Sir Alan Duncan | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2017 | |
| Minister of State for Europe and the Americas | |
| In office 15 July 2016 – 22 July 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Theresa May |
| Preceded by | David Lidington |
| Succeeded by | Chris Pincher |
| Minister of State for International Development | |
| In office 13 May 2010 – 14 July 2014 | |
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Gareth Thomas |
| Succeeded by | Desmond Swayne |
| Member of Parliament forRutland and Melton | |
| In office 9 April 1992 – 6 November 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Latham |
| Succeeded by | Alicia Kearns |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alan James Carter Duncan (1957-03-31)31 March 1957 (age 68) Rickmansworth,Hertfordshire, England |
| Party | Conservative |
| Spouse | James Dunseath |
| Alma mater | |
Sir Alan James Carter DuncanKCMG (born 31 March 1957)[1] is a British former politician who served asMinister of State for International Development from 2010 to 2014 andMinister of State for Europe and the Americas from 2016 to 2019, essentially serving as Deputy toForeign Secretary,Boris Johnson.[2] A member of theConservative Party, he was theMember of Parliament (MP) forRutland and Melton from 1992 to 2019.
He began his career in the oil industry withRoyal Dutch Shell, and was first elected to theHouse of Commons in the1992 general election. After gaining several minor positions in the government ofJohn Major, he played a key role inWilliam Hague's successful bid for the Conservative leadership in1997. Duncan received several promotions to the Conservative front bench, and eventually joined theShadow Cabinet after the2005 general election. He stood for the Conservative leadership in 2005, but withdrew early on because of a lack of support. Eventual winnerDavid Cameron appointed him ShadowSecretary of State for Trade and Industry in December 2005; the name of the department he shadowed was changed to Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform in July 2007.
Following the2010 general election, the new ConservativePrime Minister Cameron appointed Duncan asMinister of Statefor International Development.[3] He left this post following thegovernment reshuffle in July 2014,[4] and was subsequently appointed aKnight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in September 2014, for services to international development and to UK–Middle East relations.[5] While on the backbenches, Duncan served on theIntelligence and Security Committee between 2015 and 2016.[6]
After two years out of government, he returned to frontline politics when new Prime MinisterTheresa May appointed him as Minister for Europe and the Americas, and effective deputy to then-Foreign SecretaryBoris Johnson, in July 2016.[7] Duncan resigned as Minister of State on 22 July 2019 citing Johnson's election to the Tory leadership and, hence, the UK's premiership.[8][9]
He became the first openlygay Conservative Member of Parliament, publiclycoming out in 2002.[10]
Duncan was born inRickmansworth,Hertfordshire, the second son of James Grant Duncan, anRAFwing commander,[11] and his wife Anne Duncan (née Carter), a teacher.[1][12] The family travelled much, following Duncan's father onNATO postings, including inGibraltar, Italy, and Norway.[13]
Duncan was educated at twoindependent schools:Beechwood Park School inMarkyate, andMerchant Taylors' School inNorthwood, at both of which he was 'Head Monitor' (head boy).[13] He had two brothers, who also attended Beechwood Park School. Their family supported theLiberal Party, and Duncan ran (and lost) as a Liberal at a schoolmock election in 1970; two years later he joined theYoung Conservatives.[13]
He then attendedSt John's College, Oxford, where hecoxed the college'sfirst eight, and was electedPresident of the Oxford Union in 1979.[14] Whilst there, he formed a friendship withBenazir Bhutto, and ran her successful campaign to become the President of the Oxford Union.[15] He gained aKennedy Scholarship to study atHarvard University between 1981 and 1982.[16]
After graduating from Oxford, Duncan worked as a trader of oil and refined products, first withRoyal Dutch Shell (1979–81)[17] and then forMarc Rich from 1982 to 1988[18] (Rich became a fugitive from justice in 1983). He worked for Rich in London and Singapore.[19] Duncan used the connections he had built up to be self-employed from 1988 to 1992, acting as a consultant and adviser to foreign governments on oil supplies, shipping and refining.[12]
In 1989, Duncan set up the independent Harcourt Consultants, which advises on oil and gas matters. He made over £1 million after helping fill the need to supply oil to Pakistan after supplies from Kuwait had been disrupted in theGulf War.[13]
Duncan was an active member of theBattersea Conservative Association from 1979 until 1984,[14] when he moved to live inSingapore, from which he returned in 1986. AfterPrime MinisterMargaret Thatcher resigned in November 1990, he offered his home inWestminster as the headquarters ofJohn Major's leadership campaign.[13]
Duncan first stood for Parliament as aConservative candidate in the1987 general election, unsuccessfully contesting thesafeLabour seat ofBarnsley West and Penistone.[6] For the1992 general election he was selected as the Conservative candidate forRutland and Melton, a safe Conservative seat, which he retained with a 59% share of the votes cast. In theLabour landslide of 1997, his proportion of the vote was reduced to 46% but increased at subsequent elections to a high of 62.8% in2017.
