Richard Taylor (UK politician)
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Dr Richard Taylor (born July 7, 1934) is an English medical doctor turned politician, and the only independent MP elected to the Fifty-Third Parliament of the United Kingdom, having run as the Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern candidate. His seat is Wyre Forest.
He campaigned largely on a single issue: that of keeping Kidderminster Hospital open, and won with a majority of 18,000 - defeating the incumbent Labour MP, David Lock. In this, he was aided by the Liberal Democrats' decision not to stand a candidate against him and instead support his campaign. However, in contrast to the independent candidate Martin Bell's uniquely favourable position in Tatton in 1997, he did face a Conservative opponent, making his victory the first of its kind for several decades.
Before entering politics he had been a consultant at the hospital. While his speeches in the Commons have been mostly confined to the health service, he has also laid out an atypical collection of political views. These non-health policies include backing Section 28, the renationalisation of the British railway system, and the availability of cannabis as a controlled drug. He was re-elected at the 2005 election with a reduced majority of 5,250.
External links
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Richard Taylor MP (http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-8203,00.html)
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Richard Taylor MP (http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/richard_taylor/wyre_forest)
- BBC News Politics - Dr Richard Taylor (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2177310.stm)