The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Beaten Tory candidate in line to be made a lord
Ian Duncan, who lost out in Perthshire, also set for role in Government
Ian Duncan, the Conservative MEP who missed out on election in Perthshire by 21 votes, will be made a lord and appointed a Scotland Office minister this week.
The Courier can reveal the controversial move to appoint Scottish secretary David Mundell’s deputy, which will be seen by some as a snub to the 12 new Scottish Tory MPs who claimed victory a fortnight ago.
Mr Duncan who will take the title Lord Duncan of Springbank in a nod to the road he grew up in on an Alyth council estate, offers depth of experience from his time in Brussels.
Speculation had mounted that either John Lamont, Ms Davidson’s trusted eyes and ears in Holyrood before he won a seat in the Commons, or Douglas Ross, the former justice spokesman who defeated Angus Robertson in Moray, were in contention for the role but neither will have any place in government.
A Scotland Office source said: “It is rare for anyone who has been an MP for just a few days to be made a member of the Government.”
But a senior Tory insider said: “John Lamont has been whipping for 10 years. It’s incredible to think he won’t get a job in the whips team at Westminster.”
Mr Duncan is chief whip of the UK Conservative delegation in the European Parliament and his knowledge around fishing and environmental issues is highly regarded.
He is also close to Ruth Davidson and the move will be seen as a strengthening of her influence over the UK Government.
The move means he will have to resign as an MEP, with Nosheena Mobarik expected to take his place.
Mr Duncan stood against the SNP’s Pete Wishart in Perth and North Perthshire, a Tory target seat in the general election, but lost out after two recounts.
Mr Wishart said: “While Ian Duncan was a worthy and formidable opponent in Perth and North Perthshire, to award defeat with a place in the House of Lords simply does not feel right at all.
“There were 12 other Conservative Members of Parliament elected last week who should feel duly aggrieved that someone has to be appointed to the Lords to be a junior minister in the Scotland Office.”
Despite repeated attempts, Mr Duncan was unavailable for comment.
A Scotland Office spokeswoman said: “An announcement about a new Scotland Office minister will be made in due course. We are not commenting on speculation.”