Rebecca Elizabeth Taylor (born 10 August 1975[1]) is a British health researcher and Liberal Democrat politician, who was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Yorkshire and the Humber from 2012 to 2014.[2]
Rebecca Taylor | |
|---|---|
 Taylor in 2013 | |
| Member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire and the Humber | |
| In office 8 March 2012 – 2 July 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Diana Wallis |
| Succeeded by | Mike Hookem |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Rebecca Elizabeth Taylor 28 August 1975 Todmorden, England |
| Political party | Liberal Democrat |
| Alma mater | University of Leeds (BA) University of Kent (MA) King's College London (MPH) |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Website | http://www.rebeccataylor.eu http://rebeccataylormep.blogspot.co.uk/ |
Early life and education
editTaylor was born in Todmorden, a market town in the Upper Calder Valley in Calderdale, West Yorkshire.[1] Her father, Michael Taylor, was the leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council and her mother, Elisabeth Wilson, was the Lib Dem candidate for Halifax in the 2010 general election, placing third with 8,335 votes (19.1%).[3]
Taylor has a BA in Japanese and Management Studies (1997) from the University of Leeds, an MA in International Relations (2001) from the University of Kent.[1] She then began working in health policy research and earned a Master in Public Health (2012) from King's College London.[1][2]
Political career
editTaylor contested the European Parliament constituency of Yorkshire and the Humber in the 2009 election. Third on the list of Lib Dem candidates, her party only received enough votes to elect the first candidate on the list, incumbent MEP Diana Wallis.[3] Taylor then stood for election to the Parliamentary constituency of Rotherham in the 2010 general election. She came third with 5,994 votes (16%).[3]
In June 2012, Taylor was appointed to the European Parliament to replace Diana Wallis, who resigned after almost 13 years in office. Wallis had been due to be succeeded by her husband and Communications Manager Stewart Arnold, who had been second on the list of Lib Dem candidates for the seat in the 2009 election, but declined the appointment after pressure from within the party due to complaints of nepotism.[4] Arnold then went on to found the Yorkshire Party.[5] Taylor, who was third on the list, was appointed instead. Taylor was not a candidate for the seat in the 2014 election. She instead contested the Parliamentary constituency of Morley and Outwood in the 2015 general election, finishing fourth with 1,426 votes (3%).
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Rebecca Taylor". European Parliament / MEPs. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
- ^ a b "Todmorden MEP comes from family of Liberals". Lancashire Telegraph. 1 February 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
- ^ a b c "The Mr and Mrs team step down in Yorkshire MEP row". BBC News. 27 January 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ "MEP Diana Wallis criticised over registration 'nepotism'". BBC News. 19 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ^ "New party promises to put 'Yorkshire First'". The Yorkshire Post. 15 April 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
External links
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