Ruth Davidson tells of her guilt returning to work after son’s birth.

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The former leader of the Scottish Conservatives Ruth Davidson has admitted she thought she “could have it all but sometimes you can’t”.

The MSP for Edinburgh Central said she felt “guilty” when she came back to work, following the birth of her first son Finn in October 2018.

The Conservative politician, who will also stand down as an MSP as the Holyrood election in 2021, has been frank in her struggle to juggle political life with the demands of a family with her partner Jen Wilson.

Ms Davidson said: “My decision was part work and part politics.

“It was partly the fact I was very lucky to have a child.

“I wasn’t always sure as I had a bad accident when I was a child.

“Being gay meant there was an extra layer of uncertainty.”

The 41-year-old said when she was younger she never doubted she could “have it all” but returning to her high-profile role after maternity leave left her feeling lacking.

She said: “I thought I could just come back and do the job as well as I wanted to.

“I found that I couldn’t. I felt guilty when I was away from my son. I felt I was not doing the mum part well enough.”

Ms Davidson said it is more important young people be allowed to make the best decision based on their own family circumstances, free from judgement.

She said: “There’s no hindrance to taking a step out of work for a period. It doesn’t effect your future employment prospects.”

To enhance the family-friendly credentials on which the Scottish Parliament prides itself, Ms Davidson believes remote voting should be considered.

“At the moment if you go off on maternity leave or paternity leave we have a system in place where you just have a pairing.

“So if Jenny (Marra) is off then an SNP member wouldn’t vote.

“When I was off, it meant I had a six-month gap in my voting record. It looks like your voice isn’t being heard.

“I want to see people from every walk of life in politics, including people with families.

“If we make it so prohibitive of family life that people don’t want to do it then we cut a lot of people out.”