‘Accidental politician’ steps into NSW deputy premier role

New NSW deputy premier Troy Grant is “extraordinarily humbled” to have been elected to the Nationals leadership following the resignation of Andrew Stoner.

He was elected unopposed after colleague Adrian Piccoli declared he would not stand for the position.

“I will work my backside off supporting my team mates (and) supporting the communities that we all represent,” he said.

The 44-year-old former country cop has only been in government since 2011 and has sat in Cabinet since April this year.

He said he never expected to be the state's second-in-command, describing himself as “the accidental politican”.

The leadership was vacated by Andrew Stoner who announced his shock resignation for family reasons yesterday.