From 1993 to 1995, Duncan was a member of the Social Security Select Committee.[14] His first governmental position was asParliamentary Private Secretary to theMinister of Health, a position he obtained in December 1993. He resigned from the position within a month, after it emerged that he had used theRight to Buy programme to make profits on property deals.[20] It emerged that he had lent his elderly next-door neighbour money to buy his home under the Right to Buy legislation. The neighbour bought an 18th-centurycouncil house at a significant discount and sold it to Duncan just over three years later.[21]Gyles Brandreth describes this event in his diary: "little Alan Duncan has fallen on his sword. He did it swiftly and with good grace."[22]
After returning to the backbenches, he became Chairman of the Conservative Backbench Constitutional Affairs Committee.[14] He returned to government in July 1995, when he was again appointed a Parliamentary Private Secretary, this time to theChairman of the Conservative Party,Brian Mawhinney.[14] In November 1995, Duncan performed acitizen's arrest on an Asylum Bill protester who threw paint and flour at Mawhinney onCollege Green.[23]
Duncan was involved in the1997 leadership contest, being the right-hand man ofWilliam Hague, the eventual winner. In this capacity, he was called "the closest thing [the Conservatives] have toPeter Mandelson".[23] Duncan and Hague had both been at Oxford, both been Presidents of the Oxford Union, and had been close friends since at least the early 1980s.[23]
As a reward for his loyalty to Hague during the leadership contest,[23] in June 1997, Duncan was entrusted with the positions of Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party and Parliamentary Political Secretary to the Party Leader. He became Shadow Health Minister in June 1998.[24] A year later he was made Shadow Trade and Industry spokesman, and he was appointed a front-bench spokesman on Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in September 2001.
WhenMichael Howard became Conservative Party leader in November 2003, Duncan became ShadowSecretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, but as Howard had significantly reduced the size of theShadow Cabinet, Duncan was not promoted to the top table. This continued to be the case when he was moved to become ShadowSecretary of State for International Development in September 2004. However, following the 2005 general election, the Shadow Cabinet was expanded to its original size once more, and Duncan joined it as ShadowSecretary of State for Transport.[25]
He held this position for just seven months, becoming Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 7 December 2005, after David Cameron's election to the party leadership the previous day. On 2 July 2007, he was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, as new prime ministerGordon Brown had abolished theDepartment of Trade and Industry the previous week, replacing it with the aforementioned new department. In January 2009, Duncan becameShadow Leader of the House of Commons.[26]
Before the2005 general election, he was rumoured to be planning a leadership campaign in the event that then-leader Michael Howard stepped down after a (then-likely and later actual) election defeat.[27] On 10 June 2005, Duncan publicly declared his intention of standing in the2005 leadership election.[28] However, on 18 July 2005, he withdrew from the race, admitting inThe Guardian that his withdrawal was due to a lack of 'active lieutenants', and urged the party to abandon those that he dubbed the 'ToryTaliban':
Our Achilles heel, though, has been our social attitude. Censorious judgmentalism from the moralising wing, which treats half our own countrymen as enemies, must be rooted out. We should take J. S. Mill as our lodestar, and allow people to live as they choose until they actually harm someone. If the Tory Taliban can't get that, they'll condemn us all to oblivion. Thank heavens for the new intake of MPs who do.[29]
