View source for Peter Karran

{{Short description|Manx politician (born 1960)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name             = Peter Karran
|honorific-suffix = [[Member of the House of Keys|MHK]]
|image            = 
|office           = Leader of the [[Liberal Vannin Party]]
|term_start       = 2006
|term_end         = February 2014
|predecessor      = ''New position''
|successor        = [[Kate Beecroft]]
|office2          = [[Member of the House of Keys]] for [[Onchan (parish)|Onchan]]
|term_start2      = 1985
|term_end2        = 2016
|successor2       = Rob Callister, Julie Edge
|office3          = [[Member of the House of Keys]] for [[Middle (sheading)|Middle]]
|term_start3      = 1985
|term_end3        = 1986
|leader3          = 
|predecessor3     = Roger Alan Payne
|successor3       = Brian Barton
|office4          = [[Department of Education (Isle of Man)|Minister for Education and Children]]
|term_start4      = 2011
|term_end4        = 2012
|predecessor4     = [[Eddie Teare]]
|successor4       = [[Tim Crookall]]
|office5          = Chairman of the [[Isle of Man Water and Sewerage Authority|Isle of Man Water Authority]]
|term_start5      = 1990
|term_end5        = 2003
|predecessor5     = Adrian Duggan
|successor5       = David Cannan
|birth_date       = {{birth date and age|1960|5|20|df=y}}
|birth_place      = [[Isle of Man]]
|death_date       = 
|death_place      = 
|party            = [[Manx Labour Party]] {{small|(1981–2004)}}<br />[[Liberal Vannin Party]] {{small|(2006–present)}}
}}

'''Peter Karran''' (born 20 May 1960) is a [[Manx people|Manx]] politician, who is a former leader of the [[Liberal Vannin Party]] and former [[Department of Education and Children (Isle of Man)|Minister of Education and Children]]. He was a [[Member of the House of Keys]] for [[Middle (sheading)|Middle]], and then for [[Onchan]], from 1985 to 2016.

He was a member of the [[Manx Labour Party]] from 1981 but left in 2004. In August 2006 he founded the Liberal Vannin Party and became its first leader. 

==Career==

Karran worked as a [[joiner]]. He stood for election in [[Middle (sheading)|Middle]] in the 1981 Manx general election but was not elected. In 1985 he contested a [[by-election]] in Middle and was elected, becoming the youngest ever elected Member in the House of Keys. In the 1986 general election, Karran contested [[Onchan]] and was elected. He repeated his success in Onchan in general elections in 1986, 1991, 1996, [[2001 Manx general election|2001]], [[2006 Manx general election|2006]] and [[2011 Manx general election|2011]].<ref name=tynwald>{{cite web|title=Peter KARRAN MHK (Onchan)|url=http://www.tynwald.org.im/memoff/member/Pages/KarranP.aspx|website=Tynwald – Parliament of the Isle of Man|accessdate=12 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203010501/http://www.tynwald.org.im/memoff/member/Pages/KarranP.aspx|archive-date=3 February 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> He has been very popular ever since, topping the [[Onchan]] polls at most elections. (In 2006 he received more votes than any other candidate for the Keys: partly because Onchan was one of the few three-seat constituencies and so there were more votes available.)<ref>{{cite web | title=Isle of Man Elections, 2006 | url=http://www.iomelections.com/2006/results/index.html  | publisher= www.iomelections.com | date= | accessdate=12 April 2015}}</ref>

He was a [[Manx Labour Party]] member (and one of their two MHKs) but left the party in 2004. In August 2006 he founded the [[Liberal Vannin Party]] (LVP) and became its first leader. From 2011 to 2012 Karran served as the [[Department of Education and Children (Isle of Man)|Minister of Education and Children]] under [[Allan Bell]]; however he was removed from the position for opposing the position of the Council of Ministers on the film industry.<ref name=sacked>{{cite news|title=Peter Karran sacked from role as education minister|url=http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/peter-karran-sacked-from-role-as-education-minister-1-4662841|accessdate=12 April 2015|work=IOM Today|date=20 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924043044/http://www.iomtoday.co.im/news/isle-of-man-news/peter-karran-sacked-from-role-as-education-minister-1-4662841|archive-date=24 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In February 2014, Karran renounced the leadership of the LVP in favour of [[Kate Beecroft]] MHK. Karran said that it "was time for a change".<ref name=kate>{{cite news|last1=Vannin|first1=Ellan|title=Kate Beecroft succeeds Peter Karran as Liberal Vannin leader|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-26322339|accessdate=12 April 2015|work=BBC News|date=24 February 2014}}</ref>

