“I fear that having tried to be a good leader over the years, I have proved a poor daughter, sister, partner and friend... the arrival of my son means I now make a different choice”
The leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Ruth Davidson, stepped down yesterday, throwing her party into further turmoil a day after Boris Johnson triggered a constitutional crisis by his decision to suspend Parliament.
Delivering her resignation speech, Ms Davidson, formerly an arch-critic of Mr Johnson, backed his approach to securing a new Brexit deal from the European Union and urged MPS to vote for it when it came to the Commons.
Party sources said the conflict between her views on Brexit and current Tory policy had “worn her down” while Ms Davidson admitted the prospect of fighting more elections as Scots Tory leader filled her “with dread”.
Citing family pressures as well as political ones, she said trying to be a “good leader” had made her a “poor daughter, sister, partner and friend”, and since the birth of her son Finn, she now felt able to make a “different choice”.
It is understood Ms Davidson had been considering her position for a year, but had spent more time seriously contemplating resigning since the May European elections. She made the final decision on Monday, before she was aware of Mr Johnson’s controversial plan to suspend Parliament.
Her decision now triggers an internal battle to replace her, and has raised concerns about future electoral prospects for Scottish Conservative candidates, as well as who would the figurehead for a pro-uk campaign in any future Scottish independence referendum.
Tory MSP Jackson Carlaw, who stood in during her maternity leave, is expected to become interim leader until a leadership election is held, possibly in October, although some party insiders are suggesting it should not take place until after the Brexit deadline of 31 October.
A meeting was due to take place between senior Scots Tories last night, with one source saying: “We are really deflated. It’s a real blow, and probably puts all our hopes of winning in 2021 on the back burner. Ruth had the ability to reach voters others couldn’t – we won’t find another one like her too quickly. She was a one off and that will undoubtedly have an electoral impact.”
Yesterday, Ms Davidson said it was with a “heavy heart” that she had decided to step down after “the privilege” of leading her party for eight years.
She said she called Mr Johnson on Wednesday afternoon to tell him of her decision adding she fully supported him in attempts to get a new Brexit deal. “I stand four-square behind the PM attempts to bring back a deal to the Commons,” she said. “To colleagues who want to avoid no deal, vote for a deal, you’ve had three opportunities, don’t ruin a fourth. When the PM brings back a deal to the Commons, for god’s sake get behind it and this time, at the fourth time of asking, vote for it.”
Ms Davidson said she had also met the Prime Minister in London last week, had “stared him in the eye” and demanded an assurance that he was attempting to get a deal. “I asked him outright are you trying to get a deal or not? He categorically assured me that he was, that he believes his efforts in Biarritz [at the G7 summit] opened the door a crack. What would help further is for those who don’t want no-deal is to back the deal this time.”
But one party insider said that, while their relationship had been “working well”, Ms Davidson had been conscious that the conflict between her and Mr Johnson over Brexit “essentially weakened her position when it came to making the case for what was the policy of the Conservative Party”.
And referring to Twitter speculation about Ms Davidson’s mental health, they added: “Ruth is one of the most mentally strong people I’ve comeacross.thefactthatshe’s spoken out about how she deals with her mental health demonstratesthat.icompletely and utterly reject any tweet from poorly informed observers around that.”
However Ms Davidson did admit that leadership had taken a toll. She said: “As I look to the future, I see the Scottish election due in 2021 and a credible threat from our opponents to force a general election before then. Having led our party through seven national elections and two referenda, I know the efforts, hours and travel required to fight such campaigns successfully. I have to be honest that where the idea of getting on the road to fight two elections in 20 months would once have fired me up, the threat of spending hundreds of hours away from my home and family now fills me with dread. That is no way to lead.”
She will serve as a backbench MSP until the 2021 Holyrood elections and has already been selected as the Tory candidate for the Edinburgh Central seat at the next elections, athough she has still not decided whether she will run.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wrote on Twitter shortly after the announcement yesterday: “I wish Ruth well for the future. I know well the toll political leadership can take on family life. For now, I’ll simply send my best wishes.”
“Ruth had the ability to reach voters others couldn’t – we won’t find another one like her too quickly. She was a one off”
PARTY INSIDER