The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Shock as Scottish Tory leader Jackson Carlaw resigns.
Source suggests moves already afoot to ‘coalesce’ behind MP Douglas Ross
Conservatives are jockeying for position after Jackson Carlaw unexpectedly quit as leader of the Scottish party yesterday.
With only 10 months until the Holyrood election, the search is under way to find a replacement.
One party source suggested moves were already afoot to “coalesce” behind Moray MP Douglas Ross, who denied he would be making a bid for the top spot only last month.
Perth-based MSP Murdo Fraser last night refused to rule himself out.
Mr Carlaw said he had reached the “painful” conclusion last night he was not the best person to lead the party into May’s election.
He resigned hours after a Holyrood debate with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on the government’s Covid-19 response.
He said: “Over the summer I have had the chance to think hard about my role as leader of the Scottish Conservatives.
Nothing is more important to me than making the case for Scotland’s place in the United Kingdom.
“I believe the Scottish Conservative and Unionist party is the most important voice in Scotland for setting out that positive argument. I am clear that nothing must get in the way of doing so.”
He added: “In the last few weeks, I have reached a simple if painful conclusion – that I am not, in the present circumstances, the person best placed to lead that case over these next vital months in Scottish politics prior to the Holyrood elections.
“Given the importance I attach to the job, I’ve therefore decided to stand down with immediate effect.
“It is not an easy call but I have spent a lifetime in politics holding to the maxim that party and country comes first.
“I believe I am doing my duty by holding to that view now.
“I simply believe that a new leader will be able, as we recover from the Covid emergency, to make the case for the Scottish Conservatives and the Union better than me. That is all that matters.
“I leave the job with genuine pride at my time in office, both as interim leader and as leader for the last year.
“I especially enjoyed the eight years as deputy leader and being an integral part of the success achieved.
“Managing the transition from Ruth Davidson’s leadership to a refreshed party has been a challenging task but I feel confident I leave the role with the party in good heart and, crucially, with time to elect a new leader so he or she can prepare for the elections next year.
“The Scottish Conservatives will fight those elections as we have always done – as the one party that will unequivocally speak up for all those Scots who do not want to go back to more division, but instead want our country to move on, as part of the United Kingdom, able to rise to the challenges of the future.
“I will fight that cause hard for these next few vital months as a loyal member of my party.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson voiced his support in Mr Carlaw’s decision, adding: “As an activist, deputy chairman, deputy leader and leader, Mr Carlaw has given his all and deserves our thanks for his efforts.
“It is a mark of his commitment to the cause that he chooses to stand aside at this time and I offer my best wishes to him, Wynne and the family.”
Ms Sturgeon wished Mr Carlaw well, noting the work he had done in highlighting the women’s mesh scandal.
Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said he was confident Mr Carlaw would continue to make a “valuable contribution to Scottish politics”.
The shock resignation of Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw after just months in the job came at an opportune moment for his main rival. A real political bombshell, it drew attention away from what was a heavily trailed Covid-19 statement to Parliament by the first minister.
The update contained no real surprises but, before Mr Carlaw’s intervention, it had brought criticism of the Scottish Government’s lockdown easing strategy.
Some questioned the sense of the phase 3 timetable, with the reopening of bingo halls before gyms and indoor pools.
More pressingly there was more about the controversial return of schools, with Ms Sturgeon confirming that lessons would begin again full-time across Scotland from August 11.
While overshadowed by events at Holyrood, the first minister’s decision represents a momentous moment in the journey towards Scotland’s ‘new normal’.
It will be the largest co-ordinated movement of people in Scotland since lockdown was imposed in March.
With such a sizeable change, there are associated risks and anxieties. But for parents and teachers and the wider education community, Ms Sturgeon’s confirmation of the new session will be welcome and finally provide them with a concrete base from which to plan.
With Covid still stalking our communities and growing economic and political upheaval, firm ground is an enviable place to be standing. Mr Carlaw will know that only too well.