I had to step up again... the future of Britain is at stake

JACKSON Carlaw is a decent and honourable man. No one could have read his resignation letter on Thursday and concluded anything other. It was personal, insightful and direct – the coming elections are of crucial importance.

It is vital that the Scottish Conservatives are at the forefront of the battle against the SNP. Hard thought over the past few weeks had resulted in the painful conclusion that he was not, in the present circumstances, the person best placed to lead that fight and make the positive case for Scotland’s place in our United Kingdom.

As such, better to go now and to let a new leader come in and lead the campaign ahead of May’s Holyrood elections.

Jackson has been involved in the Conservative Party for more than 40 years and it is absolutely typical of the man to put his own position to one side and to put the party and – crucially – the country, first.

His resignation came as a shock to his colleagues but politics – especially not the fevered world of the Scottish political scene over the past decade – does not stand still. A golden rule is that any vacuum will be quickly filled by your opponents.

As someone who has already done the job for the best part of eight years, I know that being Scottish Conservative leader is both the toughest – and best – job in politics.

The Tory Party has taken huge strides forward over the past ten years, and picking the right leader now is of crucial importance.

You are not only the leader of the opposition but standard bearer for the majority of Scots who believe in keeping the UK together and who are appalled that the SNP turns every single thing into a divisive constitutional issue, when such energies should be spent on improving the lives and opportunities of Scots up and down the country.

THE right leader needs to be able to unite people and speak to their hopes and fears – attracting and appealing to those beyond the ranks of established Scottish Conservative voters. Leadership is tough and it is attritional. As well as having the energy for the fight, the new leader needs to have the resilience to withstand the opposition fire and the stomach to make tough decisions.

They need a positive vision for the country and the ability to communicate that vision to people from all backgrounds and all parts of the country.

I will not have been alone in concluding that there was a standout choice in our ranks.

Douglas Ross is a proven winner. He beat the SNP’s then

Westminster leader, Angus Robertson, in his home seat of Moray in the 2017 General Election and then won again in December last year.

Despite being only 37, Douglas has a wealth of experience behind him, having also served in Holyrood as an MSP for Highlands and Islands and as a local councillor for a decade.

If that makes him sound like one of those people who have no hinterland or nothing else in their life, then nothing could be further from the truth.

Married to a policewoman, Krystle, and father to a young son, Alastair, Douglas is a former dairy farmer who is also an international football linesman, having officiated over Lionel Messi at the Nou Camp in the Champions League.

He is tough as teak, a great communicator, passionate about improving Scotland and has the guts, drive and energy to propel our party forward.

When he asked me to support his nomination as leader, I didn’t hesitate for a moment.

But there was a second part to our conversation. As an MP currently based in Westminster, he won’t be able to take part in Holyrood’s First Minister’s Questions

until after he is elected to the Scottish parliament in May.

So would I come back to the front line and go toe to toe with Nicola Sturgeon for the next few months? Now that is a big ask.

As much as it sounds a cliché, I have enjoyed – thoroughly enjoyed – spending more time with my own young family since standing down last summer.

While lockdown was tough on everyone, the high points for me were the hundred funny moments my boisterous toddler son punctuated the days with.

But when something as important as the future of our country is on the line, and Douglas is prepared to step up to the job I left despite his own young family, how could I say no?

Of course, should a current MSP stand and win there would be no need for me to come back for the next few months.

And I’m sure the SNP will try to make hay out of the fact that Douglas is currently in the House of Commons.

But there is precedent here. When Alex Salmond returned as leader of the Scottish National Party in 2004, he was the MP for Banff and Buchan.

He spent three years asking someone else to take First Minister’s Questions for him – a certain Nicola Sturgeon.

Now, far be it from me to point out that if a party whose founding belief is that Scotland shouldn’t return any MPs at all can be led for years by someone sitting on the green benches, then they can have no complaints when a party which believes in a devolved Scotland as part of a United Kingdom chooses to do the same for a few months.

And, frankly, this election is so important we have to make sure we have our strongest team on the pitch, no matter which parliament they sit in.

In Douglas Ross, we will be electing a captain who will energise the whole team, focus us for the fight ahead and make sure we are match fit ahead of election day.

WE know that Nicola Sturgeon wants to use this election to reignite calls for another independence referendum. Never mind that most Scots want to move on from past divisions, nor that post-Covid we are facing into the headwinds of the worst recession to hit these shores in 300 years.

Breaking up Britain is the thing that got her into politics as a teenager and it is the driving force behind every decision she makes today.

Scotland has so many opportunities – but every second that is spent fighting over the constitution is time removed from helping the recovery, getting people into work, improving schools or supporting our NHS.

Now, more than ever, we need Scotland’s two governments to pull together for the good of the country and to deliver for those hit hardest by Covid.

With Douglas Ross as leader, the Scottish Conservatives will be a voice for everyone who wants those important issues – jobs, schools, health, housing, police – to take centre stage.

Ms Sturgeon acts as if, somehow, independence is inevitable and next year’s Holyrood election will be a procession. It’s not and it won’t be.

Under Douglas’ leadership, the Scottish Conservatives will take our positive message to every part of the country, beating back the SNP and standing up for those voters Nicola Sturgeon takes for granted.

We won’t just be the party for dyed-in-the-wool Tories, but for anyone who wants to get past old divisions and start working on a brighter future.

The majority of people in this country do not share Ms Sturgeon’s dream of separation from the UK and they deserve to have a strong voice articulating that case.

Between now and May’s election, Douglas Ross will prove that he is that voice. And I’m going to help him do it.