Duncan Baker
MP
Official portrait, 2019
Member of Parliament
for North Norfolk
Assumed office
12 December 2019
Preceded byNorman Lamb
Majority14,395 (28.3%)
Personal details
Born (1979-11-15) 15 November 1979
Norfolk, England
Political partyConservative (2016–present)
Other political
affiliations		UKIP (before 2016)
Alma materNottingham Trent University
Websitewww.duncanbaker.org.uk

Duncan Charles Baker (born 15 November 1979)[1] is a British Conservative Party politician, who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Norfolk since the 2019 general election.

Early life and career

Baker was born in November 1979 in Norfolk, and educated at Gresham's, a private school in Holt. He studied business at Nottingham Trent University, then qualified as a chartered accountant, and worked as a finance director.[2]

Political career

Baker ran for election to North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) in 2015,[3] standing for UKIP in the Holt ward, which had previously been his step-father Michael's seat.[4][5] He received 714 votes and was not elected. He was elected to the same ward as a Conservative in a 2017 by-election, gaining the seat from the Liberal Democrats with 724 votes.[6]

He became Conservative group leader in North Norfolk in May 2019.[7] On election as an MP, he stood down from this position and was replaced by Christopher Cushing as group leader.[8]

He was elected Member of Parliament for North Norfolk in 2019, standing as a Conservative.[9] The constituency saw the largest decrease in the Liberal Democrat vote share at the 2019 general election,[10] and the third highest increase in vote share for the Conservatives.[11] The long-time incumbent, Liberal Democrat Norman Lamb, had stood down after having been the MP for North Norfolk since 2001. The swing to the Conservatives was 17.5%.

Baker's record in the Parliamentary Register of members Interests shows that he has received indirect financial support from Thomas Coke, 8th Earl of Leicester, whose Holkham estate is in the constituency.[12][13]

Baker was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in February 2022. He resigned on 6 July 2022, in protest at Boris Johnson's conduct in the Chris Pincher scandal.[14]

Personal life

He lives in North Norfolk and is married. He is a father of two daughters.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Brunskill, Ian (19 March 2020). The Times guide to the House of Commons 2019 : the definitive record of Britain's historic 2019 General Election. p. 285. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1. OCLC 1129682574.
  2. 1 2 Anderson, Stuart (13 December 2019). "Profile of North Norfolk's new MP". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ "Rise in number of councillors not having to face the ballot box across Norfolk and the Fens". Watton & Swaffham Times. 11 April 2015.
  5. ↑ https://www.duncanbaker.org.uk/news/maiden-speech-house-commons
  6. ↑ "Local Elections Archive Project — Holt Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  7. ↑ Bale, David (22 May 2019). "Duncan Baker appointed Group Leader of the Conservative party at North Norfolk District Council". North Norfolk News. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  8. ↑ Nicholson, Abigail (13 January 2020). "New Leader of North Norfolk Conservatives announced as Christopher Cushing". North Norfolk News. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  9. ↑ "Norfolk North parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  10. ↑ "General Election 2019: results and analysis" (PDF). researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  11. ↑ The Times Guide to the House of Commons 2019. Glasgow: Times Books. 2020. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-00-839258-1.
  12. ↑ "The Register of Members' Financial Interests As at 99 November 28". UK Parliament. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  13. ↑ "Mystery deepens over secret source of Brexit 'b bucks'". Open Democracy. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  14. ↑ Anderson, Stuart (6 July 2022). "Norfolk MP quits government role as prime minister clings to power". North Norfolk News. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
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