North Norfolk’s first Tory MP in 18 years reflects on his time in politics and reveals how he could have been prosecuted
- joebunker
- May 7, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 2
From the post office- scandal to being ‘unconservative’, North Norfolk’s MP Duncan Baker opens up to UEA Journalism about his time in politics during a period when the polls are looking dire for his party.
The Norfolk born and bred MP became Mayor of Holt aged just 35, going onto stand unsuccessfully as a UKIP councillor for North Norfolk District Council in 2015.
But by 2017 Mr Baker had changed party and was successfully elected as a Conservative councillor.
“I was never intending to become a Member of Parliament” Mr Baker said, referring to his 2019 win in the North Norfolk seat.
“It wasn’t until late 2018 that people said to me, you know I think you have what it takes to become a Member of Parliament that I sort of thought, oh, maybe sitting behind a desk and being a finance director, isn’t what I’m going to do for the rest of my life.”
Describing election night as “remarkable”, Baker seemed confident victory was always in the bag.
“The 2019 [election] was sort of the easiest election you’ll ever win really; it was a re-run of the Brexit referendum in all honesty.”
“So, one expected to win”, reflecting how the seat was in a pro-Brexit area.
The seat was held since 2001 by Liberal Democrat MP Norman Lamb – making Mr Baker the first Conservative MP to hold the seat in 18 years.
“We always anecdotally felt that North Norfolk had voted for Norman Lamb because he was a very decent man – it hadn’t voted for Liberal Democrats per se.
“I still believe it doesn’t vote Liberal Democrat – it’s a conservative with a small c area.”
Career highlights
Baker described taking in a Ukrainian family as one of his highlights as a politician.
“So when the Ukraine war broke out I thought it was right to be a decent voice for the local area and lead by example and so I was the first MP to look after a [Ukrainian] family and we still do.
“They don’t live with us anymore but they’re only a mile down the road but were still very, very close as a family.”
In a prominent position behind him lay a light blue running vest. So what was all that about?
“I’ve raised £100,000 for local charities through marathon running – not many people can say they’ve used their privilege and their platform to go and do that.”
‘Flip-flopping’
It was becoming clear that the North Norfolk MP was self-assured in his position serving over 85,000 constituents.
But he has recently come under fire for so-called ‘flip-flopping’ over second home tax arrangements.
As reported in the EDP, Mr Baker originally welcomed planned tax changes in the Spring Budget to crack down on tax breaks for people letting out second homes as holiday lets.
However, in a recent Facebook post he now says he doesn’t support the plans.
North Norfolk Lib Dem councillor, Callum Ringer took to X (formerly Twitter) saying: “Thank you so much Duncan Baker for standing up in support of check notes……. Holiday lets. Anyone got a tiny violin?
Thousands of local people on the housing waiting list mate, and house prices inflated in part because of holiday lets. Which bandwagon next?”
‘Unconservative’ choices
Another theme during the interview was a willingness to be ‘unconservative’.
Baker has recently backed the government’s ‘Tobacco and Vapes Bill’ which would make it an offence to sell cigarettes or tobacco products to anyone born on or after the 1st January 2009.
Many within his own party have labelled these plans as ‘unconservative’, with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson telling the BBC the proposals were “absolutely nuts.”
Baker, on the other hand, made it clear he didn’t share this sentiment.
“Many people say it’s distinctively unconservative to ban smoking for children, well frankly I couldn’t care less.
“I’ve got 2 children I don’t want them to smoke… if can use my powers to stop a generation of children becoming adults and getting respiratory cancers and lung cancers… I think that’s a good use of my time.”
It might seem strange that the party of the infamous, cigar puffing war time leader Winston Churchill wanted to crack down on people’s freedom to buy a packet of fags.
But perhaps the direction of the party under Rishi Sunak is changing.
“It would have been me prosecuted”
One issue on which the North Norfolk MP has been particularly vocal is the Post Office scandal – which saw hundreds of sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses wrongfully prosecuted and even convicted for stealing due to a faulty computer system.
Mr Baker was once a sub-postmaster himself.
“Just by accident really I became a sub-postmaster when we bought some Budgens supermarkets” Mr Baker said, referring to his business background.
“It would have been me prosecuted…had I’d been accused of those things.
“If you can stand up in Parliament and say look, I’m the only one of you lot in here that ever has actually run a post office you carry a little bit of gravitas… and the ministers turn around and listen a little bit.
“I became a bit of a leading voice which obviously most people in that place have sort of done their 20 years and become a leading voice, I’ve done my 5 years and become quite a voice on it” he said.
Baker explained how he thought the government has done a “good job” trying to sort out the issue but the sheer scale of wrongful prosecutions and legal complications meant it would take some time.
“I’m the best person to do the job”
There’s no hiding that the polls are not looking good for the Conservatives.
According to one recent study the Tories would win just 85 seats if a general election was called tomorrow. So it seemed only fair to ask how Mr Baker was feeling about his political future.
“Yeah, I feel OK”, Baker replied in a rather relaxed tone.
He continued, “I can’t do any more, I mean I respect democracy [and] I’ve worked solidly for four and a half years now.
“I think my constituents, in terms of a majority, you know turn around and say do you know what that lad works absolutely incessantly for us.
“And listen I think I’m the best person to do the job, if people didn’t think I was the best person to do the job they have their right to exercise that vote at the ballot box.”
Cracking interview that hits all the bases and is a pleasure to read that could probably live in a broadsheet. Very well done and good luck for the finals.