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David Mundell, the Scotland secretary, has said he will never vote for Boris Johnson as Tory leader, fearing Johnson’s apparent willingness to force through a no-deal Brexit by 31 October makes him a political liability.

Mundell told reporters in Edinburgh, as he officially took possession of a new multimillion-pound UK government office, that he also believed it would be extremely difficult to deliver Brexit by that deadline.

I want to see someone who is focused on achieving a deal in relation to Brexit. Mr Johnson says he is focused on achieving a deal, but he’s very clear that he doesn’t have any reservations about leaving without a deal, and I have been very, very clear about my position on a no-deal Brexit given how difficult that would be for Scotland. We are in a very challenging circumstance and it may not be possible to deliver a deal, certainly a deal within the timescale Mr Johnson has set, which is a very, very tight timescale to get a deal through, not just with the EU, but with parliament, by 31 October.

Revealing he had voted by proxy for Matt Hancock, the health secretary, in the first round of voting today, Mundell said:

I’m not ‘anybody but Boris’ in the sense of seeking to stop Mr Johnson. It’s just I have been clear in the past I wouldn’t support him in a leadership election.

Mundell denied ever saying he would not serve in a Johnson cabinet – contradicting previous statements to the media – but implied he believed Johnson may not win in the final round and could yet come unstuck as he faces tougher scrutiny.

We’re a long way from the conclusion of this race. Obviously Mr Johnson is the frontrunner. I didn’t support him in today’s ballot and I won’t be supporting him in the future part of this process. But it would be complacent to assume that he is just going to win the exercise. I think it’s very important as we go through the television debates next week, as we go through the interaction with members, that all candidates are held to account, their positions [are] challenged and they make robust defences and set out further details of their policies.

Johnson is widely seen by the Scottish Tories as a highly problematic choice. As an ardent Brexiter known for his controversial remarks on ethnic minorities and women, his previously messy private life and privileged upbringing, a Johnson premiership could be readily converted into greater support for the Scottish National party and independence.



Mundell claimed Johnson was a “staunch unionist and he’s committed to keeping our United Kingdom together”. But challenged by the Guardian about Johnson’s previous attacks on the Barnett formula, which allows Scotland to spend £1,600 more per head on public services, Mundell said:

There is no suggestion he is coming into this race with a view to changing the Barnett formula or changing any of the arrangements that currently exist in relation to the devolved settlement.