Ian up for Scotland Office job
Conservative MEP Ian Duncan is expected to be made a lord later this week.
The Alyth-raised politician, who lost out in the Perth and North Perthshire seat by just 21 votes in the general election earlier this month, could be made deputy to Scottish secretary David Mundell.
His peerage would see him be made Lord Duncan of Springbank in recognition of the part of the east Perthshire town he grew up in.
The move yesterday sparked anger from the SNP’s Pete Wishart who beat him in the race for the House of Commons seat.
He said: “This is simply extraordinary and undermines the ludicrous nature of the House of Lords.
“That anyone can be rejected by the electorate and then just days later find themselves in a powerful government role is fundamentally undemocratic and should not be allowed in a modern society.
“It also says something about the new group of 12 Scottish Tory MPs who have been passed over and apparently not up to the job.
“The House of Lords is a ridiculous, archaic institution which is accountable to no one and yet wields huge influence over how our laws are made.
“Politicians should not be rewarded for failure and should not end up governing the country when they lose democratic elections.
“The Tories should think long and hard – to proceed with the appointment of
Pete Wishart Ian Duncan would be a big mistake, an insult to the people of Perth and North Perthshire and an affront to democracy.”
The Scotland Office has only commented to say that an appointment will be made this week. The deputy position was made vacant by Lord Dunlop who stood down just days after the general election result.
Mr Duncan is currently the chief whip of his party’s delegation at the European Parliament. His expected appointment would result in him having to stand down as an MEP.
But his role at the Scotland Office could boost Perth’s bid to the next city of culture, as a voice for the area.
During a visit to Perth Lord Dunlop diplomatically said he was supporting Scotland - represented by both Paisley and Perth - for the 2021 title.
On the campaign trail Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson described him as “a gentleman”. MEP Ian Duncan