Ken Clarke says Tories will miss MP for Esher and Walton Ian Taylor

Mr Taylor, Conservative MP for Esher and Walton, announced yesterday he would vacate the seat to concentrate on other ventures.

The two MPs met as students and over the years have both found themselves criticised by their own Euro-sceptic party due to a shared pro-European Union stance.

Mr Clarke said: “I admire him. I was sad to hear he is retiring from the house - he will be missed. He is a very valuable colleague and friend.”

Mr Taylor was Minister for Science and Technology in the Tory government under John Major from 1994 to 1997 and currently chairs the Conservative Party’s policy task-force on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

But in his resignation letter, Mr Taylor said he did not expect to be asked to join the Conservative Government as a minister should the Tories win the next general election.

Mr Clarke said he did not understand why Mr Taylor had come to this decision and he believed both the House of Commons and the Tory Party would miss his scientific knowledge.

“It will be a loss to a Tory Government,” he said. “He was an extremely good minister when appointed to that office. I think he is the member of the House of Commons with the most expertise on science.”

Mr Taylor came under attack from members of his own constituency’s Conservative Association in recent years for his pro-European views - a situation that culminated in 2000 when some members of the association attempted to have him deselected.

His departure from the House of Commons next year means Mr Clarke’s pro-European views will now be even more isolated within the Tory Party, but Mr Clarke remained hopeful.

“The Tory party is Euro-sceptic, but not as extreme as it was when people challenged Ian,” he said. “Me and Ian are in the minority, but there will be new pro-European Tory MPs.”

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