Sport and Physical Education

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Pendry, for starting this debate. He is widely recognized as a great ambassador for sport. He is no minor sportsman himself, as a former colonial boxing champion. He is a former chairman of the Football Trust and is now president of the Football Foundation. His efforts to support grassroots soccer are much …

Birmingham, Lord Taylor, CHOGM, Christian, churches, Commonwealth, Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, CPA UK, diaspora engagement, England, Equality, faith, gender, Henry Ford, Human Rights, leadership, migration, poverty, Second World War, terrorism,

The Commonwealth Summit in London 2018

It was Henry Ford who said: “Don’t just find fault, find a remedy”. We have all attended conferences and summits which have been ‘more talk than walk and more activity than action’. That is why it is vital that there be real outcomes from the next Commonwealth summit, encompassing the findings of the people’s forum and the parliamentary forum. It …

Taylor Tabled

Questions Asked 22 November 2023 Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Homelessness: HL530 To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to address homelessness and alleviate the financial strain on affected councils. Department for Business and Trade Small Businesses: Inflation HL529 To ask His Majesty’s Government what support they are providing to small businesses experiencing financial pressure as a …

International Woman's Day, Lord Taylor of Warwick

Reconciliation: Role of British Foreign, Defense and International Development Policy

My Lords, I, too, thank the most reverend Primate for securing this timely debate. There was much need for reconciliation after the First World War and Second World War. My Jamaican father fought for Britain in the Eighth Army, against the Germans, yet when he came to England in September 1945 he was saddened to see signs warning, “No blacks. No Irish. No dogs”—I guess …

Lord Taylor of Warwick, International Woman's Day

Brexit: Preparations and Negotiations

My Lords, the famous British group, The Beatles, had worldwide success with the song “Don’t Let Me Down”. I am confident that the Government will not let Britain down as we leave the European Union. “We Can Work It Out” was another huge hit for The Beatles; I believe that working it out is what will happen. Although that song …

Race Relations (Amendment) Bill

Race Relations (Amendment) Bill

Today’s seed brings tomorrow’s harvest and so in principle I welcome this Bill as an extension to the Race Relations Act 1976. I support the intention to make the police and other public authorities liable under the Act. But there is a problem. The Bill gives effect to only part of the recommendations of the Macpherson report on the Stephen Lawrence …

Lord Taylor of Warwick, Multi-cultural Britain

Multi­-cultural Britain

It was Indira Gandhi who said: “You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.” So in achieving a successful multi-cultural Britain, we must build bridges between our various communities and not walls. For me, the essential message of campaigners such as Wilberforce, Clarkson and former slaves such as Equiano was a simple truth: that there is only one race, the …

Lord Taylor of Warwick

Multi­ethnic Britain

The recent riots that we witnessed in Bradford, Oldham and other towns can only damage race relations. Riots grab headlines, but when the TV cameras move on, it is the local community that is left to sweep up the debris. The riots caused millions of pounds’ worth of damage. People who fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes. But …

Education, Lord Taylor of Warwick

Education and Society

My Lords, I, too, thank the most reverend Primate for this timely debate. It was Aristotle who said: “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all”. Education should be about understanding, not just memory. The whole-person view of education is clear from the Bible. Christ is spoken of as a teacher many times in the Gospels, …

Racial and Religious Hatred Bill, Lord Taylor of Warwick

Racial and Religious Hatred Bill

My Lords, some years ago, in 1990, as the Conservative parliamentary candidate in Cheltenham, I had a rather interesting experience. On my first day as a candidate, an elderly lady approached me and demanded to know what exotic part of the world I was from. I replied that I was from the sunny paradise of Birmingham, just off the M6 …