International Women’s Day

Lord Taylor of Warwick Excerpts

Friday 6th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, I too thank the noble Baroness, Lady Lloyd of Effra, for introducing this important debate today. I also congratulate the five noble Baronesses on their excellent maiden speeches.

A Black woman named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955. This was the catalyst for the civil rights movement. Gender and race often go hand in hand in the struggle for equality. One of the strongest female role models in my life was my mother, who came to Britain from Jamaica. She was part of the Windrush generation and worked as an auxiliary nurse. She used to tell me, “John, being black is not a profession. Make sure you get a good education”. My father, on the other hand, was passionate about cricket. He used to say to me, “Boy, one day I want to see you at Lord’s”. He meant Lord’s cricket ground.

There are numerous women of colour who have overcome the obstacles of racism and issues connected to gender. They include Mary Seacole, the Crimean War nurse, and the Black suffragette, Sarah Parker Remond. When I was at the BBC, I had the privilege to interview Dame Kelly Holmes, who overcame a challenging upbringing, rose through the ranks in the Army and won two Olympic gold medals. Another interview was with the Bishop of Dover, Rose Hudson-Wilkin, who came to England from Jamaica as a child. As noble Lords know, she was a chaplain to the late Queen and to the House of Commons. I mention these people because, if you cannot see it, you cannot be it. I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s in Birmingham, when I did not see Black people in prominent positions—you need to see these people to inspire you.

Although 20% of UK small and medium-sized companies are run by women, there is still too much unused business talent among women, especially BAME women. Most corporate boards are still mainly male and white. I therefore ask the Minister: what further plans do the Government have to encourage an increase in female company directors?

There are other ongoing issues, such as the earnings gap between women and men. When I was a district councillor in the Midlands in the 1980s, I remember a lady complaining to me that her take-home pay was so low that it would not even take her home. I am not sure that much has changed since then for women in low-paid jobs. For all workers, the median hourly gender pay gap is at 12.8%. In the developing world, it is widely recognised that empowering women is an important step in driving economic growth. What plans do the Government have to help reduce the gender pay gap?

According to this year’s PricewaterhouseCoopers Women in Work Index, the UK ranks number 17 out of 33 OECD countries for female economic empowerment. We are the sixth richest economy in the world, so surely we can do better than that. My third question to the Minister is: what further plans do the Government have to address the fact that the UK ranks so low in female economic empowerment?

I have the privilege of being a vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Artificial Intelligence. Let us face it, AI is changing every aspect of modern life, although I am a firm believer that everyone in this Chamber has AI—it is called actual intelligence. But there is no doubt that AI is changing everything. I have had the privilege of speaking about AI in various parts of the world and more recently in America. But there is still a need for more women in science, technology and engineering. I see this as a former chancellor of Bournemouth University and having hosted a number of AI seminars in relation to private and public sector companies. While women are 50% of the UK population, they are only about 22% of the AI profession, according to a number of reports, including research done last year by the Alan Turing Institute called Women in Data Science and AI. What plans do the Government have to further improve gender diversity in the AI profession?

A recent interim report found that NHS maternity and neonatal services in England are failing too many women and families. It cited some shocking reasons, including understaffing, racism, bullying, lack of compassion, lack of transparency in reporting and outdated facilities. The Government are due to consider the final recommendation in June, so will they commit to a statutory public inquiry into this serious health care issue which can compel witnesses to give evidence?

Lastly, we must not forget that women making a contribution to the world is not new. There were prominent women business leaders in the Bible over 2,000 years ago. For example, in the Book of Acts, Lydia ran a fashion company, Priscilla ran an upmarket residence franchise and Queen Candace governed her nation’s economy. There is also Deborah in the Book of Judges, who was the nation’s chief lawyer. In the context of the current Middle East conflict, let us remember Esther from the 17th book in the Bible, in which Queen Esther’s skill and bravery saved the Jewish people from destruction. Maybe if there were more women around the table for peace talks, we would have fewer wars. Those biblical heroines and women of today show that women are a real voice, not just an echo.