The Scotsman

Davidson tells top Tories to cut out the ‘psychodram­a’ and take attack to Labour

● Scottish leader dismisses speculatio­n she could lead the UK party, as Prime Minister is criticised as ‘weak’ by Lord Heseltine

- By PARIS GOURTSOYAN­NIS in Manchester

Ruth Davidson has told Prime Minister Theresa May’s Cabinet to stop the leadership “psychodram­a” and take the fight to Jeremy Corbyn.

The Scottish Conservati­ve leader said her party could burst the “bubble” of Labour’s popularity in the same way the SNP was sent into retreat at the general election – but only if its leaders worked hard enough.

Ms Davidson delivered her tough message as renewed speculatio­n about Mrs May’s future threatened to engulf day one of the Conservati­ve conference in Manchester.

Deepening the worst crisis to hit the Tories for a decade, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson once again went off-message, writing in an article published yesterday that a postbrexit transition period could not last “a second more” than two years.

And according to a documentar­y aired last night, Mr Johnson has told friends that he believes the Prime Minister has “got a year at most”.

Meanwhile, Tory grandee Lord Heseltine claimed Mrs May was too “weak” to get rid of the Foreign Secretary after she dodged a question over whether Mr Johnson was “unsackable”.

Elsewhere, it was reported that unnamed royal aides claimed the Queen was angered by the Prime Minister’s claim she could form a government the day after the election, only for negotiatio­ns with the Democratic Unionist Party to drag on for 17 days.

Speaking at a Scottish Conservati­ve fringe event, Ms Davidson dismissed speculatio­n over her own leadership chances, with a poll of party members revealing she was their second choice to succeed the Prime Minister, behind Mr Johnson.

“I’m not standing to be the leader of the party,” Ms Davidson said. “I don’t sit in the House of Commons, let’s get back to why we are here – to talk about the real issues and not about the Tory psychodram­a.”

Later, in her conference speech, Ms Davidson again played down her ambitions, saying: “I love London. I have noplanstom­ovetheremy­self.”

Calling on colleagues to “unite and fight”, the Scottish Conservati­ve leader also said: “Just as the SNP came crashing down to Earth, just as they lost 40 per cent of their seats in June, just as half a million Scots chose to take their vote away, so too can the Corbyn bubble burst, but only if we work hard to make it so.”

Mr Johnson was mocked by Scottish Secretary David Mundell, who suggested the Foreign Secretary would struggle to appeal to the young voters backing the Labour Party.

Speaking at the same fringe event, Mr Mundell said: “I’m sure none of my colleagues indulge in hypothetic­al questions, although I do recall Boris Johnson once stood for rector of Edinburgh University and you can look at the result of that.” Mr Johnson came third in the vote in 2006, and had a pint poured over his head by a protester.

Asked about Cabinet divisions over Brexit on the Andrew Marr Show yesterday, Mrs May said: “What I have is a Cabinet that are united in the mission of this government, and that is what you

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