Keane Duncan
English Conservative politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Keane Charles Duncan (born 1 January 1995[7]) is an English Conservative politician who was the Conservative Party's 2024 candidate to be Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.[8]
Keane Duncan | |
|---|---|
| Leader of Ryedale District Council | |
| In office May 2019[1] – February 2021[2] | |
| Preceded by | Linda Cowling[3] |
| Succeeded by | Vacant (February 2021 – April 2023)[2][4] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 January 1995 |
| Party | Conservative Party (UK)[1] |
| Alma mater | University of York[5] |
| Profession | Journalist[6] |
| Website | www |
He served as Leader of Ryedale District Council from May 2019 to February 2021,[1][2] taking the role at the age of 24, making him the youngest council leader in the country.[9]
He lives in Malton, is openly LGBT+[10] and previously worked as a deputy news editor for the Daily Star.[11][6][12]
Political career
Duncan studied at the University of York and was Chairman of the University of York Conservative and Unionist Association for 2014–2015.[1]
He was elected in the 2015 Ryedale District Council election, aged 20. In the 2017 North Yorkshire County Council election he became the youngest member of North Yorkshire County Council.[1][13]
Duncan stood for re-election in the 2019 Ryedale District Council election. He retained his ward and was appointed Leader of the Council.[9][14] During his term, Conservative councillors stated their opposition to fracking and called for a moratorium in Ryedale.[15][16] He supported proposals to create two new unitary authorities for York and North Yorkshire but stood down as Leader in protest at proposals to increase Council Tax.[2][17]
In 2022, he was elected for the Norton-on-Derwent division of the new, unitary North Yorkshire Council. He was subsequently appointed to North Yorkshire County Council's Executive with responsibility for highways and transportation, a role he continued to hold at North Yorkshire Council.[18][19]
Duncan was selected by the Conservative Party as its candidate in the May 2024 election for Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.[20]
Duncan took a novel approach to campaigning, carrying out a tour of North Yorkshire, aiming to visit 1,000 communities in 100 days.[21] His policy of nationalising the Grand Hotel in Scarborough raised concerns over its feasibility, and how conservative the threat of compulsory purchase was.[22] In response, Duncan claimed that a new Mayoral Development Corporation would be established with the legal powers to seize the hotel from Britannia, then to deliver the necessary private sector investment for the plan to work.[23] His campaign was highlighted in The Guardian for its policies designed as “click bait” to attract attention on social media, and he was criticised in the same article by a local journalist for failing to answer questions about the feasibility of his policies.[22]
Election result
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour Co-op | David Skaith | 66,761 | 35.1 | N/A | |
| Conservative | Keane Duncan | 51,967 | 27.3 | N/A | |
| Liberal Democrats | Felicity Cunliffe-Lister | 30,867 | 16.2 | N/A | |
| Green | Kevin Foster | 15,188 | 8.0 | N/A | |
| Independent | Keith Tordoff | 13,250 | 7.0 | N/A | |
| Independent | Paul Haslam | 12,370 | 6.5 | N/A | |
| Majority | 14,794 | 7.8 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 191,279 | 29.89 | N/A | ||
By local authority
York
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour Co-op | David Skaith | 25,639 | 54.0 | N/A | |
| Conservative | Keane Duncan | 7,173 | 15.1 | N/A | |
| Liberal Democrats | Felicity Cunliffe-Lister | 5,945 | 12.5 | N/A | |
| Green | Kevin Foster | 3,609 | 7.6 | N/A | |
| Independent | Keith Tordoff | 2,543 | 5.4 | N/A | |
| Independent | Paul Haslam | 2,357 | 5.0 | N/A | |
| Turnout | 47,513 | 30.67 | N/A | ||
North Yorkshire
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Keane Duncan | 44,794 | 31.2 | N/A | |
| Labour Co-op | David Skaith | 41,122 | 28.6 | N/A | |
| Liberal Democrats | Felicity Cunliffe-Lister | 24,922 | 17.3 | N/A | |
| Green | Kevin Foster | 11,579 | 8.1 | N/A | |
| Independent | Keith Tordoff | 10,707 | 7.4 | N/A | |
| Independent | Paul Haslam | 10,013 | 7.0 | N/A | |
| Turnout | 143,766 | 29.64 | N/A | ||