Ann Taylor

This article is part of the Revolving Door project of Spinwatch.

Ann Taylor was a Labour MP from 1974 to 2005, when she entered the House of Lords as Baroness Taylor of Bolton.

Ann Taylor - from: The Guardian, Photograph: PA

Parliamentary Positions

Labour MP from 1974 to 2005, which included:

• Shadow Secretary of State from 1992 to 1995
• Chair of the intelligence and security committee between 2001 and 2005
• Chief Whip under Tony Blair from 1998 to 2001. A notable moment of this position includes when the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) was passed.

Entered the House of Lords as Baroness Taylor of Bolton in 2005 where she performed the following roles:

• Minister for Defence Equipment between 2007 and 2008
• Minister for International Defence and Security between 2008 and 2010

Revolving Door

• On the Administrative Board of the arms contractor Thales since December 2010, group which was part of the consortium supplying two aircraft carriers that were £1.541bn over budget.

The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments saw no reason why she should not accept the appointment on the condition that for 2 years after leaving office, she should not become personally involved in lobbying UK Ministers or Crown servants, including Special Advisers, on behalf of her new employer.

Other Notable Responsibilities

• In 2015 she was approached by the Home Secretary Theresa May and accepted the job of chairing a joint committee on the investigatory powers bill, commonly referred to as the ‘Snooper’s Charter’.