David James Duguid
Born 1970. Raised on the family farm at Breedless, just North of Turriff. Educated at Banff Academy. Studied Chemistry at Robert Gordon University.
Employment
Took up a career with BP (10 years) in the oil and gas industry before moving on to project management with Hitachi (15 years). Lives in Turriff. Established management consultancy business (D&R Duguid Consultancy Ltd), from November 2016, with his partner Rose, whom he met and married at the time he was deployed to Azerbaijan.
Politics
An avid Brexiteer and Unionist his burning ambition is to ensure the fishing community is not sold short at the time the Tory party take the UK out of the EC.
Active at a local level within the Tory Party the surprise 2017 General Election thrust him into the forefront of Banff & Buchan politics when he was asked and agreed to stand as a candidate for election to Westmnister. The portents for his success were high, the constituency having voted to remain in the UK in the 2014 referendum and to leave the EC in the 2016 referendum.
Fishing policy, after Brexit dominated Tory strategy and his electioneering campaign was focused on this single issue. The argument he advanced against the SNP was that it was a party determined to keep Scotland in the EC, the success of which would require many constituents to continue to depend for their livelihood on the unpopular European Common Fisheries Policy.
3 May 2017: Tory candidate signs pledge to exit EU and CFP
Banff and Buchan needs an MP at the heart of government in Westminster, not one in opposition “shouting from the sidelines”, the Scottish Conservatives said this week.
David Duguid, Scottish Conservative candidate for Banff and Buchan, made the comments after a meeting with fishing industry representatives in Peterhead.
He said “Our fishing industry here in Banff and Buchan needs an MP at the heart of government in Westminster, not one in opposition shouting from the sidelines. The UK is entering crucial negotiations on our future relationship with the EU and we need to ensure that the interests of our coastal communities are represented. I will be a strong and influential voice for our fishermen, who are rightly determined to make the most of the huge opportunity afforded by the Brexit vote.
I have signed the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation’s Brexit pledge and I would challenge the SNP to do the same. I do not believe that this industry should ever be considered expendable and I will ensure that the views of our fishermen are heard at the highest levels of government. I will stand up for the interests of our fishing and farming communities as we navigate our way out of the EU.”
10 May 2017: Tories accused of using fishermen as a bargaining chip in Brexit talks
Scottish Conservative and Unionist leader Ruth Davidson will be in Peterhead today to answer local fishing industry leaders’ call for Scotland’s fisheries not to be a bargaining chip in the Brexit negotiations.
She will do so against the background of a “bombshell” letter from Andrea Leadsom, the UK Secretary of State in charge of fisheries. In the letter she admits parts of the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) will become part of UK law.
In a letter to Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, Leadsom said the UK Government would try to “disapply” the most unpopular and unworkable elements of the EU CFP, but had to admit that some of the policy would still apply to the UK.
Leadsom wrote: “No decision has yet been made on the extent to which the EU legislation governing the Common Fisheries Policy will be incorporated into domestic law.
The Government will continue to champion sustainable fisheries and we are committed to ongoing cooperation with other countries over the management of shared stocks and ending discards.”
Eilidh Whiteford, SNP candidate in Banff and Buchan commented: “This letter is a bombshell which utterly demolishes the Tories’ bogus claims about fishing.
The cat is now out of the bag — while Ruth Davidson is heading to the North East to pretend the Tories are the fishermen’s friends, her Westminster bosses are plotting a gigantic sell-out. The letter couldn’t be clearer — for all their rhetoric, the Tories are planning to incorporate key parts of the CFP ‘into domestic law’.
And they are also ‘committed to ongoing cooperation with other countries over the management of shared stocks. That means that they are planning to use Scottish waters and our fishing industry as a Brexit bargaining chip. In doing so, they are also taking an enormous gamble with the livelihoods of those fish processors that depend on European exports by jeopardizing our position within the single market.
A vote for the SNP will show the Tories that they will not get away with selling out Scotland’s fishing communities for a second time.”
Whiteford was referring to a Scottish Office paper on entering the common market which was released under the 30-year rule, in which officials wrote that “in the wider UK context they [the fishermen] must be regarded as expendable”.
