DAVID Mundell was sacked by Boris Johnson despite the pleads of Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson.
The already straining relationship between the new Prime Minister and his party’s Scottish chief was at fracturing point yesterday.
At the time of going to press it’s not clear who will replace the veteran Tory though there is fevered speculation that the could job could go to one of the party’s Scottish MPs who publicly backed Johnson.
Ross Thomson chaired his leadership campaign in Scotland, while Colin Clark, Douglas Ross and Andrew Bowie all backed his bid.
Others tipped for the post include Alister Jack, currently serving as a whip, and Stirling’s Stephen Kerr, who has long campaigned for a Minister for the Union.
READ MORE: First Minister slams Boris Johnson 'blame-shifting' on Brexit
In a tweet, Mundell said he was “disappointed but not surprised to be leaving the Scotland Office after 9 years.”
He added: “Will, of course, support the new Government, but as I said to PM this afternoon I will also hold him to account on his commitments to the Union. Hope there’s still room on the backbenches!”
The sacking was a major blow to Davidson’s authority. On Tuesday the Scottish Tory leader said she would “be very happy” if Johnson kept Mundell on.
“The new Prime Minister would do well to take David’s advice on Scotland. He knows the Scottish Government inside out,” she said.
READ MORE: David Mundell loses job in brutal Boris Johnson Cabinet purge
Yesterday, she paid tribute to Mundell saying his record of service at the Scotland Office had been “exemplary”.
She added: “He has been a trusted advisor to two Prime Minister, held his nerve during the independence referendum and faced down Nicola Sturgeon when she called for a re-run in 2017.
“While David chooses to conduct himself publicly in a typically understated manner, his strategic brain has been at the heart of the rebuilding project of the Scottish Conservatives. The party could not have enjoyed so many recent successes without his input, effort and ability to make Scotland’s case to his government colleagues.”
The SNP’s Pete Wishart tweeted that Mundell’s “position was almost untenable.”
“Who will get the gig now, though? Is Boris thinking the unthinkable....?” he added.
Earlier Mundell had told MPs that, despite the need to back the possibility of a no-deal Brexit, he was willing to serve Johnson’s government.
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