Daniel Moylan, Baron Moylan

Daniel Moylan
Born	Daniel Michael Gerald Moylan (1956-03-01) March 1, 1956 Birmingham, England
Occupation(s)	Politician, diplomat, banker
Years active	1978–present
Known for	Member of the House of Lords, Deputy Chairman of Transport for London, Chairman of London Legacy Development Corporation, Airport adviser to Mayor of London

Daniel Michael Gerald Moylan, Baron Moylan (born 1 March 1956) is a British politician affiliated with the Conservative and serves as a member of the House of Lords.

Prior to receiving his life peerage in September 2020, Moylan had a diverse career as a diplomat, merchant banker, and councillor for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. During Boris Johnson’s term as Mayor of London, he acted as chief airport adviser, advocating for the development of a new hub airport to the east of London to succeed Heathrow. Additionally, Moylan was Johnson’s lead adviser on Crossrail 2, chaired the London Legacy Development Corporation, held the position of deputy chairman at Transport for London, and co-chaired Urban Design London.

In 2010, the London Evening Standard characterized him as "one of London's most powerful and colourful politicians."

Early life

Moylan was born in Birmingham on 1 March 1956 and attended St Philip's Grammar School in Edgbaston. He enrolled at The Queen's College, Oxford in 1975, completing a degree in German and philosophy. During Michaelmas term 1978, he served as president of the Oxford Union, notably arranging for former US President Richard Nixon to speak.

Early career

Joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in December 1978, Moylan initially worked within the Central and Southern African Department. He studied Afrikaans language before being posted as Third Secretary at the British Embassy in South Africa, where he reported on South-West Africa’s transition towards independence as Namibia. In 1982, he left the FCO to work at County Bank, the investment banking division of National Westminster, remaining there until 1986. He stood as the Conservative candidate for Birmingham Erdington during the 1983 general election but was narrowly defeated. In 1986, Moylan became Vice-President at Security Pacific Hoare Govett and subsequently founded Egan Associates in 1987, a company providing training services to financial institutions.

Local government career

Elected to represent the Queen's Gate ward on Kensington and Chelsea council in May 1990, Moylan became deputy leader in 2000 following an earlier attempt at leadership. His priorities included environmental concerns such as waste disposal, park management, transport infrastructure, and urban development. Between 2006 and 2009, he chaired the Transport and Environment Committee of London Councils. In April 2011, he stepped down from his cabinet role on the council to concentrate on his duties as Deputy Chairman of Transport for London. A second leadership contest in 2013 saw him finish tied for second place. Moylan resigned from his councillor position in May 2018. It is notable that during his tenure on the council, the tragic 2017 Grenfell Tower fire occurred.

Transport for London and Crossrail

In August 2008, Mayor Boris Johnson appointed Moylan to serve on the board of Transport for London (TfL). He assumed the role of deputy chairman in February 2009 and held that position until 2012, returning briefly in 2016. Moylan played a key role in restoring TfL’s financial health by ending the public-private partnership established under Tony Blair’s administration; this involved TfL’s acquisition of Tube Lines from Ferrovial and Bechtel in May 2010.

Moylan joined Crossrail’s board as a non-executive director in August 2013, succeeding Sir Mike Hodgkinson as TfL’s representative. In September 2014, he was appointed to oversee City Hall’s involvement with the Crossrail 2 initiative. Acting as an adviser to the Mayor, he stressed the importance of prompt investment due to London's accelerating population growth, forecasting a population of ten million by 2030. Moylan continued serving as a non-executive director of Crossrail and remained on TfL’s board until the mayoral election in 2016.

London infrastructure

Moylan advocated for pioneering streetscape concepts in London, drawing inspiration from the Dutch "shared space" model. Shortly after assuming the role of deputy leader of the Council in 2000, he spearheaded the transformation of Kensington High Street. His strategy prioritized minimizing street clutter and improving pedestrian experiences, willingly accepting responsibility for project risks following comprehensive safety evaluations. Although plans to implement comparable enhancements at Sloane Square were abandoned amid disputes, a clutter-free redesign of Exhibition Road was successfully completed in 2012.

In 2009, Moylan was appointed chair of the Mayor's Design Advisory Panel, charged with realizing the Mayor's "Great Outdoors" initiative aimed at enhancing public spaces. Up until June 2012, he directed major improvements to London's roadways and parks, including reinstating two-way traffic on Piccadilly and St James's Street.

Moylan assumed the role of Chairman of the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) in 2011, overseeing management of the Olympic Park during the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. He succeeded Labour peer Lady Ford, and his leadership changes encountered opposition from long-standing board members. In September 2012, Mayor Johnson took over as LLDC Chairman to enable Moylan to focus on advancing policy initiatives for a new London airport.

Airport Service Advisor

During Boris Johnson’s mayoralty, Moylan acted as Airport Aide, championing the Mayor’s vision for a new or expanded multi-runway hub airport located east of London to replace Heathrow. In May 2010, Johnson assigned Moylan the responsibility of promoting this project. Working closely with Transport for London and City Hall, he coordinated the release of A New Airport for London, a comprehensive report detailing the rationale and economic advantages of increasing airport capacity.

After the government established the Airports Commission under Sir Howard Davies in September 2012, Moylan resigned as LLDC chair to dedicate his efforts to engaging with the Commission. The Commission initially omitted an estuary airport option from its December 2013 shortlist, concentrating on Heathrow or Gatwick expansions while leaving open the possibility of future reconsideration.

In testimony before the House of Commons Transport Committee, Moylan highlighted the "tremendous potential for regeneration of east London" through a Thames estuary hub airport. By November 2014, he described constructing an airport east of London as "magnificently the right thing to do," envisioning Heathrow’s redevelopment into a new urban area. In October 2015, he pointed out that adding another runway at Heathrow would reduce noise relief periods for nearby residents to as little as four hours daily.

Later career and peerage

In 2018, Moylan advocated for an immigration framework that did not prioritize white Europeans. He also proposed establishing a London Health Service under mayoral control, excluding National Health Service managers from transferring into it.

He was ennobled as Baron Moylan on 9 September 2020. Upon entering the House of Lords, he was supported by hereditary peers Lord St John of Bletso and Lord Borwick. His maiden speech in the House of Lords on 14 October 2020 addressed new COVID-19 Regulations. Reflecting on his professional journey, he described it as "more a series of happy stumbles" rather than a straightforward progression.

Moylan received his coat of arms on 4 October 2021.

In July 2022, he publicly backed Suella Braverman in the Conservative Party leadership contest and suggested on LBC radio that retirees should be encouraged to fill UK job vacancies caused by labour shortages.

Since November 2024, Moylan has held the position of Shadow Transport Minister in the House of Lords.

Personal life

Moylan has publicly identified as gay.

Publications

• Daniel Moylan, Unripe time: Britain and the European Monetary System (Bow Group, 1988)
• Daniel Moylan, Bricks in the Wall, or, How to Build "Fortress Europe" While Denying Any Intentions of Doing So (Adam Smith Institute, 1989)

Honorary fellowship

In 2008, Moylan was named an Honorary Fellow by the Royal Institute of British Architects, which released a statement detailing the significance of this recognition.