Tom Tugendhat has rejected suggestions he would be just another privately educated “posh boy” in charge of the Conservative Party if he wins its leadership election.
The former security minister was pressed about his private education at St Paul’s School in London as he faced questions on the dawn of the Tory conference in Birmingham.
A host of former Conservative leaders and ex-prime ministers were privately educated.
Lord David Cameron and Boris Johnson both attended Eton, while Rishi Sunak was a pupil at Winchester College.
Mr Tugendhat urged the public to judge him on his record, rather than on his background, as he faced questions on Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips.
Asked whether the Tories need another “posh boy leader from a great public school”, Mr Tugendhat said: “I think the Conservative Party needs a leader who can lead, and you can judge me on the decisions my parents made 35 years ago or you can judge me on the decisions I have made for the last 35 years.
Tom Tugendhat is vying for the Conservative leadership (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
“I think that decisions I have made for the last 35 years demonstrate the character that you are looking at.
“I have chosen consistently to serve our country. I have put myself on the front line in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Mr Tugendhat served in the Army in both countries during a military career spanning 10 years between 2003 and 2013.
Asked about his lower level public profile than other leadership candidates, Mr Tugendhat said his government role as security minister had been to “keep the King’s secrets”.
He added: “You may not have seen the jobs but that doesn’t mean I haven’t done them.”