Tom Tugendhat is the chair of the foreign affairs committee and an outspoken backbencher who has been a persistent critic of Boris Johnson. Seen as occupying the Tory centreground, the Tonbridge and Malling MP has pitched himself as a unifying figure to lead the party out of a period of chaos and division.
He served in the British Army for a decade and rose to the senior rank of lieutenant colonel, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He described the Fall of Kabul in 2021 as Britain’s “biggest foreign policy disaster since Suez”.
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An MP for seven years, he has represented his Kent Tory safe seat since 2015.
What is Tom Tugendhat promising?
Speaking at ITV’s leadership debate, Tugendhat pledged a “clean start” and said he wanted to “restore confidence” in the Government.
He wants to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP and has also promised to scrap the national insurance rise as well as cutting fuel duty.
But his main pitch is he is the most far-removed from the toxicity of the Johnson years, having never held a Cabinet position. He thinks this distance will allow the Tories to beat Keir Starmer at the next General Election and has said that fight begins now.
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What has Tom Tugendhat said about Scotland?
Tugendhat, like all other contestants, has stuck to a hard line on the Union, accusing the SNP of a “cheap political play” by demanding a second referendum.
After a 2020 poll showed support for independence at a high of 54%, he said Scotland leaving the UK would “destabilise our whole nation”. He added that Scottish independence would “leave families in trouble” and claimed there would be global consequences in the event of a Yes vote.
He has also recently refused to set out the circumstances under which another independence vote could be held.
Who’s backing Tom Tugendhat?
Tugendhat is currently in last place among the five candidates gunning for the Tory leadership, with the backing of just 32 MPs.
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They are: Damian Green, John Stevenson, Caroline Nokes, Aaron Bell, Robert Largan, Stephen Hammond, Robert Syms, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Mark Logan, Chris Green, Anne Marie Morris, Nickie Aiken, Damian Moore, Karen Bradley, Paul Holmes, Jake Berry, Mark Pawsey, James Daly, Neil Hudson, Jo Gideon, Ben Spencer, Simon Fell, Rehman Chishti.
Tom Tugendhat's voting record overview
Despite his position as a centrist and a Remainer, Tugendhat voted against giving the right to remain for EU nationals living in the UK post-Brexit and is economically right-wing on some issues.
He has voted against higher taxes on banks and voted for restricting trade union activity and reducing capital gains tax.
He has voted against investigations into the Iraq War and for military interventions against the so-called Islamic State.
On environmental issues, Tugendhat has voted against a number of measures intended to tackle climate change.
He has almost always voted against giving more powers to the Scottish Parliament as well as the devolved administration in Wales.
On welfare, Tugendhat has consistently voted to cut spending on benefits.
All information on Tugendhat's voting record has been sourced from the democracy monitoring website theyworkforyou.com
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