Eddie Barnes - Mundell for the Scotland Office

The McLetchie-for-Scottish Secretary line is running again this morning in the blogosphere. I first heard this story knocking about at the Conservative conference in Manchester when drink may have been taken. The idea played into Cameron's "respect agenda". With McLetchie in post, the Tories could turn round to Alex Salmond and say that a member of the Scottish Parliament was sitting Cameron's cabinet. How Scot-friendly is that? However, I suspect that this excellent yarn is going to remain just that: a good bit of political gossip.

Here is a genuine fact: David Mundell, the shadow Scottish Secretary, has already started having informal private meetings with the main players in Scotland's public sector, to inform them that they may soon have to work with one another and that he is open for business. He may be freelancing, perhaps, but more likely he has been told - along with other shadow secretaries of state - to get out there and start meeting the people he needs to deal with in a few months time. In other words, he is preparing for the job.

The only way Mundell won't get the job is if he is offered a post elsewhere which he prefers (International Development?). Surely it would be a humiliation too far for him to be a shadow for the last few years, and only then to be knocked back. Sorry to prick the gossip, but I reckon it's Mundell for the Scotland Office.