Leadership plea to UK government

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth davidson has warned the UK government that it must show greater leadership if it wants to survive.

Writing for the website Un herd, ms davidson said the government must be “bold” and do more to make the case for Conservatism.

She also said people were losing faith in capitalism and were angry about social injustice.

The article calls for a “Ctrl + Alt + Del reboot” of Conservatism.

Ms Davidson wrote: “It is not enough for government to facilitate a discussion about where next for Britain, it has to actually lead. The shortterm, election cycle nimbyism of prohibitive planning laws needs to cease and there is no room for ‘one of the in-crowd’ Davos sycophancy either. At home and abroad we need to press the case for fairer markets.”

She highlighted areas where she sees the need for reform, including building more hous- es and providing more opportunities for the younger generation: “In short, the multiple instabilities of insecure employment, opaque career progression, wage stagnation, high rental and commuting costs and growing financial barriers to home ownership clearly explain why Britain’s young adults don’t feel they have a personal stake in a system that doesn’t work for them.”

An unnamed senior Tory said Ms Davidson was “appalled at the defensive crouch” the government had got into.