Ruth Davidson has said the one job that could tempt her to Westminster would be to become international development secretary.
The leader of the Scottish Conservative Party said on Monday evening one of the things that made her “most proud” to be a Tory was the government’s commitment to spend 0.7% of GDP on foreign aid.
“I am often asked if I want to come to Westminster. Actually I’ve never really lusted after it. But the one job that I would love would to be international development secretary, because I think you can do the most good for the most people,” she told the London School of Economics.
The Tory MSP added: “In terms of my colleagues who opine against foreign aid. They’re just wrong.
“We are the second biggest giver of aid in the world outside the United States. We change lives. We save lives. We should not be ashamed of that. We should be proud of it.”
Many Tory MPs want Theresa May to scrap the aid commitment first brought in under David Cameron.
Davidson, who led her party into second place in last year’s Holyrood elections ahead of Labour, said she was focused on attempting to go one better and become Scotland’s first minister in five years time.
However her star power means she is frequently touted as a future UK Conservative leader, despite not even sitting in the House of Commons.
During the discussion at the LSE, Davidson also revealed she had heard from some of the people who accompanied May on her visit to Donald Trump in the White House.
“Some of the chat that happened behind the scenes, that went on, which sounded interesting and I am sure will feature in a number of people’s memoirs,” she teased. “I don’t think they knew what to expect - and it didn’t disappoint.”
Asked to reveal her inside information, Davidson replied: “Not a bloody chance.”
Davidson has perviously described Trump in less than glowing terms, including branding him a “clay-brained guts, knotty-pated fool, whoreson obscene greasy tallow-catch”.