On 15 May 2009, the satirical BBC programmeHave I Got News for You showed footage of Duncan's previous appearance on the show in which he boasted about his second home allowance, denied that he should pay any of the money back and stated it was "a great system". The show then cut to footage of David Cameron announcing that Duncan would return money to the fees office, followed by Duncan's personal apology, in which he called for the system to be changed.[30]
On 14 August, Duncan said (whilst being filmed without his knowledge byDon't Panic), that MPs, who were at the time paid around £64,000 a year, were having "to live on rations and are treated like shit.[31] I spend my money on my garden and claim a tiny fraction on what is proper. And I could claim the whole lot, but I don't."[32] These remarks attracted the attention of the press, and were criticised by commentators from all sides.[33] Duncan apologised once more, and Cameron, though critical of Duncan's comments, denied that he would sack him from the Shadow Cabinet.[34] Despite these assurances, on 7 September 2009, Duncan was "demoted" from the Shadow Cabinet, to becomeShadow Minister for Prisons, after he and Cameron came to an agreement that his position was untenable.[35]
The Rutland and Melton Constituency Association has received £12,166.66 in donations since 2006. Duncan has received corporate donations from The Biz Club (£6,000, 2006–09), Midland Software Holdings (£8,000, 2007–09), and ABM Holdings (£1,500, 2009). Duncan has also had tens of thousands of pounds from private individual donors.[36][37]
According to aUS diplomatic cable published byWikiLeaks and reported on byThe Daily Telegraph[38] andThe Guardian,[39] US Intelligence drew up a dossier on several members of the Conservative party, including Duncan, in order to assess the possible policies of a future Conservative government. US intelligence compiled details of Duncan's political associations with leading Conservatives, includingWilliam Hague. The cable called for further intelligence of "Duncan's relationship with Conservative party leader David Cameron and William Hague", and asked: "What role would Duncan play if the Conservatives form a government? What are Duncan's political ambitions?"
As shadow business secretary in 2008, Duncan stated, referring to the Hinkley Point C project, that "on no account should there be any kind of subsidy for nuclear power."[37]
In August 2011, Duncan found himself under pressure to remove a video of himself accusing Israel of a "land grab" in the occupied territories.[40] In an October 2014 speech to theRoyal United Services Institute, Duncan said: "Indeed just as we rightly judge someone as unfit for public office if they refuse to recognise Israel, so we should shun anyone who refuses to recognise settlements are illegal. No settlement endorsers should be regarded as fit to stand for public office, remain a member of a mainstream political party or sit in a parliament. How can we accept lawmakers in our country or any other country when they support lawbreakers in another?"[41] In aBBC Radio interview linked to that speech and another given during aHouse of Commons debate on Palestinian statehood he said: "All know that the United States is in hock to a very powerful financial lobby which dominates its politics." Commenting on Duncan's statements, a spokesman for theBoard of Deputies of British Jews called him "breathtakingly one-sided".[42]
In August 2011, it was reported that Duncan had played an instrumental role in blocking fuel supplies toTripoli, Libya, during theLibyan conflict.[43] In April 2011, the former oil trader convinced the UK prime minister to establish the so-called 'Libyan oil cell', which was run out of the Foreign Office.
The cell advised NATO to blockade the port ofZawiya to stifleGaddafi's war effort. They also helped identify other passages the smugglers were using to get fuel into Libya viaTunisia andAlgeria.
London-based oil traders were encouraged to sell fuel to rebels inBenghazi,[44] with communication being established between traders and the rebels to route the fuel.
