Davidson: Tories ‘too old and white’ to win diverse London
The Conservatives are too “old and white” to win in London, the Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson has claimed in the latest signal of her clout within the UK party.
In an article in the Evening Standard, Ms Davidson said Tories in London had to show “real differentiation” between themselves and the national Conservative brand to win over the young, minorities, and supporters of Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party.
The intervention follows heated speculation about whether the Scottish leader could seek to lead her party at Westminster, a possibility she has played down without ruling out completely.
It also confirms the abandonment of rhetoric Ms Davidson used during her campaign for the Scottish Conservative leadership, when she rejected calls from her rival Murdo Fraser to break away from the “toxic” UK party brand.
Her comments follow a similar warning from London MEP Syed Kamall, who said his party risked losing its safe seats in the capital unless it modernises its offering. The Tories lost five seats in London in June, gaining just one.
Appealing to her Remain voting power base within the Conservative Party, she said London Tories should write their own manifesto for local elections next year, and not be afraid to break with the national message.
“With a city that is more liberal, diverse, constantly growing, younger and more multi-cultural than the UK as a whole, the Conservative message needs to reflect the aspirations of Londoners,” Ms Davidson said.
“Simply trashing our opponents won’t cut it. We always need to make and remake the case for a Conservatism that’s ambitious and forward-looking. We also need to look and sound like the people we want to represent.
“While we do much better at this at a community level, I would argue that, nationally, the Conservative Party still looks fairly old and very white.”
Ms Davidson hailed distinctive policies in the Scottish Conservative manifesto that set it apart from the UK offering, such as rejecting controversial reforms to social care, refusing to means-test winter fuel payments, and not following UK policy on free schools.
“The differences weren’t a rebuke to the offering for other parts of the UK,” she said, “they were simply a demonstration that we’d put genuine thought into Scotland’s needs. It showed we understood devolution and were prepared to tailor our policy solutions to the conditions on the ground.”
Ms Davidson added: “The Conservative message in May must be one crafted by – and resolutely for – Londoners.
“London Conservatives need to look more like London, rather than indistinguishable from the national brand, if they are to avoid defeat and succeed.”