The fishing industry in Scotland has been adamant that Scottish fishing grounds should not be a Brexit bargaining chip. Bertie Armstrong said: “The whole industry, from those who go to sea through the processors to the hauliers, is united behind one simple aim: our coming out of the EU and the CFP.
Brexit offers us a huge opportunity to re-assert control of our waters and to establish once and for all a sensible, practicable new fisheries management regime.”
The Government’s Brexit White Paper merely says: “Given the heavy reliance on UK waters of the EU fishing industry and the importance of EU waters to the UK, it is in both our interests to reach a mutually beneficial deal that works for the UK and the EU’s fishing communities.”
David Duguid, Scottish Conservative candidate for Banff and Buchan, last night said: “The Conservative Government at Westminster is following through on the democratic will of the British people to leave the EU.” (the national)
9 Jun 2017: David Duguid elected to serve as the new Conservative MP for Banff and Buchan
In his acceptance speech he said: “I am completely over the moon with this result. It’s felt like a long campaign, but in fact it has been a compressed one.
I am glad the campaigning is over but in a similar respect I am glad I can now get on with the job I was elected to do in serving the people of Banff and Buchan. I am really proud of the team behind me. I am going to be doing the job, but I couldn’t be doing it without them.”
Comment: The electorate chose to ignore the damming content of the letter, (sent to local fishing industry leaders by Andrea Leadsom) the UK Secretary of State in charge of fisheries preferring to believe the rhetoric of the “Scottish Fishermen’s Federation’s” Brexit pledge signed by Duguid as part of his campaign strategy.
His statement, made at the time, that he did not believe that the fishing industry in Banff and Buchan should ever be considered expendable and his absolute assurance that he would give his cast iron guarantee the he would ensure that the views of fishermen would be heard at the highest levels of government and that he would stand up for the interests of the fishing and farming communities of Banff & Buchan.
19 Jul 2017: North Sea cod certified fully sustainable
North Sea cod has today been officially certified as fully sustainable and can be eaten freely.
The green light was given by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) which has given the fishery its all important blue tick label. The decision will provide a major boost for the UK fishing industry and the Scottish fleet in particular. especially as Brexit approaches.
The situation is a complete contrast from the situation a little over a decade ago when North Sea cod stocks were at a critically low level. The MSC said today the blue tick indicated that North Sea cod caught by Scottish and English boats is “sustainable and fully traceable”.
Cod stocks in the North Sea stood at around 280,000 tons just 40 years ago and then went into steep decline due to over-fishing when stock fell to under 40,000 tons.
The EC Common Fisheries Policy instructed a ban on cod catches, until such time as stocks would be recovered. Forming part of the strategy to resolve the problem of over fishing the Grimsby fleet of more than 100 North Sea trawlers was reduced to a handful of local boats.
The stock recovery plan was in place for around ten years and the policy brought long term dividends for Scottish fisheries.
The MSC said the announcement that cod was now sustainable was a “momentous achievement” for the industry. But the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), conservation body WWF has warned that historically, the population of North Sea cod was still at a low level and efficient control measures will need to kept in place.
Comment: Without the Common Fisheries Policy the North Sea would most likely be barren of cod so far as trawler fishing is concerned.
The policy of the Grimsby trawler fleet operators was decided by the needs of the Grimsby fish processing industry which had in place many contracts with the EC and worldwide for the supply of processed fish.
The Scottish North Sea trawler fleet was primarily deployed to catch fish for the “fresh fish markets” of the UK, EC and worldwide and did not impact on cod stocks to the same extreme as the Grimsby fleet.
26 Jul 2017: Brexit – Grimsby area MPs appointed to key fisheries posts
Grimsby MP, Melanie Onn has been elected to chair the House of Commons, All-Party Parliamentary Group for Fisheries.
Her duties will ensure she discharges a leading role shaping the future of Britain’s post-Brexit fishing industry.
The influential cross-party group of MPs will meet regularly to take evidence from key players in the seafood industry and experts, and will be empowered to question Government Ministers on their policies towards fisheries. It will also be able to hold the government to account in the all important Brexit implications for the fishing industry.
