SCOTTISH Tory MP John Lamont has been appointed as a minister in the Scotland Office following the reported sacking of his colleague David Duguid.
Lamont, who has represented Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk at Westminster since 2017, becomes parliamentary under secretary of state in Alister Jack’s department.
The former Foreign Office minister quit government during the summer in order to vote against former prime minister Boris Johnson in a vote of no-confidence.
He backed Penny Mordaunt to be the next Tory leader during the lengthy leadership contest this year, and again when Liz Truss stepped down after just 44 days in office.
It comes after Banff and Buchan Tory MP Duguid (below) was reportedly sacked from the Scotland Office after just a few weeks in the role.
He had been reappointed as a minister in the department after publicly backing Truss to be the next party leader following the Perth hustings.
Despite a public statement calling on Tory members to unite behind Sunak, Duguid is no longer in government.
There had been speculation that Andrew Bowie, another Scottish Tory MP who vocally backed Sunak to be the next prime minister, would be rewarded with a ministerial position. However, Bowie is still not in government.
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Responding to his appointment, former MSP Lamont tweeted: “I am honoured to have been appointed as a minister at the Scotland Office as part of @RishiSunak’s new team.
“Looking forward to getting started and working with colleagues at both the UK Government and the Scottish Government to deliver for the people of Scotland.”
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