RUTH Davidson’s Scottish Tories were bracing themselves for a fresh snub after none was expected to be promoted in the ministerial reshuffle prompted by the dramatic spate of high-profile resignations from the Government. Not one of the 2017 intake of Conservative MPs north of the Border is thought to be rising up the ranks despite Davidson’s insistence about their strategic importance following the snap general election.
It will be the third time Prime Minister Theresa May has reshuffled her team since the UK went to the polls in June last year. However, on each occasion none of the new 12 Scots Tory MPs has been given a step up and Scottish Secretary David Mundell continues to be the only MP representing a Scottish seat to have a government role.
The Prime Minister was forced to replace Boris Johnson with Jeremy Hunt as Foreign Secretary and David Davis with Dominic Raab as Brexit Secretary after the two Brexiteers stormed out of her Cabinet on Monday.
Two vacancies for ambitious backbenchers opened up when Johnson’s parliamentary private secretary (PPS) Conor Burns and Chris Green, PPS to Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, also quit.
But as The National went to press last night no announcement had been made on who would replace Burns and Green.
The PPS role is regarded as the first step of a ministerial career acting as the “eyes and ears” of the minister in the Commons.
During the PM’s reshuffle in January there had been expectation at least one of the 12 Scots Tories would have secured a PPS role, possibly by moving Mundell’s PPS Alberto Costa.
But when the list of PPSs was published the South Leicestershire MP remained in post. John Lamont, the former Scottish Conservative chief whip at Holyrood, had been seen as a frontrunner for the post.
Monday’s resignations, which also saw junior Brexit minister Steve Baker quit, were prompted by May’s new Brexit plan.
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