One Whitehall source commented: 'The energy noose tightened around Tripoli's neck. It was much more effective and easier to repair than bombs. It is like taking the key of the car away. You can't move. The great thing is you can switch it all back on again if Gaddafi goes. It is not the same as if you have bombed the whole city to bits.[45]
On 28 May 2010, he was appointed to thePrivy Council, upon the formation of the Coalition government.[46][47] He was sworn into the Privy Council on 9 June 2010 atBuckingham Palace.[48] This entitled him to theHonorific Prefix "The Right Honourable" for life.
In January 2017,Al Jazeera aired a series entitledThe Lobby.[49] The last episode showed Shai Masot, the political officer at the Israeli embassy in London, proposing an attempt to "take down" British "pro-Palestinian" politicians, including Duncan.[50] The leader of the oppositionJeremy Corbyn wrote an open letter toTheresa May objecting to what he called an "improper interference in this country's democratic process" and urging the prime minister to launch an inquiry on the basis that "[t]his is clearly a national security issue".[51] The Israeli ambassadorMark Regev apologised to Duncan for the "completely unacceptable" comments made in the video.[52] A Foreign Office spokesman, effectively rejecting Corbyn's comments, said it "is clear these comments do not reflect the views of the embassy or government of Israel".[53][54] Masot resigned shortly after the recordings were made public.[55] Pro-Israel British activists and a former Israel embassy employee complained toOfcom aboutThe Lobby, but Ofcom dismissed all charges.[50][56]
Duncan was described by the BBC in 2002 as aright-wing libertarian.[57]The Guardian has described him in 'economically libertarian' (2008)[58] and 'socially libertarian' (2004).[27] TheLGBT journalPinkNews called him in 2005 the 'liberal, urbane face of the Conservative Party', naming him as one of the then '50 most powerful LGBT people in British politics'.[59] He was described byThe Daily Telegraph in 2008 as a "moderniser".[60]
One of the chapters in his bookSaturn's Children is devoted to an explanation of his support for the legalisation of all drugs. This chapter was removed when the paperback edition was published to prevent embarrassment to the party leadership;[61] however, Duncan had, at one time, posted the chapter on his website, "for the benefit of the enquiring student".[62] Duncan believes in minimising the size of government,[57] and inSaturn's Children advocated limiting government responsibility to essential services such as defence, policing and health.
In 2002, Duncan was described by the BBC as a "staunch"Eurosceptic.[57] However, he declared for the 'Remain' camp in the run-up to theUK's referendum on EU membership.[63][64] On 2 October 2017, Duncan spoke at the Chicago Council of Global Affairs. In his speech he attributed Britain's majority vote to leave the EU to a "blue-collar tantrum against immigration".[65]
The manner in which the campaign was fought stirred up a lot of sentiment amongst people that are not habitual voters, particularly on the issue of immigration. You could feel in the last 10 days of the campaign, traditional blue-collar urban Labour opinion going viral for leave. They were stirred up by an image of immigration, which made them angry and throw a bit of a tantrum. That was part of the chemistry that explains the result.
