Tobias Ellwood’s resignation as chairman of the Commons Defence Committee has sparked another hot political race in Westminster.
Mr Ellwood quit as chairman of the prestigious committee yesterday afternoon, ahead of a potential no-confidence vote in the Commons.
The ousting following Mr Ellwood posting a video from Afghanistan, in which he was criticised for painting too rosy a picture of the country under Taliban rule.
A Taliban spokesman shared the video, saying it was true that “many positive things” had been done.
A cross-party group of MPs on the committee then called for Mr Ellwood to go.
The vacant chairmanship will now be handed to a fellow Tory MP in an election of all MPs.
Initial thoughts among Tories turned to recently departed Defence Secretary Ben Wallace as a potential replacement, one of the most popular and respected Tory figures.
Unfortunately for fans of Mr Wallace, a source close to him has told the Express he is not interested in the role, not least because he would effectively be “marking his own homework”.
Other Tory MPs are now being suggested for the role, with a trio of immediate frontrunners.
Current Defence Committee MP Mark Francois seems an obvious choice to many Tory hardliners.
Tough on defence spending, national security, China and Russia, a Brexit heavyweight, he would be a robust choice.
However given the chairmanship is decided by a vote of the whole house, some may wonder whether Mr Francois could get cross-party support.
James Sunderland a former Colonel and 2019 MP immediately leapt ahead to gain frontrunner status according to conversations with multiple MPs.
Though only elected four years ago, Colonel James has chaired APPGs for both the armed forces covenant and veterans; in March 2021 he was elected chairman of the Armed Forces Bill Select Committee.
He also served a defence role in Government from September 2021 to June 2022, as a PPS in the MoD.
Fellow 2019 intake Sarah Atherton has also been floated to take the job, having served as a Defence minister in Liz Truss’s Government.
She’s also a former member of the army, having served in the intelligence corps before switching careers to become a nurse.
Ms Atherton also serves on the Defence Select Committee, alongside Mr Francois.
Robert Courts, another Conservative member of the Committee, was also floated by a senior Tory MP this morning, as the potential ‘centrist’ candidate to win Labour, Lib Dem and SNP votes.
Fellow 2019 intake Sarah Atherton has also been floated to take the job, having serviced as a Defence minister in Liz Truss’s Government.
She’s also a former member of the army, having served in the intelligence corps before switching careers to become a nurse.
Ms Atherton also serves on the Defence Select Committee, alongside Mr Francois.
Robert Courts, another Conservative member of the Committee, was also floated by a senior Tory MP this morning, as the potential ‘centrist’ candidate to win Labour, Lib Dem and SNP votes.
