SCOTTISH Conservative MP David Duguid has been appointed by Liz Truss to the role of Scotland Office minister.

Mr Duguid, who has represented Banff and Buchan since 2017, was among a raft of junior ministers named today by the Prime Minister.

He backed the former Foreign Secretary in the Tory leadership election against her rival former Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

There were no promotions for the highest profile Scottish MPs who supported Mr Sunak, with both John Lamont and Andrew Bowie remaining backbenchers.

Mr Duguid, MP for Banff and Buchan, succeeded Douglas Ross in June 2020 as parliamentary under-secretary of state for Scotland after the Scottish Tory leader resigned the previous month in protest at Dominic Cummings continuing to serve as the then PM's adviser after breaking lockdown rules during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Duguid left his government role in the cabinet reshuffle in September 2021 and was appointed fisheries envoy.  

On 3 November 2021, Mr Duguid was the only Scottish MP to vote to approve an amendment to consider reforming the House of Commons standards system and prevent the immediate suspension of Conservative former minister Owen Paterson.

He was one of only two of the six Scottish Tory MPs who voted in support of Boris Johnson in the June confidence vote but then resigned as fisheries envoy on 6 July 2022 saying Mr Johnson's position was no longer 'tenable'.

Fellow Scottish Conservative MP David Mundell also withdrew his support from the PM at the time, quitting as UK trade envoy to New Zealand, saying he was 'disappointed' Mr Johnson had not already stood down.

The move left Scottish Secretary Alister Jack as the only Scottish Tory MP who still backed Mr Johnson.

Mr Duguid's return to government comes after he publicly declared his support for Ms Truss during the Conservative leadership election.

Following the leadership hustings in Perth last month, the MP wrote on Twitter: “My advice to Scottish Tory party members in Banff and Buchan has been to take time listening to both sides in this Tory Leadership Contest - until tonight’s Perth Hustings.

"Having engaged positively with both candidates throughout this contest, I can now confirm I back #LizForLeader.”

Commenting on his new appointment this morning Mr Duguid said: "I am honoured to have been appointed as a Scotland Office Minister. I look forward to working with the Scottish Secretary and ministerial colleagues across the UK Government to deliver our ambitious programme for the people of Scotland and the whole UK.

"We are facing unprecedented global challenges and the UK Government is taking decisive and immediate action to help families and businesses while ensuring that we grow the economy so that everyone shares new opportunities."  

Mr Duguid was first elected in 2017, beating SNP MP Eilidh Whiteford by over 2,000 votes. His win saw the largest overturned majority of the election night in the UK. He was re-elected with an increased majority and over 50 per cent of the vote in the December 2019 election.

His promotion comes as Ms Truss continues her first Cabinet reshuffle with a further round of junior ministerial appointments announced.

The reappointment of Scottish financier Lord Offord of Garvel as parliamentary under secretary of state in the Scotland Office was among the announcements by Downing Street today. Both Mr Duguid and Lord Offord will work under Mr Jack.

In other appointments Mims Davies goes to the Home Office, Sarah Atherton to Defence, Dean Russell to Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Gareth Johnson, Rob Butler and Mike Freer to the Ministry of Justice.

Andrew Stephenson goes to Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Marcus Fysh to International Trade, Alex Burghart to Work and Pensions, Scott Mann to Environment, Stuart Andrew to Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and Katherine Fletcher to Transport while also serving as Minister for Women in the Cabinet Office.

Sarah Dines, Nigel Huddleston, Amanda Solloway and Adam Holloway have been made Government whips while Lia Nici, Darren Henry, Damien Moore, Jacob Young and Mark Jenkinson become assistant whips.

Foreign Office Minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon and Environment Minister Lord Benyon have been reappointed to their existing posts.