A former British Army officer entered the race bragging about his ‘leadership’ qualities from a military perspective
Tom Tugendhat is a former Army soldier who heads the UK Foreign Affairs Committee. However, he has never held any ministerial positions. He was quizzed about his leadership ambitions during Sky News’ Sunday broadcast.
“In leading in the foreign affairs domain where I’ve very clearly stood up for our country, defending our country against Chinese economic threats and against Russian bullying in many different areas,”He told Sky News’ Sophyridge on Sunday
“Well, I invaded a country once,”When asked about his opinion on the, he laughed. “naughtiest thing”He was the first to do so.
“And the reality is that my entire career has been about serving our country and leading in combat operations in Iraq, in Afghanistan,”He added.
After his time in Afghanistan, the ex-Royal Marine was an Arabic-speaking intelligence officer for Iraq and later became a Member of the Order of the British Empire. The withdrawal was a fierce criticism by him, calling Kabul Britain’s fall. “biggest foreign policy disaster since Suez.”
Tugendhat made public his intention to run for the office of Prime Minister, just one day after Boris Johnson announced that he would step down. But, the veteran soldier from the army had made clear his leadership ambitions back in January, when Johnson was first facing the possibility of losing his job.
“We need a clean start,”He declared and added that “trust in our politics and our party is collapsing.”
Boris Johnson refused initially to resign, but he announced his intention on Thursday that he will stay in office until the selection of a successor. While he has promised not to make any major changes in the meantime which could hamstring future PMs, many in the party – particularly those who resigned their positions over 10 Downing’s seemingly endless string of scandals – want him out immediately nonetheless. According to Daily Telegraph Johnson thinks about whether he should remain in the House of Commons as Theresa May, his predecessor, or to abandon his potential bid for next year’s election.
Besides Tugendhat, at least 10 other candidates are expected to clash for the top job, including former and current chancellors of the exchequer Rishi Sunak and Nadhim Zahawi, trade minister Penny Mordaunt, foreign secretary Liz Truss and office minister Rehman Chishti, former health secretary Sajid Javid, transport secretary Grant Shapps, attorney general Suella Braverman, former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, and former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch.
Meanwhile, Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, was abruptly announced that he would not stand for election. “careful consideration”Saturday. A recent YouGov poll of Britons’ top choices to replace Johnson placed Sunak third, behind Wallace and Mordaunt.
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