Conservative MP and Tory Leadership contender Tom Tugendhat reveals he survived a suicide bombing while in service Afghanistan with the British Army.
Mr Tugendhat, who was in the Army Intelligence Corps, claims he witnessed a ‘disgusting massacre’ around the area and the remains of his friends after the 2006 bombing of Helmand.
The 49-year-old, who has been the Conservative MP for Tonbridge and Malling since 2015, said he went back to work the next day in the same office, despite the tragedy.
Mr Tugendhat said the horrific attack, which was one of two bombings he survived in the country, made him realize that ‘showing up’ is an important part of leadership.
He unfolds a dramatic story as he bids to become the next prime minister of the United Kingdom in a heated Conservative leadership race to replace Boris Johnson.
And despite currently finishing fifth in the leadership race, Backbench MPs proved popular among viewers watching the leadership debate on TV last night—even as Harry Potter character Albus Dumbledore answered a question. Also to quote.
Tom Tugendhat, pictured during the Conservative Leadership Debate on television last night, says he survived a terrorist attack in Afghanistan in 2006.
Mr Tugendhat, pictured here during his time in the military, said he was working in an office building that was destroyed in an explosion by a suicide bomber
talking to Wire Yesterday, Mr Tugendhat said that despite what he had seen in Afghanistan, he learned some important lessons in the military, including that ‘it’s not about you’.
The attack took place on December 13, 2006, when the attacker broke into the compound of regional governor Mohamed Daoud and detonated an explosive device, killing 10 people in the process.
Mr Tugendhat, who was working in a building at the time, said he was confronted with the reality that some of his friends had died, but faced the fact that he had to go back to work the next day.
He told the newspaper: ‘A lot of people are, of course, scared and nervous [after the attack] And the leadership part is visible.
‘Part of leadership is making the case, part of leadership is just getting the best out of people. That’s about it.’
Mr Tugendhat is currently running to become prime minister as part of the Conservative leadership competition. He is pictured at BT studio last night before the debate
In addition to surviving two suicide bombings while in the country, Mr Tugendhat was also injured in a friendly fire incident in Iraq, saying ‘you try to go through painful moments’.
He said he hoped to learn from some of the leaders he served during his time in the military, including General Lord David Richards, former Chief of Defense Staff.
Mr Tugendhat said: ‘When you build a team you need to make sure that there are people inside who will tell you that you are wrong, that you should think about things differently.
‘They are risking their place in the team for the sake of better outcome effectiveness, that you can take it badly and kick them out of the group. It’s a hell to do and those are the people you should value.’
Mr Tugendhat, who chairs the foreign affairs select committee, is currently the last of the remaining Conservative leadership contenders to bid to replace Boris Johnson.
Leadership contender Mr Tugendhat accompanied by his wife Anisia Tugendhat arrived at Here East Studio in Stratford, east London last evening.
The former soldier, who is an outspoken critic of Mr Johnson and voted against Brexit, has the support of 32 lawmakers after two rounds of voting, something that would eliminate him in the next round as long as he is more than fellow lawmakers. do not take support.
However, he proved popular with the public at large after his performance during yesterday’s first televised leadership debate on Channel 4.
He received applause from the audience for being the only candidate to say he didn’t think Mr Johnson was an honest man, while he won praise on social media for quoting Harry Potter’s Albus Dumbledore in the debate.
When Krishnan Guru-murthy was asked why the public should trust him, he quoted the headmaster of Hogwarts as saying: ‘It is easy to stand up to your enemies, it is difficult to stand up to your friends.’
He praised the NHS for its impact on his fellow wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying he was “forever grateful”.
He said in response to a question on healthcare to a woman in the audience, ‘You’ve even given me two kids’, before hastily adding ‘Not you personally, of course’.
A Snap poll conducted by strategic insight agency Opinium also confirmed Mr. Tugendhat as the most influential performer.
Of a total of over 1,000 general voters, 36 percent believed they had ‘best performance’ in the debate.
When asked whether he thought Mr Johnson was honest, he was the only candidate to swiftly answer ‘no’.
He acknowledged that ‘faith in politics is falling, faith in our party is falling’, and added: ‘I am holding a mirror to many of my actions and asking those in our party, Those in our leadership positions, ask themselves “Is this what the public really expects?”
‘Are you serving the people of the United Kingdom or are you serving your career? Because that’s the real question tonight. This is the real question for all of us.