Dumfriesshire MP David Mundell this week revealed he had hoped that a former soldier would put himself in the firing line to become the country’s next leader.
The politician was disappointed that his Conservative colleague Ben Wallace, who currently serves as Defence Secretary, did not enter the race to become the next Prime Minister.
Before moving into politics, Ben Wallace served with the British Army for eight years, first commissioned into the Scots Guards and later rising through the ranks to Captain.
However, Mr Mundell has described the final two vying for the top job – Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss – as “very capable contenders” who have the potential to make a good PM.
He said: “There is no doubt that there was a degree of instability caused by some questions surrounding the Prime Minister and that regrettably reached a point where it was getting in the way of delivering on the UK Government’s commitments to the country.
“A change of Prime Minister is a reset for the government and an opportunity to refocus on those issues.
“Having hoped the Defence Secretary Ben Wallace would put his name forward, the final two are as I expected given the eventual field of candidates.
“We now have two very capable contenders, either of whom have the ability and potential to make a good Prime Minister.”
Asked who his preferred candidate is, Mr Mundell replied: “I will reach the decision I believe best serves the interests of my constituents and country as a whole. I will not, however, be making any public endorsements of candidates.
“Rebuilding trust where it has been lost is vital and my view is that the best way of achieving this is simply to focus on delivering good, stable governance that deals with the issues most important to people here in Dumfries and Galloway and across the whole UK.
“For me, that includes growing the economy, securing more good well-paid jobs and helping families through the cost-of-living crisis.”
Conservative party members will vote in September on who should replace Boris Johnson as Prime Minister, with the winner being announced on Monday, September 5.
