Former soldier Tom Tugendhat packed in military metaphors today as he outlined his quote Tory leader.
In a speech in Westminster this morning, the senior Conservative MP promised ‘leadership with a renewed sense of mission’ and insisted he ‘cannot accept defeat’.
Mr. Tugendhat, who served in both Iraq And Afghanistantold supporters that the British had asked the Tory government not only to ‘hold the line’ but to ‘move on’.
In one swipe on outgoing PM boris johnsonHe vowed a ‘clean start’ and was dismayed that ‘when service was demanded, we scammed’.
The 49-year-old made a series of policy pledges, including a 10p per liter cut in fuel tariffs and immediate action to tackle the NHS backlog.
but that As Tory leader and prime minister he was also forced to hit back at claims of ‘learning on the job’, as he had never held a ministerial position before.
And he denied that his leadership campaign was merely a ploy to get a senior cabinet job from the winning candidate.
Former soldier Tom Tugendhat promises ‘leadership with a renewed sense of mission’ and insists he ‘cannot accept defeat’
The senior Tory lawmaker, who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, packed his speech with military metaphors
Mr Tugendhat, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons, was wounded twice during a ten-hour shelling behind enemy lines while serving in Iraq.
He referred to his military career as he described how he had a ‘record of service and a record of delivery in some of the roughest and toughest conditions around the world’.
Deputy PM Dominic Raab – who has been backing ex-chancellor Rishi Sunak for the Tory leadership – has insisted it is ‘not the time to learn on the job’ for a new PM
But Mr Tugendhat hit back, saying he would ‘put all that experience’ from his time in the military to ‘working’ in Downing Street.
“The reality is that the job of a prime minister is unlike every other job in the government,” he said.
‘It’s not a management job, it’s not a departmental job. It is a job that demands vision and leadership, it demands a willingness to serve and to sacrifice everything in the duty of serving the British people.’
With crisis and war looming in Ukraine, Mr Tugendhat said there was a ‘sense of despair about our collective future’, with Britain facing a ‘defining moment’.
He has fiercely targeted Mr Johnson and the wider Conservative Party’s response to the growing challenges.
He continued: ‘At a moment that is so desperate for so many – and when our service is most needed – we have stepped back.
‘We have retreated into the pettiness of a politics that is more about personality than theory.
‘We have retreated into division when we are in dire need of unity. When our country needed our party to function, we retreated into faction.
‘When Pal demanded service, we did a scam. This is a crisis of purpose, leadership and trust.
Mr Tugendhat appears to have found enough support among Tory lawmakers to make it to tomorrow’s first round of voting.
Mr Tugendhat favored staying ahead of the EU referendum, but vowed to ‘seize one of the biggest economic benefits of Brexit’ which we have yet to understand.
He outlined a plan to ‘break EU rules that forced British insurers to sit on dead money that they were not allowed to invest’.
Mr Tugendhat promised that removing the EU’s Solvency II rules could put ‘around £100bn of British savers’ money to revitalize our communities and build homes.
Among other policy pledges, Mr. Tugendhat reaffirmed his intention to eliminate the recent 1.25 per cent increase in national insurance contributions.
He also promised to ease the cost of living crisis for struggling Britons by slashing fuel charges by 10 paise a litre.
On his first day in Downing Street, Mr Tugendhat also promised that he would ‘bring together experts from the NHS, the wider public sector, the military, the private sector and the voluntary sector’ through the NHS Backlog.
He said he would aim to mimic the success of the Covid vaccine workforce in dealing with the huge waiting lists of hospitals due to the coronavirus crisis.
Mr Tugendhat appears to have garnered enough support to make it to yesterday’s first ballot in a leadership contest among fellow Tory lawmakers.
Among those backing him are International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan and former cabinet ministers Damien Green and Karen Bradley.
But Mr. Tugendhat is still seen as an outsider due to lack of experience in government.
He denied today that his leadership bid was merely an attempt to nominate foreign secretary in a future administration.
Mr. Tugendhat said, “I joined this race for no other purpose than to advocate the values I stand on and to lead the country I love.”
‘That’s why I am here, this is not a compromise position, this is not a negotiating strategy, this is a plan and we are going to stick to it.’