Daily Mail, Thursday, August 29, 2019 Page
By Jason Groves
and Michael BlackleyScottish Tory
leader to quit
with warning
over No Deal
RUTH Davidson will resign as
Scottish Tory leader today
with a parting blast over the
risks of a No Deal Brexit.
The rising Tory star, who is cred-
ited with masterminding the par-
ty’s revival north of the Border,
has been an outspoken critic of
both Boris Johnson and Brexit.
Sources last night insisted her deci-
sion to go was not directly related to
Mr Johnson’s election as Tory leader
or his controversial decision to sus-
pend Parliament next month.
But they acknowledged that con-
cerns about a No Deal Brexit were a
factor, along with the toll that the lead-
ership has taken on her personal life at
a time when she is caring for her first
child, Finn, who was born in October.
Last month, Miss Davidson clashed
with Mr Johnson over Brexit and
warned that she did not accept his
strategy going forward.
‘I don’t think the Government
should pursue a No Deal Brexit and, if
it comes to it, I won’t support it,’ she
said at the time.
Last night, she told the Scot-
tish Daily Mail the party was in
‘great shape’ in Scotland, add-
ing: ‘I understand the specula-
tion surrounding my leadership
and I will be making my posi-
tion clear later today.
‘Those of us who are lucky
enough to serve in political
leadership accept the toll it
takes, but there’s a part of us
which can never accept the
effect it has on family and
friends too.’
Miss Davidson’s departure is
a significant blow to Mr John-
son and his hopes of securing a
majority at the next election,
which could come within weeks.
Her direct style and charismatic
personality were credited with
turning around the Tory party’s
moribund fortunes in Scotland
and delivering 13 MPs at the
last election, which proved cru-
cial in keeping Jeremy Corbyn
out of Downing Street.
Downing Street sources
acknowledged that the timing
of Miss Davidson’s departurewas ‘not ideal’ as Mr Johnson
is trying to keep the party
united behind his strategy of
taking Britain out of the Euro-
pean Union on October 31
come what may.
Her resignation will fuel con-
cerns that Mr Johnson has a
‘Scottish problem’ which could
cost the Conservatives at anylife.’ Miss Davidson had
dreamed of becoming Scot-
land’s first post-devolution
Tory leader.
The ambition had led her to
resist pressure from Tory mod-
erates to relocate to Westmin-
ster and seek the party’s
national leadership.
It is understood that Miss
Davidson made her mind up
to stand down on Tuesday and
had begun making prepara-
tions to hold a press confer-
ence to announce her deci-
sion, which will go ahead as
planned today.
She was heavily opposed to
Mr Johnson becoming leader
and backed three of his rivals in
the leadership contest.
She was also one of the most
prominent Remain campaign-
ers and went up against Mr
Johnson in a head-to-head
debate in the final week of
the EU referendum campaign
in June 2016. A senior sourcesaid that her decision was
‘not in the least’ down to Mr
Johnson entering Downing
Street, or his decision yester-
day to announce that he is
controversially suspending
Parliament in the run-up to
Britain leaving the EU at the
end of October.
The source said: ‘This is for a
mixture of personal reasons
and political reasons, but it is
not connected at all to [yester-
day’s] events.
‘She has found that, as a lead-
ing Remainer, she has had a
conflict over the whole issue of
Brexit which has not made it
easy for her in her role as Scot-
tish Conservative leader.
‘But it is absolutely not to do
with the personality of the
Prime Minister.’
Miss Davidson had not spo-
ken to either Mr Johnson or
most of her elected politicians
prior to rumours of her depar-
ture first breaking last night.‘Toll of political
leadership’BREXIT
SNAPS
Crashing out
will harm poor,
say bishops
EU calls Boris’s
move ‘sinister’
Unions warn of
NHS shortages
SENIOR Church of England bishops
yesterday launched an attack on a No
Deal Brexit.
The 25 diocesan bishops said they had
‘particular concerns’ about the impact
of No Deal on the poor, and added that
they worried about hate crime and ‘the
ease with which lies can be told’.
The intervention came a day after the
Archbishop of Canterbury agreed to lead
a ‘citizens’ forum’ on Brexit.
The letter, organised by the Bishop of
Leeds, Nick Baines, threw the Church
into conflict with the Government.
The signatories said they backed Arch-
bishop Welby’s decision to head the citi-
zen’s forum and added: ‘We also have
particular concerns about the potential
cost of a No Deal Brexit to those least
resilient to economic shocks.’
The church leaders said: ‘It is unlikely,
however, that leaving without an agree-
ment, regardless of consequences, will
lead to reconciliation or peace in a frac-
tured country. We have to be transparent
about the years of work ahead of us in
bringing the country together.’
They added that the ‘priority must be
to leave well.’ The letter, drawn up before
the PM announced the decision to sus-
pend Parliament, said: ‘The sovereignty
of Parliament is not just an empty term,
it is based on institutions to be honoured
and respected: our democracy is endan-
gered by cavalier disregard for these.’EU politicians yesterday hit out at Boris
Johnson’s ‘sinister’ suspension of Par-
liament, saying it damaged chances of
good future negotiations with the UK.
Guy Verhofstadt, Brexit chief for the
European Parliament, said: ‘Taking
back control has never looked so sinis-
ter. Suppressing debate on profound
choices is unlikely to help deliver a sta-
ble future EU-UK relationship.’
Senior French MEP Nathalie Loiseau
asked: ‘What disease does British
democracy suffer from?’
Norbert Rottgen, chairman of the Ger-
man parliament’s foreign affairs com-
mittee, said suspending Parliament
clashed with respect for democracy.
The criticism came as Irish leaders
rubbished the idea of a solution to the
border issue by October 31.A NO DEAL Brexit could devastate the
NHS and lead to fatal drug shortages,
health unions have warned.
A statement from 11 organisations,
including the British Medical Associa-
tion, Royal College of Nursing and Royal
College of Midwives, also said that leav-
ing without a deal could worsen the NHS
staffing crisis.
They said: ‘A No Deal could cause sig-
nificant disruption to the supply of med-
icine, lasting up to six months. Many
medicines, including life-saving agents
for cancer diagnosis and therapy, cannot
be stockpiled and, for those that can,
stockpiles could run out.
‘These kinds of shortages and delays
can be fatal. No responsible government
should take that risk.’ The union leaders
added: ‘In the event of a No Deal, tens of
thousands of NHS and care workers
from the EU would be left in limbo,
intensifying the largest staffing crisis in
the service’s history.’At odds: Ruth
Davidson and
Boris Johnson
after a debate
in 2016upcoming election. Work and
Pensions Secretary Amber
Rudd, a close ally of Miss Dav-
idson, last night paid tribute to
her, saying: ‘Ruth Davidson is a
wonderful talent and person,
and we owe her a tremendous
debt for turning our fortunes
around in Scotland.
‘Our party is a better one with
her in it and I hope she will con-
tinue to contribute to public