1961 Magazine Fall 2016

PERSON OF STYLE & SUBSTANCE
he did become head boy of his grammar school (kind
of like class president) and going on to study English
and Law at Keele University. He was called to the Bar
in 1978 and felt that he finally held a position which
he could to fight the racial injustice he became familiar
with growing up in the English midlands. This, however,
was only the first step.
Let us again press the forward button through what
was a successful career in law to 1992 when John
Taylor won the right to be the Conservative party
candidate for Cheltenham (political riding) in the
1992 General Election. He lost by a slim margin in an
election that many viewed as being highly influenced
by the issue of race. However, his poise and elocution
raised eyebrows and gave him a level of notoriety he
had not previously held amongst the party. He quickly
became one to watch. Obviously impressing the right
people, John Major himself (British Prime Minister), four
years later in 1996, made John Taylor “Lord Taylor of
Warwick”, one of the youngest men ever to sit in the
House of Lords and the only black man at that time.
Lord John Taylor and his wife Lady Laura Taylor
to effect real and lasting change, that his eyes come
to life. This is when I truly got to know Lord Taylor of
Warwick and started to understand him as a person
with a distinct life philosophy.
Growing up in Birmingham, the son of Jamaican
immigrants is not a traditional path to the House of
Lords. His mother Enid, a nurse, and father Derief a
cleaner, led a modest life and taught John (yes Lord
Taylor does have a traditional first name) strong family
values and the strength to pursue his own path. One
thing that Lord Taylor remembers of Birmingham in
the 1950’s was that his family was often referred to
as “those Jamaican immigrants” and being defined by
this status. When Derief rose to prominence as a highly
skilled cricketer (baseball on valium for those who
aren’t familiar with the sport) his status changed to
that of a local hero and John saw the value of setting
oneself apart from the crowd. And set himself apart
This appointment fulfilled a dream he had since his
first school trip to Parliament at the age of 10. Lord
Taylor’s eyes open wide at this point in our interview
accompanying a soft grin as he recalls this young boy
looking up at the ceilings of Westminster and feeling
a “strong sense of belonging”. This is the point when
you can’t help but like Lord Taylor. He comes across
as a genuine soul who really and truly sought after a
life in politics not for the prestige but because he felt
it was a calling. “Politics is about the now. It is about
anticipating future trends and gearing them towards
building bridges of thought and conscience” says
Taylor. “In Parliament there seems to be an information
overload and a lack of revelation”.
In addition to spearheading important pieces of
legislation such as the Criminal Amendments Act of
1997 which sought to protect the public through DNA
evidence recording, Lord Taylor has been a champion
of diversity and the development of youth. The 1997
establishment of the Warwick Leadership Academy
(now the Warwick Leadership Academy) seeks to
develop oratory skills and confidence in motivated
young people and effective training for entrepreneurs
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Fall 2016 1961 Magazine