Ms Onn said her appointment would give her more influence and a better chance to fight for Grimsby’s seafood industry. “I’m delighted to be elected to this position. Thousands of people in Grimsby work in the seafood sector, and I will now have a bigger platform from which to pressure the Government into providing greater support for the industry. I said during the election campaign that I would fight for the best Brexit deal for Great Grimsby, which means holding the Government to the promises made to the fishing industry during the referendum, and protecting the seafood sector’s ability to trade with Europe.
My new role will give me more opportunities to question the Ministers responsible for these areas, and to make sure they know how their actions will affect the livelihoods of workers in Grimsby.” .
Other members of the committee are: Alistair Carmichael, Lib Dem MP for Orkney and Shetland, Sheryll Murray, Conservative MP for South East Cornwall, Peter Aldous, Conservative MP for Waveney and David Duguid, Conservative MP for Banff and Buchan
Meanwhile, Martin Vickers, the Conservative MP for the neighbouring constituency of Cleethorpes has been appointed vice chairman of the Commons Iceland group.
He said: “Three quarters of all the fish processed in the Grimsby and Cleethorpes area comes from Iceland and Icelandic investment supports hundreds of local jobs, so the country is very important to us.” (fish update)
Comment: As an all-party committee the composition of 4 Conservative and 1 Lib Dem MP is disgraceful abuse of the electorate of Scotland. It is clear the Tory party intends protecting Grimsby, the main fish processing centre in the UK at the expense of all other outlets.
6 Dec 2017: Scottish affairs discussion at Westminster
David Duguid: Fishing is a totemic industry in my constituency of Banff and Buchan, where there is real concern that the Scottish Government want to take Scotland back into the common fisheries policy.
Can he reassure me that in all conversations and negotiations, he stands firm on taking Scotland’s fisherman out of the CFP, and keeping them out?
David Mundell: My hon. Friend has already come to be seen as a champion for the fishing industry. I can give him an absolute guarantee: unlike the Scottish National Party, which would take us straight back into the common fisheries policy, this Government will take Scotland and the rest of the UK out of that discredited policy.
Comment: A typical loaded question designed for effect rather than purpose. Duguid and Mundell are perpetuating the “boggie man” myth of the SNP in a blatant attempt to hide the truth from the electorate. The Tory government, as previously advised by Andrea Leadsom, the UK Secretary of State in charge of fisheries, will be unable to completely remove the UK from its commitment to the EC fisheries policy.
8 Dec 2017: Duguid threatens to break ranks over Brexit, warning UK ministers that he will not vote for a deal that fails to “advance the interests” of Banff & Buchan fishermen
The MP, for Banff and Buchan, argued that the UK must not “bargain away” any concession of access to its waters during the Brexit talks.
There has been speculation that UK ministers could use access to British waters as a bargaining chip in negotiations, giving away some fishing rights in return for concessions elsewhere.
Fishermen have strongly rejected any suggestion of a compromise over access, which was the message that Mr Duguid took to the Commons. (the times)
Post Brexit fishing, the Facts:
Duguid is “farting against thunder” with his threat. He has voted with his Scottish Unionist colleagues against the interests of Scotland on many occasions since he took up office.
He has poorly served the constituents of Banff and Buchan. The facts are that a clean break from the EU and the Common Fisheries Policy is impossible.
The Scottish Tory Party is lying to the electorate in order to gather votes in constituencies where sea fishing is a key industry.
Many of the important stocks are shared and straddle maritime boundaries, the UK and its future fisheries neighbours (the remaining EU27, Norway and the Faroe Islands) will be obliged to prepare new fisheries agreements which set a Total Allowable Catch (TACs) for each species and allocate it between the parties.
In determining the allocation of quotas to each party the EU will seek to maintain the Common Fisheries Policy’s relative stability keys, whilst the UK will seek leverage from a claimed greater zonal attachment of stocks to its waters.
Whilst there is no comprehensive data on spatial distribution of fish stocks in current EU waters, it has estimated this for a Brexit scenario on the basis of 2014 catches reported for each sea area defined by ICES, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas.
The estimate is that the potential UK catch arising from the threatened post-Brexit exclusion of EU vessels from UK waters could increase by as much as 671,000 tonnes (representing a gain of 90 per cent of current catches).
