Shadow Cabinet positions


Shadow Minister for Prisons
In office 7 September 2009 – 11 May 2010
Leader	David Cameron
Preceded by	Edward Garnier
Succeeded by	Shabana Mahmood
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
In office 19 January 2009 – 7 September 2009
Leader	David Cameron
Preceded by	Theresa May
Succeeded by	George Young
Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
In office 8 December 2005 – 19 January 2009
Leader	David Cameron
Preceded by	David Willetts (Trade and Industry)
Succeeded by	Ken Clarke (Business, Innovation and Skills)
Shadow Secretary of State for Transport
In office 10 May 2005 – 8 December 2005
Leader	Michael Howard
Preceded by	Tim Yeo (Environment and Transport)
Succeeded by	Chris Grayling
Shadow Secretary of State for International Development
In office 8 September 2004 – 10 May 2005
Leader	Michael Howard
Preceded by	John Bercow
Succeeded by	Andrew Mitchell
Shadow Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs
In office 10 November 2003 – 8 September 2004
Leader	Michael Howard
Preceded by	Bill Cash
Succeeded by	Oliver Heald

Member of Parliament
for Rutland 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

31 March 1957 (age 68)
Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, England

Political party

Conservative

Spouse

James Dunseath

Alma mater

Sir Alan James Carter Duncan (born 31 March 1957) is a British former politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Rutland and Melton from 1992 to 2019. He was part of the Conservative Party.

Sir Alan held important government jobs. He was Minister of State for International Development from 2010 to 2014. Later, he served as Minister of State for Europe and the Americas from 2016 to 2019. Before becoming an MP, he worked in the oil industry.

Early Life and Education
- Growing Up
- School and University
Business Career
Political Career
Political Views
Personal Life
Works and Appearances
- Books
- Television and Radio
Images for kids
See Also

Early Life and Education

Growing Up

Alan Duncan was born on March 31, 1957, in Rickmansworth, England. He was the second son of James Grant Duncan, who was a wing commander in the RAF. His mother, Anne Duncan, was a teacher.

Because his father was in the military, the family moved a lot. They lived in places like Gibraltar, Italy, and Norway.

School and University

Alan went to two private schools: Beechwood Park School and Merchant Taylors' School. He was the 'Head Monitor' (head boy) at both schools.

He later studied at St John's College, Oxford. While there, he was elected President of the Oxford Union in 1979. He also received a special scholarship to study at Harvard University in the United States.

Business Career

After finishing university, Alan Duncan worked in the oil industry. He started with Royal Dutch Shell in 1979. From 1982 to 1988, he worked for Marc Rich, trading oil.

He then became self-employed from 1988 to 1992. He advised foreign governments on oil supplies and shipping. In 1989, he started his own company, Harcourt Consultants. He helped supply oil to Pakistan during the Gulf War, which was a big success.

Political Career

Becoming an MP

Alan Duncan first tried to become an MP in 1987. He ran for the Conservative Party in a seat that usually voted for the Labour Party, and he didn't win.

In 1992, he ran for the Rutland and Melton seat. This was a safe Conservative area, and he won with 59% of the votes. He kept this seat until 2019.

From 1993 to 1995, he was part of a committee that looked at social security. He got his first government job in December 1993. He became a Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of Health. However, he resigned from this role within a month. This happened after a disagreement about property deals.

He returned to government in July 1995. He became a Parliamentary Private Secretary again, this time to the Chairman of the Conservative Party. In 1995, he even performed a citizen's arrest on a protester.

Key Roles in Opposition

Alan Duncan played a big part in William Hague's campaign to become the leader of the Conservative Party in 1997. After Hague won, Duncan was given important roles. He became Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party.

He then held several 'Shadow Minister' roles. These are jobs where an MP challenges the government's policies from the opposition side. He was Shadow Health Minister in 1998. Later, he became the Shadow Trade and Industry spokesman.

When Michael Howard became Conservative Party leader in 2003, Alan Duncan became Shadow Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs. After the 2005 general election, he became Shadow Secretary of State for Transport. He later became Shadow Secretary of State for Business. In 2009, he became Shadow Leader of the House of Commons.

Leadership Bid and Expenses

In 2005, Alan Duncan tried to become the leader of the Conservative Party. However, he decided to withdraw from the race early on. He felt he didn't have enough support from other MPs.

In 2009, there was a public discussion about MPs' expenses. Alan Duncan returned some money he had claimed. He also said that the system for expenses needed to be changed.

Government Minister

After the 2010 general election, the Conservative Party formed a new government. The new Prime Minister, David Cameron, appointed Alan Duncan as Minister of State for International Development. In this role, he helped with international aid and development projects.

He left this job in July 2014. Later that year, he was given a special honour. He became a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG). This was for his work in international development.

After two years out of government, he returned to a top role in July 2016. New Prime Minister Theresa May appointed him as Minister for Europe and the Americas. He worked closely with the Foreign Secretary. Alan Duncan resigned from this role on July 22, 2019.

Nuclear Power Views

In 2008, when he was the shadow business secretary, Alan Duncan spoke about nuclear power. He said that nuclear power projects, like Hinkley Point C, should not receive any government money to help them.

Privy Council Appointment

On May 28, 2010, Alan Duncan was appointed to the Privy Council. This is a group of important advisors to the Queen. Being a member means he can use the title "The Right Honourable" for life. He was officially sworn in at Buckingham Palace on June 9, 2010.

Political Views

Alan Duncan is known as a right-wing libertarian. This means he believes in having a smaller government. He thinks the government should focus on essential services. These include things like defence, policing, and health.

He has been described as a 'moderniser' within the Conservative Party. This means he supported new ideas and changes within the party.

He was once considered a "staunch" Eurosceptic. This means he was generally against the UK being part of the European Union. However, in the 2016 vote on EU membership, he supported staying in the EU. After the UK voted to leave, he said that the vote was partly due to people's feelings about immigration.

Personal Life

Alan Duncan made history in 2002. He became the first Conservative MP to openly say that he is gay. This was not a surprise to his friends.

On March 3, 2008, it was announced that he would enter a civil partnership with his partner, James Dunseath. They became civil partners on July 24, 2008. This made him the first member of the Shadow Cabinet to enter into a civil partnership.

Alan Duncan has been active in supporting gay rights. He helped create the Conservative Party's policy on civil partnerships in 2004. He considered this one of his proudest achievements.

Works and Appearances

Books

Alan Duncan has written three non-fiction books:

A book about economics.
A book about political science.
In the Thick of It, which is a diary about his time in politics from 2016 to 2020.

His pamphlet An End to Illusions suggested changes to how the Bank of England works. It also talked about reducing tax benefits for homeowners.

Saturn's Children discusses how government control has grown over things that used to be private. This includes things like local facilities and universities.

Television and Radio

Alan Duncan appeared on the TV show Have I Got News for You four times. He also appeared on BBC TV's Question Time and BBC Radio 4's Any Questions? In 2006, he was in a documentary called How to beat Jeremy Paxman.

Images for kids

Star and badge of a KCMG

Alan Duncan facts for kids

Contents