FORMER Tory MSP John Lamont has been confirmed as the new minister at the Scotland Office.
The MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk is now “Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Scotland Office”, replacing David Duguid, who was sacked on Thursday after just five weeks in post.
Mr Lamont backed Penny Mordaunt in the Tory leadership contest after Boris Johnson was forced out of No10 in July, then switched to Rirshi Sunak when she dropped out.
After Liz Truss quit as Prime Minister last week, Mr Lamont again backed Mr Mordaunt.
There had been speculation that one of Mr Sunak’s most ardent cheerleaders, Andrew Bowie, the MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, would become the Scotland Office minister instead.
However he was passed over again, and is now the only one of the six Scottish Tory MPs not to have served as a cabinet secretary or minister in the Scotland Office.
Mr Lamont, who was a Bordes MSP for 10 years before switching to Westminster in 2017, said: “I am delighted to have been appointed as a minister at the Scotland Office.
“I look forward to working alongside the Secretary of State as the UK Government continues to deliver for people in Scotland, and we further strengthen our United Kingdom.
“We are facing unprecedented challenges at this time, and we will continue to support people in all parts of the UK through these.”
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