Tributes paid after former Brighton councillor and Green MEP dies aged 69

Tributes have been paid to the former Brighton councillor and Green MEP Keith Taylor who died at the age of 69 today (Tuesday 1 November).

Mr Taylor was one of the first Green members of Brighton and Hove City Council – although it was still just Brighton and Hove Council when he was originally elected.

He represented St Peter’s and North Laine ward for 11 years and served on the council’s Planning Committee and as leader of the council’s Green group from 2001 until 2010.

Mr Taylor stood for Parliament in Brighton Pavilion in the 2005 general election when he won 22 per cent of the vote which was, at that time, a record for the party.

He was one of two “principal speakers” for the Green Party of England and Wales from 2004 to 2006 before the party adopted a more conventional leadership structure.

And he spent five years working as regional liaison officer for Caroline Lucas when she was the co-leader of the Green Party and an MEP (Member of the European Parliament) for South East England.

In 2010, when Caroline Lucas became Britain’s first Green MP, Mr Taylor became an MEP in her place, having been next on the party list in the 2009 European elections.

Mr Taylor was re-elected in 2014 to serve five more years as a Green MEP for South East England.

Caroline Lucas said on Twitter today: “So incredibly sad to hear of death of Keith Taylor – the Green Party pioneer, former Brighton councillor, MEP and friend.

“Passionate about building a better world, worked so hard to secure first MP seat, infectious sense of humour. I owe him so much. Deepest sympathy to his family.”

Councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty, the Green leader of the council, said: “I am devastated to learn of the death of my friend, colleague, former employer and one-of-a-kind politician Keith Taylor.

“Keith wasn’t your average Green. As the son of a baker and chemist assistant, he never had any plans to go into politics.

“Indeed, his biggest claim to fame might be in pop music history when, as a 17-year-old lad from Southend, he secured a not-yet-well-known David Bowie to play at the 1970 Eastwood Free Festival.

“Keith broke the mould. As a dedicated city councillor, national Green Party leader and Member of the European Parliament, he made a virtue of being, in his own words, a ‘straightforward talking chap’.

“He wore his description in the Guardian as someone who ‘defies the stereotype of Green politicians as earnest or bookish academics’ as a badge of honour.

“Fighting fracking, tackling air pollution before it was a mainstream concern, being a voice for the marginalised against a backdrop of toxic rhetoric, Keith was popular but never a populist.

“He used his voice, as he would say, to make life better for people, not worse.

Keith Taylor was a terrifically good man, a mentor, a leading light. He was fearless and someone with his feet firmly on the ground, often sporting a brilliant laugh and always finding a way of making the political struggle fun.

My obituary https://t.co/gNPTsVcfcx pic.twitter.com/Lv5rLeFU34

— Cllr Phélim Mac Cafferty (@Phelimmac) November 1, 2022

“I had the privilege to work for and alongside Keith. I will never forget what a terrifically good man, mentor and leading light he was.

“He helped take the Greens from relative obscurity to a historic win in Brighton and Hove, with his thoughtful ability to put people at ease.

“But he was also someone with his feet firmly on the ground, often sporting a brilliant laugh and always finding a way of making the political struggle fun.

“He took the causes he championed incredibly seriously, but never himself.

“At 69, he has been taken far too early from us. I will miss him deeply, as will the entire Green Party family.

“My thoughts are with his beloved wife Lizzie, children Stef and Elly, ex-wife Linda and four grandchildren.”

So incredibly sad to hear of death of #KeithTaylor – @TheGreenParty pioneer, former #Brighton councillor, MEP & friend. Passionate about building a better world, worked so hard to secure first MP seat, infectious sense of humour. I owe him so much. Deepest sympathy to his family

— Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) November 1, 2022

A fellow former Green MEP Jean Lambert tweeted: “It is with great sadness that we hear about the passing of our former MEP Keith Taylor.

“He was an MEP and a friend for nine years, fighting for a better EU, animal rights and a healthier environment for all. He will always be remembered by all of us at the Greens/EFA (European Free Alliance) group.”

It is with great sadness that we hear about the passing of our former MEP Keith Taylor.

He was an MEP and a friend for 9 years, fighting for a better EU, animal rights and a healthier environment for all.

He will always be remembered by all of us at the Greens/EFA group 🤍 pic.twitter.com/JnAzBqiGPH

— Greens/EFA in the EU Parliament 🌍 (@GreensEFA) November 1, 2022