Richard Keen

Richard Keen QC, Scottish Advocate and chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party

Richard Sanderson Keen QC (born 29 March 1954), the former Dean of the Faculty of Advocates in Scotland and one of the UK’s most eminent lawyers, took over in January 2014 as chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party. His immediate predecessor - the sole Scottish Tory MP David Mundell - said:

"I’m delighted that we’ve got a public figure of the calibre of Richard Keen joining Ruth Davidson’s team in Scotland."

On 19 February 2014, Richard Keen predicted that the Conservatives will have the most MSPs and win power at Holyrood within a decade following a collapse in support for the "toxic" Nationalists. Keen insisted this was not "pie in the sky" and forecast Scots will reject independence in the referendum then turn away from the SNP altogether. He said Alex Salmond was the "Arthur Daley" of politics thanks to his refusal to let voters look "under the bonnet" of his assertions on issues such as a separate Scotland’s currency and EU membership. The Conservatives would be the main beneficiary of a Nationalist collapse, he said, making made the bold prediction they would be in power at the Scottish Parliament within ten years as the largest party in a coalition. But, with only one MP and 15 MSPs, Richard Keen admitted they were starting from a "low base" and that he had initially thought the party chairmanship was a "poisoned chalice".

In February 2008, the then newly-appointed chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party, Andrew Fulton, who was asked by David Cameron to reinvigorate the party north of the border, was reported to have been an MI6 spy whose last posting was as "head of station" in Washington. Fulton was unmasked as a former spy in 2000 when he was forced to step down as a member of the Lockerbie Trial Briefing Unit which provided media briefings on the trial in Holland of the two Libyans accused of the Lockerbie bombing.

Early life

Richard Keen was educated at The King's School, Rochester and Dollar Academy, and studied at the School of Law of the University of Edinburgh, where he was a Beckman scholar. He was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1980 and was appointed a QC in 1993.

Legal experience

Richard Keen served as standing junior counsel in Scotland to the Department of Trade and Industry from 1986 to 1993, and is chairman of the appeals committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. Keen specialises in commercial law, property law and administrative law.

Richard Keen defended Lamin Khalifah Fhimah at the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial, with Fhimah being acquitted of all charges. In 2007, he represented Henri Paul's family in a case about the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Keen represented the Scottish football club Glasgow Rangers F.C. at their unsuccessful appeal against a one year transfer/registration embargo which was held on 16 May 2012. Rangers subsequently reappealed the decision commencing on 25 May 2012, with this appeal proving successful.

Richard Keen is currently representing Andy Coulson in relation to perjury charges.

In November 2007 Richard Keen was elected Dean of the Faculty of Advocates. In January 2014 Keen stood down and became chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party.

Personal life

Richard Keen married Jane Anderson in 1978, with whom he has a son and a daughter. His interests include golf, skiing, shooting and opera, whilst he is a member of the New Club, Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society, and the Golf House, Elie and Earlsferry. He is one of the highest earners in Scotland, being featured on a list of the top 100 earners in 2003, and is said to enjoy fast cars.