Lord Taylor entered the House of Lords in 2006, having been made a life peer as Baron Taylor of Holbeach, of South Holland in the County of Lincolnshire. Between 2006 and 2010, he held several Opposition spokesperson positions.

Between the 2010 election and his appointment to Defra, he was Government spokesperson for the Cabinet Office, Energy and Climate Change, and Work and Pensions. He was created a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1992 for political service and served as Chairman of the National Conservative Convention from 2000 to 2003.