Around April 2016, Karran announced he would be standing down from the Keys after 31 years in Manx politics.<ref name=karran>{{cite news|last1=Vannin|first1=Ellan|title=Onchan MHK Peter Karran to stand down after three decades |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-36071001|accessdate=1 July 2016|work=BBC News|date=18 April 2016}}</ref>

==Controversy==

Karran has been highly critical of the [[Isle of Man Government|Manx Government]], for example about [[Mount Murray]] gate. He was criticised by many people on the island when he announced the closure of all of the island's government-run preschools.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manxradio.com/newsread.aspx?id=58026 |title= :: Manx Radio :: The Isle of Man's Premier Radio Station ::|website=www.manxradio.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402105932/http://www.manxradio.com/newsread.aspx?id=58026 |archive-date=2 April 2015}}</ref> His election campaign{{when|date=December 2016}} was based around the protection of frontline services in the Isle of Man, and the school closures were seen as a direct contradiction to that.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://election.manxradio.com/media/45130/liberal_vannin_party_national_manifesto.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=30 March 2012 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402111830/http://election.manxradio.com/media/45130/liberal_vannin_party_national_manifesto.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Electoral performance==
Karran contested several elections, first for the [[Manx Labour Party]] and later for the [[Liberal Vannin Party]].

===House of Keys elections===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date of election
! Constituency
!
! Party
! Votes
! % of votes
! Result
|-
|1981 general election
|[[Middle (sheading)|Middle]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Manx Labour Party}}" |
|[[Manx Labour Party]]
|?
|?
|Not elected
|-
|1985 by-election
|Middle
| style="background-color: {{party color|Manx Labour Party}}" |
|Manx Labour Party
|?
|?
|Elected
|-
|1986 general election
|[[Onchan (parish)|Onchan]]
| style="background-color: {{party color|Manx Labour Party}}" |
|Manx Labour Party
|1,075
|28.1
|Elected
|-
|[[1991 Manx general election|1991 general election]]
|Onchan
| style="background-color: {{party color|Manx Labour Party}}" |
|Manx Labour Party
|1,195
|29.1
|Elected
|-
|[[1996 Manx general election|1996 general election]]
|Onchan
| style="background-color: {{party color|Manx Labour Party}}" |
|Manx Labour Party
|2,257
|23.7
|Elected
|-
|[[2001 Manx general election|2001 general election]]
|Onchan
| style="background-color: {{party color|Manx Labour Party}}" |
|Manx Labour Party
|2,305
|22.8
|Elected
|-
|[[2006 Manx general election|2006 general election]]
|Onchan
| style="background-color: {{party color|Liberal Vannin Party}}" |
|[[Liberal Vannin Party]]
|2,600
|28.1
|Elected
|-
|[[2011 Manx general election|2011 general election]]
|Onchan
| style="background-color: {{party color|Liberal Vannin Party}}" |
|Liberal Vannin Party
|2,074
|21.9
|Elected
|-
|}

Note: Throughout the relevant period the Onchan constituency elected three MHKs and each elector was entitled to three votes. Thus for example achieving 28.1% of the vote might mean that anything up to 84.3% of the electors may have voted for him.

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{House of Keys 2001–2006}}
{{House of Keys 2006–2011}}
{{House of Keys 2011–2016}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karran, Peter}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1960 births]]
[[Category:British political party founders]]
[[Category:Liberal Vannin Party politicians]]
[[Category:Members of the House of Keys 1981–1986]]
[[Category:Members of the House of Keys 1986–1991]]
[[Category:Members of the House of Keys 1991–1996]]
[[Category:Members of the House of Keys 1996–2001]]
[[Category:Members of the House of Keys 2001–2006]]
[[Category:Members of the House of Keys 2006–2011]]