the Associate Parliamentary Flood Prevention Group, and Secretary of the All Party Group on Patient and Public Involvement in Health.
While his speeches in the Commons were mostly confined to the health service, Taylor also laid out an atypical collection of political views. These non-health policies included support for therenationalisation of theBritish railway system, and the availability ofcannabis as a controlled drug.[9] He also opposed theIraq war[10] and student top up fees.
Taylor lost his seat in the2010 general election to the Conservative candidate,Mark Garnier,[11] by a margin of 2,643 votes. The Liberal Democrats elected to field a candidate, who received 6,040 votes.
In 2013, Taylor announced his intention to stand for election in the2015 general election, representing theNational Health Action Party.[11] At the election, Taylor finished fourth with 7,221 votes. He did not stand in the2017 general election.[12]
In June 2022, Taylor announced that his Party (now called Independent Health Concern) would not be standing in future elections and recommended that its supporters consider voting for independent candidates.[13]
In 1962, Taylor married Ann Brett and they had one son and two daughters. After this marriage was dissolved, in 1990 he married Christine Miller and with her had another daughter.
Taylor lived inKidderminster.[14] He died from dementia and bowel cancer on 26 June 2024, at the age of 89.[15][16]
In the2014 Queen's Birthday Honours, Taylor was appointedMember of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) 'for services to the community in Worcestershire especially to Kidderminster Hospital'.[14][17]
Taylor contested the constituency of Wyre Forest at four general elections, the first three times forIndependent Community and Health Concern (previously Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern), and in the 2015 for theNational Health Action Party.
| Date of election | Constituency | Party | Votes | % of votes | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 general election | Wyre Forest | Health Concern | 28,487 | 58.1 | Elected | |
| 2005 general election | Wyre Forest | Health Concern | 18,739 | 39.9 | Elected | |
| 2010 general election | Wyre Forest | Health Concern | 16,150 | 31.7 | Not elected | |
| 2015 general election | Wyre Forest | National Health Action Party | 7,221 | 14.6 | Not elected |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forWyre Forest 2001–2010 | Succeeded by |
