Conservative North Yorkshire mayoral candidate Keane Duncan says 'I don’t always agree with the Tories'

One man hoping to be one of those politicians is Keane Duncan, the Conservative candidate for mayor of York and North Yorkshire in 2024. A local councillor and journalist, Mr Duncan turned 29 on New Year’s Day, but could be propelled to a position of seniority if he is successful on election day on May 2.

The election will decide who becomes mayor of York and North Yorkshire’s combined authority, a position that has been replicated across the country in places like Manchester, headed by Andy Burnham, and Tees Valley, with Ben Houchen.

The new York and North Yorkshire mayoral combined authority would receive devolved funding for transport, education, and business support, and could invest upwards of £95 million a year.

Mr Duncan will go up against David Skaith, the Labour Party’s candidate, who owns Winstons of York clothing store, to battle it out for the position to lead those devolved powers.

But who is Keane Duncan?

Mr Duncan started studying politics at the University of York in 2013. Not satisfied with just the academic side of politics, he stood to be a councillor for Ryedale District Council aged just 20.

“I’m in no way from a political family,” Mr Duncan said over lunch at Spring Espresso in Fossgate, York, where he had shakshuka and a can of Coke. “I grew up in a two up, two down terraced house near Malton. My dad was a builder, my mum worked in a factory. It’s very much a working-class background.”

Four years after being elected as a district councillor, Mr Duncan became Britain’s youngest council leader at just 24. He went on to work as a journalist for regional newspapers and was most recently deputy news editor of the Daily Star until December 2023.

Now Mr Duncan is the executive member for highways and transport at North Yorkshire Council. “I work incredibly hard,” he said when asked what makes him a Conservative.

So hard, in fact, he said he doesn’t have the time for a partner and is ready to dedicate all of his time to the job. You won’t catch him at any of Yorkshire’s football stadiums on a Saturday afternoon either; he “hates” football.

“I was brought up to believe in hard work and determination,” Mr Duncan said. “My parents worked very hard and set a good example. I’ve always had a drive to do the very best I possibly can and that’s really what’s motivated me through my political journey and will motivate me through being mayor.”

But being a Conservative after almost 14 years of national power may not be as advantageous as it once was. According to Ipsos, the Tories are on 24 per cent in the national polls, behind Labour at 41 per cent.

“Although I am a Conservative, my job is to represent York and North Yorkshire and that does not mean I will always agree with the national Conservative Party,” Mr Duncan said.

“It’s right that I’m a champion for the area and that will be my number one focus; speaking up, saying what I think and getting results. People in May are voting for Keane Duncan, not necessarily for the Conservative Party.”

Mr Duncan also said he is not interested in party political games and wants to work collaboratively with councillors of all colours.

“I think there’s an opportunity to do politics differently in York and North Yorkshire because more decisions will be taken here locally in Yorkshire, not 200 miles away in Whitehall,” he said.

“And from my perspective as a younger mayoral candidate, I want to speak for all generations, but particularly for the next generation. I’m standing as a Conservative candidate but I’m Keane Duncan and I’m asking people to vote for me as Keane Duncan.

“I want people to vote for me because they believe what I am saying, they back the policies, they back the approach. We have one opportunity to get this right.”

So what does he believe in?

Mr Duncan said in December he would consider franchising bus services, meaning operators can only provide services under contract to the local transport authority.

He has described himself as a “pro-motorist” and said: “That means no blanket 20mph, no ULEZ, no road charging. That’s a clear, cast-iron pledge. I am prepared to veto drastic measures like these. I want to encourage more people – who can – to walk, cycle and take the bus. I will do that without punishing drivers.”

He also has concerns about the lack of a local plan in York.

“York has never had a local plan,” he said. “It hasn’t had any form of development plan since 1954. This is 70 years of failure that has held York back.”

And his most recent announcement is that live facial recognition cameras could be piloted in York, Harrogate and Scarborough as early as this year. If Mr Duncan is successful in May, he will join two others in the growing club of metro mayors in the UK.

Although most of York is Labour-held, with an MP and a council majority, most of North Yorkshire, as well as the outer areas of York, is dominated by Conservative voters. It is understood that the Conservative Party “expects” to win the new combined authority.

And alongside voters in York and North Yorkshire, the electorate of the East Midlands and the North East will also head to the polls to decide their new mayors.

Meanwhile, Mr Duncan’s fellow Conservatives Mr Houchen and the West Midlands’ Andy Street will defend their mayorships. There is one potential outcome where Mr Duncan remains one of the most powerful Conservatives in the country if Labour goes on to win the general election.