-Caveat Lector- Monday, 29 July, 2002, 08:59 GMT 09:59 UK 'I'm gay' says senior Tory MP
Alan Duncan speaking to the BBC's Guto Harri Senior Conservative Alan Duncan has become the first sitting Tory MP to declare publicly that he is gay. Mr Duncan's "clear and unequivocal" statement that he is gay comes amid apparent feuding between Tory modernisers and traditionalists. David Davis was axed as party chairman after anonymous claims that he was blocking Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith's more inclusive agenda. I hope the taboo is now broken Alan Duncan Mr Duncan Smith has welcomed and supported Mr Duncan's decision to declare his sexuality. The shadow foreign affairs minister has never kept his sexuality from friends and colleagues. He told BBC News on Monday: "I hope the taboo is now broken and people can talk about politics not these sorts of issues." Central figure The MP said he had received "fantastic" support for his move from his Rutland and Melton Mowbray constituents. Earlier, he told the Times newspaper: "The Tory view has always been, 'We don't mind, but don't say'. Well, that doesn't work any more. "I think the only realistic way to behave these days, particularly if you are a politician, is to be absolutely honest." Iain Duncan Smith supports Mr Duncan's decision to come out Some Labour MPs are openly gay but Tory MPs who have been outed in the past have resigned or lost their seats. In January, the Conservative Party signalled a change in its approach to gay issues by calling for homosexual partners to be given some of the legal rights held by married couples. Mr Duncan hoped his decision would make the "path of others easier" but insisted that no one should feel obliged to discuss their private life. The frontbencher claimed that in the past senior colleagues would "mutter behind their hands" about his sexuality and thought it was too much of a risk to promote him. 'Changed mood' "That sort of behaviour is an outrage, but I don't sense it applies to the party now," he added. Conservative Treasury spokesman John Bercow told BBC Radio 4's Today programme Mr Duncan's words reflected a changed Tory mood. But former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe said the party should concentrate on fighting Labour rather than talk about "ideological purity". Michael Brown says there have been many gay Tories Mr Duncan has been a central figure in Tory politics for more than a decade. His home was the headquarters for John Major's successful 1990 leadership campaign and he organised William Hague's 1997 victory. He vigorously supported Michael Portillo in the most recent leadership battle but Mr Duncan Smith promoted him to shadow the Middle East minister in the wake of 11 September. Kenneth Bool, chairman of Mr Duncan's Rutland and Melton Conservative Association, praised the "excellent work" done by the MP. "His honesty is not an act of confession, it is a refreshing act of initiative and typical of the man," said Mr Bool. "It is simply not an issue, as we believe most people will take a mature view and will not be overly concerned." Mr Bool voiced the "full support" of the officers of the association for the MP. Liberal test Mr Duncan's decision to talk publicly about being gay will test the drive to make the Tory party more inclusive and socially liberal. Some commentators believed Michael Portillo's decision to talk about his past gay experiences hindered his attempt to become party leader. Former party chairman Norman Tebbit stressed he was backing Mr Duncan Smith in the contest because he was a "normal, family man with children". Michael Brown, who resigned as a Tory whip in 1994 after the tabloids reported about his holiday with a man just below the then gay age of consent of 21, said there had always been many gay Tory MPs "in the closet". "What Alan Duncan has done is to make sure that next time there is a Tory MP doing this it is just one big yawn, which is what it should be today," Mr Brown told BBC News. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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