He is on the council of theConservative Way Forward (CWF) group. He is one of the leading British members ofLe Cercle, a secretiveforeign policy discussion forum.[66] In contrast to most members of both CWF and Le Cercle, who hold pro-RepublicanAtlanticist views, he actively supportedJohn Kerry in the US2004 presidential election.[67] This surprised some, but Duncan is a friend of Kerry, having met him while at Harvard.[67]
Following the release of thePanama Papers, which contained revelations aboutDavid Cameron's income from overseas funds set up by his father, Duncan defended the Prime Minister. He urged Cameron's critics, especially MPs, to "admit that their real point is that they hate anyone who has got a hint of wealth in them" from whose viewpoint it followed that "we risk seeing a House of Commons which is stuffed full of low-achievers".[68]Michael Deacon wrote inThe Daily Telegraph: "There are two inferences to draw from Sir Alan's outburst. One is that he thinks the Commons should only be 'stuffed with' the rich. The second is that he thinks the vast majority of his constituents, not being rich, are 'low-achievers'. Probably not a view to advertise in his next election leaflet".[69]
During theGaza war, Duncan criticisedConservative Friends of Israel. Speaking onLBC in April 2024, he said that they had "been doing the bidding of Netanyahu, bypassing all proper processes of government to exercise undue influence at the top of government." Duncan added, "What you have is a lot of people now sitting aroundRishi Sunak who are giving him appalling advice. Let's start with the head of CFI, who has been for many yearsLord Polak. In my view, I think he should be removed fromthe Lords because he is exercising the interests of another country, not that of the parliament in which he sits, joined, I have to say, byLord Pickles. They're the sort of theLaurel and Hardy who should be pushed out together." Polak, CFI's honorary president, is Jewish, while Pickles, the group's parliamentary chair, is not Jewish. TheJewish Leadership Council accused Duncan of sharing "antisemitic tropes", and theBoard of Deputies of British Jews labelled his comments "disgraceful". The Conservative Party consequently began investigating him.[70] On 16 July 2024, he was cleared of wrongdoing following an internal investigation. TheConservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) investigation, which Duncan termed a "McCarthyite witch-hunt", found his comments were within political debate and not anti-semitic.[71]
Duncan was the first sitting Conservative MP voluntarily to acknowledge that he is gay;[10] he did this in an interview withThe Times on 29 July 2002, although he has said that this came as no surprise to friends.[60] Indeed, in an editorial published on the news of Duncan's coming out,The Daily Telegraph reported, "The news that Alan Duncan is gay will come as a surprise only to those who have never met him. The bantam Tory frontbencher can hardly be accused of having hidden his homosexuality."[72]
On 3 March 2008, it was announced in the Court & Social page ofThe Daily Telegraph that Duncan would be entering into acivil partnership with his partner James Dunseath,[73] which would make him the first member of either the Cabinet or the Shadow Cabinet to enter into a civil partnership.[74] The two were joined as civil partners on 24 July 2008 atMerchant Taylors' Hall in theCity of London.[75]
Duncan had a following in the gay community and was active in speaking up forgay rights.[74] He was responsible for formulating the Conservatives' policy response to the introduction of civil partnership legislation in 2004,[73] which he considered his proudest achievement of the Parliament between 2001 and 2005.[76] He was among those who rebelled against his party by voting for an equal age of consent between heterosexuals and homosexuals on numerous occasions between 1998 and 2000.[77] He voted against same-sex adoption in 2001.[78]
Duncan is the author of three published nonfiction books:
His pamphletAn End to Illusions proposed an independentBank of England, the break-up of clearing banks, reduction of implicit tax subsidies given to owner-occupiers, curtailment of pension fund tax privileges, and new forms of corporate ownership.[citation needed]
Saturn's Children presents a detailed case regarding the history and consequences of government control over institutions and activities which were historically private, to the extent that many citizens assume that privately or communally developed municipal facilities and universities are creations of the state, and that prohibitions on drug use, sex, and personal defence have always existed.[citation needed]
In the Thick of It is Duncan's diary from the eve of the Brexit referendum in 2016 to the UK's eventual exit from the EU. The book was serialised in the Daily Mail.[79]
Duncan appeared four times on the satirical news quizHave I Got News for You: first appearing on 28 October 2005,[80]then 20 October 2006,[81]and again on 2 May 2008[82]and 24 April 2009.[83]His 2009 appearance featured a badly receivedironic joke about murdering the latestMiss California, who stated that she opposedsame-sex marriages.[84] He appeared on many occasions as a panellist on BBC TV'sQuestion Time and BBC Radio 4'sAny Questions?[citation needed] In 2006, he took part in a documentary entitledHow to beat Jeremy Paxman.[85]
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forRutland and Melton 1992–2019 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | Minister of State for International Development 2010–2014 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded byas Minister of State for Europe | Minister of State for Europe and the Americas 2016–2019 | Vacant |
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