Davidson: I felt hugely guilty after return to Holyrood

RUTH Davidson has told of the ‘guilt’ she felt after the birth of her son.

The former Scottish Tory leader said she had worried she ‘wasn’t performing’ to her usual standards after returning from maternity leave last year.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, she also said she felt guilty over fears she ‘wasn’t being the mum I needed to be’.

She gave birth to son Finn in October 2018. Months after returning to Holyrood she quit as Tory leader, citing political differences with Boris Johnson and a desire to spend more time with Finn.

She later announced her intention to stand down as an MSP ahead of next year’s Holyrood election.

Yesterday Miss Davidson, pictured, demanded a more ‘family friendly’ parliament. It followed Gail Ross saying she was stepping down as Nationalist MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross because the job was not compatible with raising a family.

Miss Davidson said: ‘While there were obvious political changes which added to my decision to stand down, the personal ones were every bit as compelling.

‘It’s the guilt that gets you. I felt hugely guilty I wasn’t performing to the same level, or giving the same time, to a job that had consumed me for eight years and had come ahead of everything else in my life. I felt guilty I wasn’t being the mum I needed to be.’

Concerns have been raised in recent months over the difficulties faced by politicians with young families.

Labour MSP Jenny Marra – who is about to go on maternity leave for her second child – asked parliament officials to introduce proxy voting at Holyrood, but this appears to have been rejected.

Miss Davidson said: ‘It’s time to look again at how “family friendly” Holyrood really is.’