However, since much of this would be lower value species such as blue whiting, the benefit would fall to 387,000 tonnes in cod equivalents.
The ICES areas in which the UK would gain the most would be the sectors West of Scotland and the northern parts of the North Sea.
UK operators would however lose important access to fishing grounds to the West of Ireland.
It is expected the UK will hope to retain access to important fish stocks in Norwegian waters of the North Sea, which it currently enjoys via the bilateral EU- Norway Fisheries Agreement.
But that access, which involves almost half of the EU quota of cod, is linked to the European Economic Area ( EEA) Treaty, and the British Government has all but ruled out retaining membership of this body.
The fear is the current UK quota of these Norwegian stocks might then be lost in a post-Brexit scenario (for example the quotas could be retained by the EU and divided among the remaining 27 states, or revert it back to Norway).
Even if access is not lost, the UK will have to come up with the quotas to exchange. All of these factors reduce the likely benefit to the UK from the attachment of European fish stocks to the UK zone.
Furthermore, the UK exports approximately 80 per cent of its wild caught seafood, with 66 per cent going to 27 EU states, so UK fishers have a strong interest in maintaining tariff-free access to that market.
However, the EU will most likely seek quota and access to fish in the UK zone in return as it did with Norway and Greenland so the waters ahead for the UK fleet may not be the plain sailing it had anticipated. (fish update)
Other political events
4 Oct 2017: Banff and Buchan MP, David Duguid expresses confidence that North-East ports will win decommissioning contracts.
The Conservative politician said harbour masters were feeling positive about the chance of gaining contracts connected to the subsea sector.
Speaking at the UK Conservative conference in Manchester, Duguid said he was hopeful Scotland could develop a deep water port for decommissioning in Peterhead, Aberdeen or Dundee as well as further afield.
He said: “I’ve been talking to some harbour masters in my constituency ports of Fraserburgh, Macduff and Buckie who reckon they could do a bit of decommissioning. (Energy Voice)
Comment: Duguid’s confidence is misplaced. He evidently did not listen to what Mundell had to say in the Commons only 3 weeks before: 12 Sep 2017: Questions to Mundell – Decommissioning of Oil Platforms Scotland
Bowie: Does the UK Government have plans to develop an ultra deep water port on the East Coast of Scotland. Note: Without such a port in play the bulk of the multi billion pounds work will be awarded to contractors outwith Scotland.
Mundell: The Government is committed to supporting the development of a world-leading decommissioning industry. But no UK port currently has the ultra-deep water facilities needed to directly accommodate the fully-loaded heavy lift vessels commonly used for decommissioning large platforms.
Comment: So! No plans in place. The work is destined for foreign shores.
Pay Cap for Public Service workers
In the first few months after the General Election the UK was attacked by Islamic terrorists in Manchester and in London. These incidents were compounded by the tragic fire at the Grenfell Tower block.
The performance of the emergency services workers was exemplary. Their actions saved many lives achieved often at great personal risk. The Prime Minister and many politicians took time on national television and in the press to heap well deserved praise on their shoulders.
Only a few weeks after the display of gratitude MP’s were provided with opportunity to reward public service workers when opposition parties tabled a motion asking the Tory Government to bring an end to the seven year long public service pay cap.
The motion was lost when the entire block of Tory MP’s, including the Scottish bakers dozen voted it down. Praise is easy to administer but reward is another matter.
The saving grace for Scottish public service workers is that their pay is decided by the SNP government in Scotland and the pay cap was discontinued in Scotland.
10 Nov 2017: One SNP MP has questioned May’s Government more than rest of new Scottish intake combined
Glasgow East MP David Linden is the hardest-working new Scot in Westminster, figures show. Linden was the only new SNP member of parliament elected at the snap vote this summer.
Data shows he has put more pressure on the Tory Government than all other new Scottish MPs combined in the first five months of service.
Linden has submitted 233 written questions. This compares with 217 from the 11 Tories, six Labour members and three LibDems put together.
Meanwhile, the site found not a single written question from Tory David Duguid representing Banff and Buchan. Duguid’s colleague Colin Clark, who ousted Alex Salmond in Gordon, is also said to have submitted one. (the national)
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