Conservative MP John Lamont appointed as Scotland Office minister as David Duguid sacked

A Scottish Tory MP has been appointed to a key Scotland Office role after David Duguid was reportedly sacked from the position after just a few weeks in the job.

John Lamont, who has represented Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk at Westminster since 2017, has become the parliamentary under secretary of state in Scotland Secretary Alister Jack’s office.

Mr Lamont had quit as then foreign secretary Liz Truss’s ministerial aide during the summer to vote against former prime minister Boris Johnson in a vote of no-confidence.

The MP backed Penny Mordaunt to be the next prime minister twice this year, including recently when Ms Truss stepped down as PM after just 44 days in office.

John Lamont (left) takes over from David Duguid (right) as Scotland Office Minister.

Mr Duguid, the Conservative MP formerly in the Scotland Office position, was sacked, according to reports from the BBC.

He had previously backed Ms Truss after the Perth leadership hustings and regained the ministerial role after losing his position at the department last year.

However, following the appointment of new PM Rishi Sunak, Mr Duguid’s time at the Scotland Office was cut short, with Mr Lamont taking up the position.

Speaking after his appointment, Mr Lamont 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.”