Former police officer and Dubbo MP Troy Grant has been elected unopposed as deputy premier and leader of The Nationals in New South Wales.

Mr Grant, who was elected to parliament in 2011, has been a minister for six months.

His responsibilities included hospitality, gaming and racing and the arts.

Mr Grant became an instant Nationals favourite after he unseated long serving independent MP Dawn Fardell to win back the seat of Dubbo, which is in the centre of NSW Nationals heartland.

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Speaking shortly after his election, Mr Grant said he was “enormously grateful” to his colleagues for showing faith in him.

“I’ve been described in a lot of ways in recent press, but I’ve always lived my life on three principles: honesty, integrity and hard work. Those are the principles I will bring to this position.”