Tom Tugendhat has rejected suggestions he would be just another privately educated “posh boy” in charge of the Conservative Party if he wins its leadership election.
The former security minister was pressed about his private education at St Paul’s School in London as he faced questions on the dawn of the Tory conference in Birmingham.
A host of former Conservative leaders and ex-prime ministers were privately educated.
Lord David Cameron and Boris Johnson both attended Eton, while Rishi Sunak was a pupil at Winchester College.
Mr Tugendhat urged the public to judge him on his record, rather than on his background, as he faced questions on Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips.
Asked whether the Tories need another “posh boy leader from a great public school”, Mr Tugendhat said: “I think the Conservative Party needs a leader who can lead, and you can judge me on the decisions my parents made 35 years ago or you can judge me on the decisions I have made for the last 35 years.
“I think that decisions I have made for the last 35 years demonstrate the character that you are looking at.
“I have chosen consistently to serve our country. I have put myself on the front line in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Mr Tugendhat served in the Army in both countries during a military career spanning 10 years between 2003 and 2013.
Asked about his lower level public profile than other leadership candidates, Mr Tugendhat said his government role as security minister had been to “keep the King’s secrets”.
He added: “You may not have seen the jobs but that doesn’t mean I haven’t done them.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here