Alan Duncan Facts for Kids

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 former British politician. He was a member of the Conservative Party. For many years, he served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the area of Rutland and Melton, from 1992 to 2019.

During his career, he held important government jobs. He was the Minister of State for International Development from 2010 to 2014. Later, he served as the Minister of State for Europe and the Americas from 2016 to 2019.

Before becoming a politician, Duncan worked in the oil industry for the company Royal Dutch Shell. He was first elected to the House of Commons in 1992. When the Conservative Party was not in power, he held several senior roles in the Shadow Cabinet. This is a team of politicians from the main opposition party who "shadow" the government's ministers.

In 2005, he tried to become the leader of the Conservative Party but withdrew because he did not have enough support. The winner, David Cameron, later made him the Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

When Theresa May became Prime Minister in 2016, she appointed Duncan as a minister working with the Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson. Duncan resigned from this role in 2019.

Early life and education
Career before politics
Political career
Political views
Personal life
See also

Early life and education

Alan Duncan was born in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire. His father was a wing commander in the RAF, and his mother was a teacher. Because of his father's job, his family moved around a lot, living in places like Gibraltar, Italy, and Norway.

Duncan went to St John's College, Oxford. There, he was elected President of the Oxford Union, a famous debating society. At Oxford, he became friends with Benazir Bhutto, who would later become the Prime Minister of Pakistan. He also studied at Harvard University in the United States on a special scholarship.

Career before politics

After university, Duncan worked as an oil trader for Royal Dutch Shell and another company called Marc Rich. He worked in London and Singapore. Later, he started his own consulting business, using his knowledge to advise governments on oil supplies.

He became successful after helping Pakistan get oil during the Gulf War, when its usual supply was cut off.

Political career

Duncan became active in the Conservative Party in 1979. He supported John Major in his successful campaign to become Prime Minister in 1990.

Member of Parliament

In 1992, Duncan was elected as the Member of Parliament for Rutland and Melton, a safe seat for the Conservative Party. He was re-elected many times until he stepped down in 2019.

Early in his career, he was a member of the Social Security Select Committee. He also worked as a Parliamentary Private Secretary, an assistant to a government minister. In 1995, he famously performed a citizen's arrest on a protester who threw paint and flour at a senior politician.

After the Conservatives lost the 1997 election, Duncan helped William Hague become the new party leader. As a reward, Hague gave him important jobs inside the party.

Working in the Shadow Cabinet

Duncan in 2010

Over the years, Duncan held many senior positions for the Conservative Party while it was in opposition. These are called "shadow" roles, where a politician follows the work of a specific government department. He was the Shadow Health Minister and later the Shadow Secretary of State for several departments, including Transport and Business.

In 2009, there was a controversy about how MPs claimed money for their expenses. Duncan made some comments that were filmed without his knowledge and caused a stir. He apologized, and after a discussion with party leader David Cameron, he was moved to a different role as Shadow Minister for Prisons.

Minister in the Government

After the 2010 general election, the Conservatives formed a government. Prime Minister David Cameron made Duncan the Minister of State for International Development. In this role, he was in charge of the UK's efforts to help other countries. For his work, he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 2014. This is a special honour given by the Queen.

In 2016, Prime Minister Theresa May brought him back into government as the Minister for Europe and the Americas. He worked as a deputy to the Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson. He resigned in 2019, just before Johnson became Prime Minister.

Libyan oil cell

During the conflict in Libya in 2011, Duncan played a key part in a secret plan. He helped create a special team called the "Libyan oil cell." This team's job was to stop fuel supplies from reaching the forces of the Libyan leader, Colonel Gaddafi.

The team advised NATO to block ports and worked with oil traders to get fuel to the rebel forces instead. This clever plan helped weaken Gaddafi's army without causing as much damage as bombing.

Political views

Duncan was described in 2008 as a 'moderniser' in the Conservative Party

Duncan is often described as a libertarian. This means he believes in individual freedom and thinks the government should not interfere too much in people's lives or the economy. He is seen as a "moderniser" in the Conservative Party.

He has written books about his political ideas. In one book, he argued that the government should only be responsible for essential services like defence and policing.

During the 2016 Brexit referendum, he supported the 'Remain' campaign, which wanted the UK to stay in the European Union.

Personal life

In 2002, Duncan became the first sitting Conservative MP to publicly state that he is gay. In 2008, he entered into a civil partnership with his partner, James Dunseath. This made him the first member of a Cabinet or Shadow Cabinet to do so.

He has been a strong supporter of gay rights. He helped shape the Conservative Party's positive response to the law that created civil partnerships in the UK.

Alan Duncan facts for kids

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