Tory big beasts battle for Tugendhat’s job

The great ministerial merry go round continues at pace. Liz Truss’s triumph in the leadership race has seen a number of ambitious MPs enter government for the first time; among them is Tom Tugendhat, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. His new frontbench role as security minister means he has to surrender his post as head of the backbench committee, triggering something of a bun fight over who gets to replace him.

Select committee chairmanships are highly valued prizes, bestowing the incumbent with prestige, profile and an extra £15,000 salary bonus. And it’s no surprise then that two of the biggest beasts in the backbench Tory jungle are set to battle it out to replace Tugendhat. Less than a day after the former army officer’s appointment to the cabinet, two names are already doing the rounds in the fleshpots of Westminster: Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, and Liam Fox, the onetime Defence Secretary.