Katy Balls Katy Balls

Interview: David Mundell on being sacked, IndyRef2 and no-deal Brexit

When Boris Johnson sacked David Mundell as Scottish Secretary, Ruth Davidson was said to be ‘livid’ over the decision. One of 17 ministers to leave government with Theresa May, there had been an expectation among Scottish Tories that he would stay in place – as a figure with ministerial experience unlike the bulk of the Scottish Conservative MPs who entered Parliament in 2017. In the end, the job went to Alister Jack – a politician who is more relaxed about the prospect of no deal.

With reports of a growing rift between the Scottish Conservatives and Boris Johnson, I sat down with Mundell at the Fringe by the Sea festival to discuss the future of conservatism in Scotland. Reflecting on his four years in the Scotland Office (and his longer stint as the only Scottish Tory MP), Mundell said he had plenty of regrets – one being that he hadn’t been allowed a Scotland Office cat due to an occasional visitor’s allergy. On his meeting with Boris Johnson, Mundell said that after Johnson broke the news that he would not require his services, he gave the new prime minister a selection of cuttings of negative references to Johnson in the Scottish press:

‘I think its very important to understand the scale of the task, the challenging political environment in Scotland. I think when he saw himself mocked up as Buzz Lightyear in one of them he thought it was going to be favourable, but when he read the headline he realised it wasn’t.’

Mundell was clear that the best way for Johnson to fare well in Scotland electorally would be to heed the advice of Davidson – even though the pair haven’t always had an easy relationship: ‘She has the electoral track record in Scotland, in terms of delivering additional MSPs, additional MPs, additional councillors, of being in tune with Scottish public opinion.

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